Sketch Events

Wednesday 15 August 2012

London 2012 brands: winning gold, or just medalling



With the games over, the torch passed on and the post-Olympic blues just settling in, it seems like a good time to reflect on just how fantastic London 2012 actually was (before the archetypical British cynicism sets in, inevitably). Team GB achieved the highest medal tally in over a century, generating record viewing figures for the BBC, plus over 150 million tweets in total over the 16 days! The vibe around London was supercharged: everyone got caught up in the fever.  


Best Olympic games ever? The success of London 2012 has also brought success for many of the official sponsors, where positive brand perception has been created through association with the Olympics. The games provided an unforgettable experience – one which aimed to inspire a generation – and sponsors certainly made the most of all the heightened emotion.











But instead of passively promoting their brand through their products, the best advertisers turned to storytelling and consumer interaction: both much more effective ways of creating a long-term emotional connection to their brand. The two weeks were full of inspired commercials and innovative experiential marketing events. Here are a few of the best ads:

This advert is so highly charged with emotion it could almost pass as a short film (you’ll have to forgive the American ‘Mom’):

This BP advert seeks to created a united British identity, both athletes and citizens:


Nike was not an official Olympic sponsor, but got in on the action through ambush advertising. This commercial aims to inspire, rather than to just sell clothes:


Brands need to show that they have core values, which go further than merely trying to sell their product. What has come out most significantly in the Olympics is that sponsors must actively participate in the event, through social engagement, and demonstrate that they really care for their customers. They must have a reason behind what they do, which goes deeper than just the ‘what’ (i.e. we sell sports shoes) and demonstrates the ‘why’ (i.e. we want everyone to play sport).

Here are some inspired experiential marketing events and stunts that came out of the Olympics:

Here EDF shows it is not just an energy company, but wants to use its product in order to connect people through social media:


Volkswagen certainly got people energised by the Olympic spirit:


Nike wants to get people enthused by sport by showing them the actual experience of being an athlete. See the Camp Victory Olympic Pavilion video here.

Coke created an interactive building as a musical instrument.

Consumers want to have a reason to be loyal to a brand, and it seems they tend to value experiences more than they value things.

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Speck 'Team GB'

Last week saw our great team tackle 3 lively days of activity throughout London. Speck, a very cool Californian brand who make covers for iPhones, iPads,  iPods, Mac books, smart phones, e-readers and more, wanted to celebrate the launch of their UK Facebook page by giving away limited edition 'Team GB' iPhone cases.








On day 1we hit Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London. To tie in with the sports theme we gave away QR code medals and got participants to give us their best winners pose on a custom made Speck winner's podium, with the pictures then uploaded to Facebook for people to tag themselves in.




With each cover being worth nearly £30, they went down a absolute storm! We also got people to take part in a short sports trivia quiz on the iPads.










There was also a huge Speck world map which people were encouraged to sign. This was then sent off to Speck HQ in California to be proudly displayed in their offices.





Day 2 and 3 saw half the team hit Covent Garden for a Guerrilla sampling activity. Again, we got people to pose with their new Speck case- one of either the limited edition 'Bobbies' or 'Guardsmen' - in front of a Speck Union Jack flag.




The team were in high spirits as they opening ceremony was due to go ahead on Day 2 and Olympic fever had officially hit London. We got some brilliant and very 'British' shots too!














Wednesday 1 August 2012

Freeview: World's Largest Dream Catcher

Sketch has once again smashed a Guinness World Record, and this time it's for Freeview who needed to us to build 'The World's Largest Dream Catcher' at London's Potter's Field Park. This event, part experiential activity, part PR stunt, was held to celebrate Freeview's Summer of sport catching the hopes and dreams of the nation.






Roger McGough, one of Britain's top, award winning and renowned performance poets, unveiled "Hopes and Dreams for the Big Day" aiming to inspire Britain's athletes and capture the nation’s sense of anticipation and excitement for the summer of sport ahead. the poem had been crowdsourced via the brand's fans on Facebook.



The Dream Catcher measures an impressive 3metres in diameter, is 4.44metres in height, with a massive 9.65metre circumference. The previous record is 2.74 metres with an 8.61 metre circumference.



The installation was also part of Freeview's Twitter campaign to get the country sharing their hopes and dreams #hopesanddreams


Coverage included the Metro Online and Orange News



Hopes and Dreams For The Big Day

(A poem by Roger McGough)

Nervous, but quietly confident
The poem is up at first light.
The big day, after years of dreaming
Has finally arrived. The end is in sight.

It runs, it jumps, it rides, it drives
It rows, it shoots, it collides, it dives
It kicks, it flicks, it cycles, it swerves
It lifts, it throws, it aims, it serves.

It scans, it puzzles, it echoes, it chimes
It struts, it performs, it sings, it rhymes
One more line and the verse is complete
The dreaming is over, now it’s time to compete.