WePlay Shortlisted for 2021 Sport Industry Awards LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 27th May 2021 WePlay shortlisted for the Agency of the Year and Data & Business Impact Awards with UFC Fight Pass at the 2021 Sport Industry Awards We’re in the running for Agency of the Year at the industry showpiece – which celebrates its 20th anniversary with what’s set to be a glittering night at London’s Evolution on 8th September. But that’s not all! Our work alongside the groundbreaking UFC Fight Pass OTT platform has also been nominated for the Data and Business Impact Award. Both of these nominations are testament to the hard work and creative ideas our 40-strong team of analysts, strategists, creatives and media experts have created for our clients. We’re particularly proud that the judging criteria for Agency of the Year was based on our reaction to the pandemic from a commercial and cultural perspective. Despite the challenge of losing significant revenue from the suspension of live sport, we successfully pivoted our business model to finish 2020 with our strongest financial year on record. More importantly, amidst the pandemic’s disruption, we were committed to protecting our Players from a pastoral and well-being perspective. To have entered 2021 with 100% YOY headcount growth across the agency is something we are extremely proud of. The last year has been tough for everyone – but it’s been especially difficult for those working in the sports sector which relies on millions of fans supporting events across the country every week. We’re reminded of the privilege to work with all of our clients as we help them battle the continuing effects of the pandemic. So, having our work of our people and partners recognised by such a prestigious organisation in a difficult year means the absolute world to us. Congratulations to our partners Super League Triathlon, AC Milan, LaLiga, and the Ironman Group for their nominations in their respective categories and we look forward to seeing everyone in person at the show later this year.
WePlay win “Leaders in Content Creation Award” alongside partners FIFA LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 15th Oct 2020 WePlay are proud to have been recognised alongside our partners FIFA, as ‘Leaders in Content Creation’, for our work together on the #WorldCupAtHome campaign. The Leaders Sports Awards, which is in its 6th year, showcases the most innovative companies that have continued to push the boundaries of the sports industry forward over the past year. The Content Creation Award in particular, recognises those that have created the most engaging content in a year that sport as we know it has changed markedly. Sports competitions continue to be played behind closed doors, fans have to support from afar and everyone is adapting to new digital-first experiences. Prior to such disruption, FIFA had not planned to stage a FIFA World Cup in 2020. Neither had it expected billions of people across the world to be confined to their homes during lockdown. In a context like no other, the WorldCupAtHome was a digital content campaign like no other. Agile and ambitious, it opened up the FIFA World Cup archive for a new generation, bringing full-match replays to life in unprecedented ways. The starting point was less a strategic objective, than a simple question: “What does the world need from FIFA right now?”. As the governing body of the world’s game, FIFA resolved to use the full range of its assets and reach with two clear aims: To reinforce the crucial ‘stay at home’ global public health message, by connecting with as many football fans as possible With live football on pause, to entertain and engage a global fanbase, bringing fun, distraction, nostalgia and strengthening bonds of community, at a time of challenge and uncertainty in fans’ lives In total, 32 FIFA World Cup classic games were premiered on FIFA’s YouTube channel. The campaign placed fans at the centre, giving them the power to define the match schedule by taking to Twitter to vote for the matches they wanted to see. Fans could also engage with the campaign and the wider football community during the match through YouTube’s Super Chat, which hosted match-specific debate and half-time quizzes. For both FIFA and WePlay, the WorldCupAtHome was a chance to experiment and fast-track innovation in the areas of fan engagement and digital content distribution. We’re delighted to report that the campaign generated 500 million impressions, 100 million video views and 14 million engaged users. Huge credit goes to the FIFA team, who had the foresight to conceive the idea and we are delighted to have been jointly-recognised by Leaders for our involvement in the project. Well done to everyone involved and congratulations to the other winners too!