Guild Esports partners with WePlay to execute ambitious growth strategy LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook Luca Massaro 11th Oct 2021 Performance-led sports marketing agency, WePlay, appointed to drive audience development and monetisation across multiple commercial workstreams Global esports business, Guild, has tasked digital marketing specialists, WePlay, with driving ambitious growth targets across their owned social channels, merchandise range and commercial partner activations. The deal signals WePlay’s expansion into the world of esports, and they bring with them a wealth of experience working with some of the world’s largest sporting brands and rights holders, including FIFA, UFC, LaLiga, Ironman, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan. The agency works with sports organisations as their marketing and commercial partner, helping them to achieve their audience and revenue growth objectives. The partnership sees WePlay take responsibility for increasing the reach and penetration of Guild within target markets, as well as optimising content engagement across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Additionally, the agency will deliver incremental revenues through audience monetisation, activating Guild’s multi-year partnerships, across their eCommerce range and through branded content. Launched in 2020 and co-owned by David Beckham, Guild has already received substantial financial backing. Last year’s IPO valued the business at $52.3 million, and the organisation currently fields professional esports teams across Fortnite, Rocket League, FIFA, & Valorant, winning three major trophies in their first twelve months. Luke Donovan-King, Vice President Marketing at Guild Esports, said: “Guild are proud to have partnered with WePlay to execute on our performance marketing strategy across the world. As experts in their field, we knew they would be the perfect partner for us, and their performance-based philosophy is something we hold as a strong value for everything we do at Guild. We’ve recently surpassed one million owned audience, which has cemented us as the fastest growing Esports organisation in Europe.” Luca Massaro, CEO & Founder of WePlay added: “Guild is taking the world of esports by storm with a bold and ambitious strategy to engage a new generation of fans. We’re hugely excited to be partnering with them and will apply our deep expertise across digital within sports to help them achieve their business growth objectives.”
WePlay Partners with Made By Sport for #ClubsInCrisis Campaign LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 30th Nov 2020 WePlay appointed as digital agency to raise awareness of the impact of widespread sport club closures on communities affected by COVID-19 Performance marketing agency WePlay is proud to be partnering with Made by Sport for their #ClubsInCrisis campaign. The campaign will host a competition offering clubs the chance of winning 1 of 3 £5,000 cash donations by voicing their concerns for those hit hardest by the pandemic. WePlay will provide strategic direction and support to the campaign as well as the production of all campaign content, including a short-form social video series and a hero manifesto video. The agency will also assist in the activation of key ambassadors such as Olympian Aimee Fuller and Rudimental member, Leon Rolle. Discussing the announcement, Sophie Mason, CEO, Made by Sport said: “We’re delighted to be partnered with WePlay to get our vital message out there that better futures can be Made by Sport. Through WePlay’s knowledge of digital tools and platforms, we’re hopeful of engaging with clubs and sports organisations across the UK that provide an essential service to their local communities which allow young people to thrive in the future.” Seeking to close the inequality gap through sport, Made by Sport is looking to support communities and clubs disproportionately impacted by the global situation. Of the 150,000 grassroots sports clubs, charities and social organisations using sport to help young people, Made by Sport estimate that 25% will have to close their doors permanently without further funding. Luca Massaro, CEO & Founder of WePlay, said: “For all of us here at WePlay, sport is more than just a game; it is our cornerstone. We are proud and honoured to be supporting Made by Sport in their mission to use sport for social good, to raise awareness of the issues facing the thousands of the UK’s sporting communities, and to inject vital funds into the sports clubs that are at risk of closure.” To enter the competition, club attendees are asked to publish a 1-2-minute video via their social media account using #ClubsInCrisis and complete a short application form to be in with a chance of winning. The video must cover the club’s offering, its social impact such as reducing crime or developing employability skills, how the club’s closure will impact the community, and how the £5,000 will make a difference.
WePlay continues OTT expansion with Horse & Country appointment LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 17th Nov 2020 Performance marketing agency WePlay has added global equestrian sports network Horse & Country (H&C) to its growing roster of sports streaming platform clients. The direct-to-consumer specialist has been appointed by H&C with a brief to drive subscription growth to the H&C+ over-the-top (OTT) platform, which features extensive live sports coverage, as well as on-demand sports highlights, training, entertainment and documentary content for the passionate worldwide community of equestrian fans. The partnership is an addition to a portfolio of clients in the OTT market that includes the likes of UFC, La Liga and ESPN, and follows WePlay’s recent appointment by the FIA World Rally Championship to support the growth of its OTT streaming platform, WRC+. The agency has also recently announced the arrival of longtime former Sky Sports MD Barney Francis as an advisor to the Board. Commenting on the appointment, Kenny Ager, Client Services Director at WePlay, said: “It’s an honour to be given the opportunity to support the ongoing global growth of such a well-established and pioneering platform as H&C. We’re delighted to be driving the extraordinary development of OTT and SVOD platforms in the new digital sporting environment and this appointment is testament to WePlay’s expertise in delivering digital growth outcomes for sports properties at a time when the Streaming landscape is evolving at record speed.” Heather Killen, CEO and Chairman of H&C said: “We’re seeing strong and consistent growth in multiple markets and an increasing understanding within the equestrian sector of the role and value of streaming. So partnering with an industry-leading performance sports marketing agency is a logical next step in our international expansion. We firmly believe that WePlay’s experience will put us in the best possible position to realise H&C’s growth potential.”
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!
FIA World Rally Championship appoints WePlay for OTT growth LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 29th Sep 2020 Performance marketing specialist WePlay has been appointed to drive subscriptions to the FIA World Rally Championship’s over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform, WRC+. The partnership follows hot on the heels of longtime former Sky Sports MD Barney Francis’ appointment as an advisor to the WePlay Board. Under the agreement, WePlay will work with World Rally Championship across the post-COVID-19 interrupted season that resumed with rallies in Estonia and Turkey, earlier this month and will continue over two more live events in Italy and Belgium before the end of December. The relationship builds on WePlay’s strong track record in driving OTT (over-the-top) and SVOD (subscription video on demand) growth – of five pillars of the agency’s Direct-to-Consumer marketing model, which also includes Digital Sponsorship, Event Marketing, E-commerce and Audience Development & Memberships. As the first performance marketing agency dedicated to sport, WePlay also delivers OTT marketing for the likes of UFC, LaLiga and ESPN. Commenting on the latest appointment, Jon Abraham, Head of Business Development at WePlay, said: “We’re incredibly proud of WePlay’s success in driving OTT subscriptions during lockdown, but we couldn’t be happier to see live sport back on our agenda. The WRC partnership is a chance to demonstrate our capabilities in growing revenues for sports clients though the streaming of live events. We’ve really established ourselves in this space over the last three years and believe it now represents an even more fundamental area of growth in sport’s new era.” Jona Siebel, managing director of WRC Promoter, which owns the commercial rights to the FIA World Rally Championship added: “We’re delighted to be working with WePlay – the go-to agency for performance marketing in the sport sector. We see our OTT product as a significant factor in WRC’s commercial growth over the coming years. Over the last few months, WRC has worked tirelessly with the FIA, our competitors, teams and rallies, in exceptional circumstances, to revise the calendar. It’s fantastic to be able to provide live Rally content to our fans around the world, and WePlay will be fundamental to achieving this via WRC+.”
WePlay adds to European football roster with European Club Association win LinkedInIcon for linkedin TwitterIcon for twitter FacebookIcon for facebook WePlay 4th Sep 2020 Performance-led sports marketing agency WePlay has been appointed by the European Club Association (ECA) to support the organisation in delivering its digital strategy The ECA, which represents more than 200 professional football clubs within UEFA competitions, will work with WePlay to develop and deliver its social media strategy. This will be in line with ECA’s purpose of Placing Clubs at the Heart of Football by bringing Europe’s leading football clubs – competitors on the pitch – together as friends off the pitch to drive and inspire the development of the game. The win adds to WePlay’s roster of football clients, which already includes FIFA, LaLiga, the Ligue de Football Professionel (LFP) and clubs including AC Milan, Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain. Luca Massaro, CEO & Founder of WePlay, said: “We’re honoured to be supporting the ECA as it seeks to continue to grow its reach and influence at a time when digital acceleration is driving fundamental change in the structures that underpin sport. As performance marketers, our role has always been to help our partners to win in the digital age and facilitate tangible business growth through sustainable direct-to-consumer marketing. We’re therefore delighted to be able to work with the ECA whose objective is to help their member clubs to win both on and off the pitch.” Charlie Marshall, ECA CEO, said: “The appointment of WePlay is a statement of our intent to help our clubs to connect the dots between the sporting and commercial landscape. WePlay bring a strong track record in delivering targeted digital growth outcomes for leading rightsholders across Europe and beyond.” About WePlay WePlay was founded in 2012 as the first performance-led marketing agency dedicated to sport. It is a full-service agency that specialises in helping sports brands to achieve their digital growth objectives across emerging direct-to-consumer revenue streams. WePlay’s approach is based on “outcomes over outputs.” The agency’s results and reputation are reflected in multiple industry awards including the back-to-back Agency of the Year titles at the Football Business Awards in 2017 and 2018. Founder and CEO Luca Massaro was named part of the inaugural Sport Industry NextGen class of 2016. WePlay has a growing global footprint with offices in London, Paris and Madrid serving a roster of leading international rightsholders and brands. These include LaLiga, AC Milan, PGA European Tour, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, ESPN, UFC, IRONMAN and Yokohama Tyres About the European Club Association (ECA) ECA is the sole, independent body directly representing football clubs at European level. ECA represents the interests of 246 professional football clubs from across Europe, those clubs that regularly compete in UEFA Club Competitions. As the representative voice of European club football on the international football landscape, ECA’s core purpose is Placing Clubs at the Heart of Football. It does this by working with stakeholders across the industry in shaping the future of club football in Europe across sporting, governance, commercial, regulatory, organisational, developmental and societal aspects.