WePlay’s ‘We Are Racing’ campaign with SailGP in the spotlight with The Drum
Joe Beale
17th May 2024
The team here at WePlay are excited to see that our ‘We Are Racing’ global brand campaign with our partner SailGP has become a finalist in The Drum’s Marketing EMEA Awards, in the prestigious Sports category.
WePlay’s senior management want to give a massive shout-out to both our Players and the fantastic team at SailGP for believing in our ideas and trusting us to bring the campaign to life.
It’s already been an incredibly fulfilling year working with SailGP, bringing the world’s most exciting sport on water to a global audience.
Athlete-centric marketing and immersive storytelling
The ‘We Are Racing’ campaign has been designed by WePlay to draw fans into the heart of the SailGP action. This includes captivating hero content, exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses, athlete-centric marketing, and immersive storytelling. It spotlights the remarkable teams, extraordinary competitors, riveting events and the underlying purpose that propels SailGP to the forefront of the global sporting calendar.
‘We Are Racing’ strategically promotes SailGP across 14 key markets through a 360 campaign, intricately aligned with the impressive teams and event locations which feature in the races. Highlights have included a week-long digital 3D OOH full-screen takeover at the renowned Piccadilly Lights, London in August 2023 and an OOH digital 3D full screen takeover of The Curve at Al Qana ahead of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix, in January 2024.
A truly 360 breakthrough campaign
An accompanying social media campaign engaged over 33 million new racing fans across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, exceeding forecasts by 112%. Website traffic saw a 5x uplift with 93% of those visitors new to site and Google searches for ‘SailGP’ increased by 80% during the campaign. Campaign creative ran throughout the season in official broadcast products, whilst event marketing included additional OOH concepts and on site event branding, making this a truly 360 breakthrough campaign.
This resulted in SailGP being the fastest growing sports property in the UAE in Q2 & Q3 2023*. SailGP awareness in that market is now at 16% – which has almost doubled in 8 months, placing awareness in the territory above the PGA Tour in the latest survey results.
Leah Davis, Chief Marketing Officer, SailGP said: “So far, this global brand campaign has increased visibility of the League, Teams and Athletes to reach new audiences and deepen already-existing relationships. This layered approach aims to keep SailGP at the forefront of new fans’ minds, to give them an intimate view into the world of SailGP and emphasise why SailGP is the most exciting race on water in the global sporting calendar.”
The Drum’s Marketing EMEA Awards ceremony takes place in London on 13th June. We wish the best of luck to our fellow nominees and fingers crossed for another WePlay triumph!
* Brand awareness growth vs other major sports brands tracked, ref YouGov wave 2 study
About SailGP
SailGP is the world’s most exciting racing on water. The global championship features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing’s best athletes racing in identical hydrofoiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. SailGP also races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. Visit SailGP.com for more information.
