Harnessing World Cup excitement to drive global media attention
The buzz around the recent World Cup has shown that football is more than a sport. It is a collection of moments and memories that bring people together and are remembered for generations.
When BUDDS appointed us to help get the word out about the largest ever World Cup Football auction, we knew we weren’t just telling a story about football memorabilia – we were capturing the emotion behind significant pieces of football history.
With a total value of £2.2 million and a catalogue ranging from a consigned collection from Sir Geoff Hurst to match-worn David Beckham shirts, we were ready to feed into the football fever.
The Challenge
Our challenge was to harness the excitement surrounding the World Cup and position the auction as a major cultural moment. We needed to capture the attention of football supporters, collectors and high-net-worth individuals across the globe. With the auction taking place during one of the biggest moments in the football calendar, we had limited time to cut through before attention shifted to the outcome of the tournament itself.
The Approach:
With the auction taking place during a peak period of global attention around football, timing was everything. We developed a two-part strategy that tapped into World Cup fever by using narrative-led PR to connect the memorabilia to the stories behind them. It wasn’t just a Peter Shilton jersey, it was the jersey that saw Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal in 1986. Equally, it wasn’t just a shirt worn by Gordon Banks, it was the exact shirt he had on during the legendary ‘Save of the Century’ against Pele in 1970.
Phase one: driving consignments
The first phase focused on driving consignments of auction lots by raising awareness of the auction and encouraging collectors and former players to contribute memorabilia they’d like to sell.
By highlighting the timing, the frenzied interest in football memorabilia and the significance of the items already going into the auction, we were able to help attract further high-profile items and therefore strengthen the overall story. We worked with influencers, from retired footballers to pundits and commentators, to talk about some of the lots and encourage others in their networks to consign.
Phase two: Creating demand and driving bids
The second phase saw us maximise impact by organising a London press event to launch the auction catalogue. This ensured that the auction was in the media’s eye at a critical time for attracting advance bids.
We worked closely with the BUDDS team to organise and coordinate the event, creating briefing material and preparing football legends Sir Geoff Hurst and Peter Reid for interviews. The event was held at the Royal Garden Hotel, the same venue where England’s winning 1966 World Cup team celebrated their historic victory,- so even the location fed into the wider story.
With Geoff and Peter acting as media hooks for the day, we displayed strong BUDDS branding strategically placed around the venue and had hero lots on display to ensure the message always came back to the items up for sale and the auction itself.
The event gave journalists and broadcasters the opportunity to engage with the stories behind the memorabilia, resulting in coverage on BBC Breakfast, Channel 5, ITV, BBC Sports and more all in one room.
Through targeted engagement with national, broadcast, sports and international media and carefully phased activity, we managed to get the BUDDS name and auction out to the right people and attract high-value collectors from around the world.
Results
Coverage: 144 pieces with 24 broadcast placements
Coverage included BBC Breakfast, BBC Sport, Channel 5 News, Reuters TV, The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror and Goal.
14 top-tier media outlets attended the event:
14 national media outlets attended and covered the London press event, including a broadcast with Dan Walker on Channel 5 News and Graham Satchell on BBC Breakfast
Global reach: 20+ countries worldwide
Countries include Mexico, USA, Bangladesh, Australia, Brazil, Russia and more, with outlets such as Goal.com reaching 14 international sites
Coverage reach: Over 100M
Combined coverage from both phases reached an audience of over 100M
Coverage featuring brand visibility: 100%
100% of coverage includes either a direct mention of BUDDS, a backlink, visible branding, or all three.
Auction results
Headline lots achieved sales of up to £140,000 with global interest generated for memorabilia linked to football icons including Alan Ball, Pelé, David Beckham and Johan Cruyff