MediaCom gives Lucozade Sport the edge

Client: Lucozade Sport
Agency: MediaCom
Planner: Jamie Higginson
Campaign: Sports Edge

Strategy
We spoke to sports fans and many were sceptical about whether Lucozade Sport would live up to its claim - to improve performance by 33%. They did, however, recognise that there is a time and place where real winners demonstrate "the edge" that they have over the competition. We set out to engage sports participants when they experience "the edge", the moment when lactic acid kicks in.

Activity
The campaign runs from January to October 2008 and has cost less than £200,000. We created an experiential project, Sidelines, at 22 running events across the UK, offering product samples and on-the-spot advice on how to improve performance. A running radio programme with TalkSport was broadcast every Saturday during the London marathon training phase. Magazine activity included bespoke ads that were placed in specialist sports titles, both in print and online, opposite editorial on winning. We also ran advertorials, monthly running calendars and a competition to find the best training routes. Broadcast activity was focused around environments that reflected heroic performance in the eyes of the target audience, including every ad break during Tour de France coverage.

Results
GlaxoSmithKline data shows year-on-year sales growth of 26%, which is 21% above target. This was achieved with distribution and spend levels flat year on year - media spend was less than £200,000. According to Natmag Rodale, online advertising delivered 14,279,861 page impressions and 31,059 advertorial views, both above predicted levels. The MPU ad achieved a click-through rate of just under 1%, with a 2.5% click-through rate to the Lucozade Sport website.

Jamie Higginson, senior planner/buyer, MediaCom.

This article was first published on Media Week