The Coca-Cola Company

U.K. Football Campaigns Honored By Sports Marketing Industry



May 26, 2006 edition

Coca-Cola Great Britain's football-related marketing initiatives received top honors at the prestigious Sport Industry Awards 2006, held recently in London.

The Company took home the "Best Sponsorship of a Sport Event or Program" award for its title sponsorship of the Coca-Cola Football League, and the "Best Use of PR in a Sport Campaign" honor for 2005's "Win a Player" promotion.

The Company has invested in U.K. football for more than 30 years -- from grassroots leagues to the UEFA European Championships and the FIFA World Cup™. Our current sponsorship agreement with The Football League, which runs through the 2006/2007 season, engages consumers with the emotional side of the Coca-Cola® brand by building on the two entities’ shared values.

The first year of the partnership included the "Club Colors" project, which boosted fan excitement by displaying the Coca-Cola logo at all 72 stadiums in each home club’s official colors.

A second initiative, the "Win a Player" promotion, gave one lucky fan the chance to win £250,000 (USD $318,631) for his/her favorite team to spend on a new player or players. The three-month initiative generated more than 1 million e-mail/text message entries. Fans also had the chance to win pairs of Football League/Scottish Premier League match tickets every hour of every day during the promotion.

The Sport Industry Awards judging panel was headed by BBC Sports Commentator John Inverdale and featured some of the industry’s most influential figures.

Visit www.coca-colafootball.co.uk for more information on Coca-Cola Great Britain’s football programs.