With seven regional events between May and August now associated with the Party, this year's event was the perfect centrepiece to O2's summer 2004 music campaign. This saw the company sponsor 70 events encompassing a variety of musical styles across the country, including the English National Opera, Queer Nation club nights and a photographic exhibition, and the NME Brit Pack Tour. This year marks a significant escalation in this strategy - last year the company sponsored 30 events.
Ticketing plus
O2 head of interactive partnerships Paul Samuels regards the mobile phone company's relationship with Party in the Park events as 'more of a partnership than a sponsorship'. Its deal with Capital FM went beyond traditional sponsorship, in that O2 used its technology to help distribute both paid-for and free tickets to the regional events.
As consumers had to find their nearest O2 store to collect these tickets, it benefited from substantial extra footfall.
O2 was realistic enough to realise this wasn't going to translate into immediate sales, but is optimistic sales will benefit in the longer term.
'We just wanted people to see what is in (the shops)', says Samuels. 'Hopefully they will think of O2 when their contract comes up for renewal and they want to buy another phone.'
A cross-promotional deal between Capital Radio Group, NME and MTV was another first that yielded substantial O2-branded promotions of the London event. NME owner IPC and MTV parent Viacom, together with Capital Radio Group, have formed a group called RSVP, which allows advertisers to book ads across appropriate titles and channels through a single point of contact.
O2 benefited from branding on Party in the Park advertising arranged through this system by Capital Radio.
The event dovetailed nicely with the TV, press and poster ads that were planned to promote the launch of O2's digital music player. At the parties, activities were set up to underline O2's message that its users are able to access the music they want wherever and whenever they want it. The trademark O2 'bubble' became a transparent tent that people could walk around listening to records on a headset, an O2 breakdance team demonstrated the digital music player, and representatives showed visitors how to text or email pictures they had taken on their phones.
MEDIA PLAN
OBJECTIVES
For the second year of O2's sponsorship of Party in the Park, the company wanted to move beyond pure brand association and get consumers into O2 stores. It also aimed to use the concerts as a way of showing people how they could get more from their mobile phones. Specifically, the concerts were to be used to promote the launch of O2's first dedicated digital music player.
STRATEGY
The parties (the London event and others in Kent, Hampshire, Brighton, Birmingham, Cardiff and Oxford) were all ticketed this year. O2 had a large allocation of tickets to give away for the regional events and local radio and newspaper promotions were devised to get people to text in. Winners were directed into O2 stores to collect the tickets. This was supplemented by PR and advertising flagging O2 involvement.
EXECUTION
O2 planned various activities at the parties to entertain visitors and educate them about using their mobiles. In addition, audience members at the regional events were invited to text a number if they wanted to sit on a sofa on the stage for an hour during the event - at the London events, people could also text in for a chance to win a backstage tour.
RESULTS
About 130,000 people texted in to buy or try to win free tickets to the parties, resulting in 40,000 extra people walking in to O2 stores to collect tickets. An average 24% of the audiences at each party sent texts to try to get a spot on the stage sofa or a backstage tour. About 90,000 extra records were added to the O2 database as a result; 50% of people indicated they would be happy to receive promotional texts from 02.
AGENCIES
Media: Drum PHD
Events: Sledge
PR: Jackie Cooper PR
BUDGET
£300,000
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