MAYWEATHER VS PACQUIAO MARKETING BOXING'S LATEST COMEBACK ANALYSING PROMOTOR, BROADCASTER, SPONSOR, ENDORSER & AMBUSH ACTIVATION - INSIGHT ...
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> CONTENTS
Year In Review 1
MAYWEATHER VS PACQUIAO > MARKETING BOXING’S LATEST COMEBACK
ANALYSING PROMOTOR, BROADCASTER, SPONSOR, ENDORSER & AMBUSH ACTIVATION
INSIGHT > BRIEFING > 2015
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 2
MAYWEATHER PURSE %
$5.6M $13.6M
PRICE OF TECATE’S WINNING BID FOR
TITLE SPONSORSHIP RIGHTS 60% TOTAL REVENUE FROM THE 5 OFFICIAL
FIGHT SPONSORS
$180,000 $13.6M
REPORTED COST OF TOP SECONDARY MARKET TICKET CLOSED CIRCUIT BROADCAST RIGHTS
$2.3M $100
EST. TOTAL FIGHT REVENUE
TOTAL VALUE OF THE 6 PACQUIAO SHORT
ENDORSER LOGOS
$400M THE AVERAGE COST OF PAY-PER-VIEW
FIGHT PACKAGE IN USA
5.5 million $25,000
PROJECTED TOTAL PAY-PER-VIEW PACKAGAES SOLD COST OF MAYWEATHER’S GOLD/DIAMOND ICEBERG MOUTH GUARD
PACQUIAO PURSE %
$1M $35M
THE COST OF BURGER KING MASCOT
JOINING MAYWEATHER’S ENTOURAGE 40% THE TOTAL REVENUE GENERATION FROM
INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST RIGHTS
Mayweather vs Pacquiao >
Marketing Boxing’s Comeback
From official fight sponsorships and athlete
endorsements, to broadcast rights and ticket sales,
the long-anticipated Mayweather vs Pacquiao
showdown smashed all records. Perhaps it’s
simply the revenue and reach statistics rather
than a wider comeback for boxing that justify
the record sums that marketers invested in the
big fight. Either way, from Pacquiao’s shorts
to Mayweather’s entourage, and from lead-in
opinion-based campaigns to in-fight real-time
activations, marketers fought fiercely to get their
brands in front of millions of boxing fans. And
while Mayweather won the boxing battle, it was
Pacquaio who lifted the marketing title.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 4
CO-PROMOTORS
MAYWEATHER
PACQUIAO VS
PACQUIAO
LEAD BROADCASTERS 02 > 05 > 15
THE
FIGHT
SPONSORS
OF THE MAYWEATHER
CENTURY
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 5
We still await the final definitive data, but we al- dependent big fight campaigns and those were Links >
ready know that Mayweather vs Pacquiao gener- largely run by bookies and the media businesses –
ated more official sponsor income ($13,5m) and such as BetVictor’s #TweetRumble and Talk Talk’s Tecate Website:
more total revenue than any other fight in history #PickASide. http://www.tecate.com.mx/
(the boxers splitting $300m 60/40) and that it
was the most expensive (at $100) and the most OFFICIAL FIGHT SPONSORS
Mexican Tourst Board:
watched pay-per-view event of all time (with joint
http://www.visitmexico.com/
broadcasters HBO/Showtime reporting more Five brands invested a combined $13.2m on of-
than three million plus buys). ficial, exclusive rights to the match (obliterating
Smart Communications:
While it doesn’t compare to the revenues of the previous $4m record for a fight).
the US’s premier annual sporting event - The Su- Led by Mexican beer brand Tecate (at http://smart.com.ph/
per Bowl TV audience was 114.4m and its com- $5.6m), with the rest came from the Mexican
bined revenue is reported to be around $3.95bn – Tourism Board (with its ‘Mexico, Live it to Believe Paramount Pictures:
but for boxing this was indeed the biggest money it’ campaign), Filipino telecoms company Smart http://www.paramount.com/
maker of all time. Communications (with its #SogodManny), Para-
Tickets for the 16,800 MGM Grand Arena mount Pictures and The Weinstein Company also The Weinstein Company:
may have been priced at an eye-watering $1,500 penned deals. http://weinsteinco.com/
to $7,500, only 500 of them actually went on sale Tecate beer won the title sponsor rights to
(and sold out in minute) - so ticket income didn’t the fight, with an estimated $5.6 million bid, ac-
greatly affect the overall revenue a great deal. cording to Repucom. The Tecate logo will be fea-
The same can’t be said for the individual box- tured on the center of the ring mat, and on sig-
er endorsement deals though. nage in and around the venue.
While Mayweather won the battle in the ring, During the ad breaks, movie studios have
it was Pacquaio who won the marketing war. snapped up expensive ad slots. Trailers being
While the official promotional campaign was aired will include ‘Terminator Genisys’, ‘Mission
fairly balanced, most other marketers weighed in Impossible: Rogue Nation’ and ‘SouthPaw’.
heavily on the Filipino’s side. The co-promoters Mayweather Promotions
From the supposedly independent official and Top Rank set the minimum sponsorship bid
presenting sponsor Tecate’s ‘My Bold Opinion’ at $1m and in return for image and logo rights, the
initiative, to fighter-specific partnership promo- pay-per-view rotated sponsor logos during the
tions (from Butterfinger’s #GetInOurCorner to broadcast, and on the CompuBox punch statis-
Wonderful Pistachios ‘See How Manny Does It’) tics display and the tale of the tape graphics.
and the athlete ambassador sportswear work
(such as Nike’s ‘Inner Strength’) it was Pacquiao Tecate ‘My Bold Opinions’ > Mexican beer brand
who dominated. Tecate activated its rights as the ‘Presenting’ and
Indeed, while six brands (including Nike, ‘Exclusive Beer Sponsor’ of the Mayweather vs
Smart Communications, Cafe Puro, Air Asia, Pacquiao Fight with a celebrity-fronted, socially-
Motolite and Pheonix Petroleum) paid a total led, opinion-based initiative called #MyBoldOpin-
of $2.3m for space on Manny’s shorts, the only ions.
mass market brands brave enough to sign an of- This activation blended expert opinion, ce-
ficial deal with the controversial Mayweather were lebrity commentary with fan feelings and pas-
Burger King (which ran a surprising, mascot-led sions with physical and digital experiences,
‘Entourage Stunt’), Fan Duel (with shorts spon- branded merchandise, a ticket giveaway and an
sorship and a ticket giveaway) and Hublot (with awareness campaign.
its logo on the fighter’s waistband). Tecate, which only signed the deal around
Indeed, there were only a few genuinely in- a month before the bout, bought an extensive
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 6
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 7
rights package that included prominent logo weather-Pacquiao fight: it will shatter records Links >
space in the centre of the ring, around the matt and everyone will have an opinion about who
and throughout the MGM Grand’s arena, spon- will win,’ commented Tecate brand director Tecate YouTube:
soring the ‘ring girls’, as well as other fight-re- Gustavo Guerra. https://www.youtube.com/user/
lated events and experiences. ‘We want to hear from the boldest boxing mxtecate
These rights were complemented by a ma- fans around the world about who they think
jor amplification campaign, My Bold Opinions, will win on 2 May.’
Tecate Twitter:
centered in and around Las Vegas itself. ‘Tecate strategically collaborated globally
https://twitter.com/tecate
The marketing push, which ran from 6 on a unified basis to secure the anchor spon-
@tecate
April to 3 May, aimed to ‘solicit’ and ‘celebrate’ sorship for one of the biggest sporting events
passionate boxing fans’ opinions online via the in history,’ said Top Rank president Todd du-
hashtag “MyBoldOpinions. Boef (who co-promoted the fight alongside Tecate Website:
In the weeks leading up to the bout, Tecate Mayweather Promotions). http://www.tecate.com.mx/
asked fight fans (aged 21 and older) to share ‘Tecate’s sponsorship of Mayweather-Pac-
#MyBoldOpinions on who they think will win. quiao not only highlights its dominance on the Saatchi & Saatchi Website:
The Saatchi & Saatchi campaign then boxing landscape but its commitment to sup- http://saatchi.com/en-us/
chose the boldest fan opinions and most pas- porting the vitality of the sport.’
sionate consumer posts for discussion on film The brand also continued to activate
by boxing legends: such as actor Sylvester around the fight on its social networks during
Stallone and HBO sports commentator Larry and after the bout.
Merchant. Comment > It has been widely reported
These expert opinion films were rolled out that Tecate, which began sponsoring boxing
on a round-by-round basis. back in 2007, outbid rival Corona for the May-
The choice of celebrity was partly driven weather-Pacquiao sponsorship package.
by the fact that in recent month’s Stallone has Indeed, the media has suggested that
been fronting the brand’s current mainstream the Heineken-owned brand paid a stagger-
advertising campaign. ing $5.6m for the rights (edging out Corona’s
In parallel to the opinion sharing and $5.2m offer).
spreading activation strand, Tecate also ran This was clearly a tough bidding battle
sponsored viewing parties at around 200 bars between two Mexican beer imports – one that
and restaurants, plus a targeted ticket promo- was won only when Tecate committed to a re-
tion to the fight itself as well as for Pay-Per- cord amount for a boxing match.
View home packages. What was the fight’s eventual audience?
The brand’s competition also gave players Did it reach 4 million homes on pay-per-
and contributors the chance to win a range of view and generate a viewing audience of 33
Pacquiao-signed memorabilia. million in total?
Plus, a participatory retail strand saw se- If so, that is larger than several other mar-
lected retail locations feature Pacquiao-brand- quee sporting events in the USA – including
ed punching bags to offer fans a chance to test the final game of the 2014 MLB World Series
their own ‘Punch Power’ with Pacquiao’s and (23.5 million), as well as the last game off the
share the experience on social channels. 2014 NBA Finals (18 million) and even the 2014
Other leverage programme strands in- FIFA World Cup final (17.3 million).
cluded mail-in-rebates (each Tecate purchase About the same cost as the annual title
giving consumers discounts on the pay-per- sponsorship for an NBA arena,
view fight fee), plus a sweepstakes. The majority of Tecate’s on-the-ground
‘There are two certainties about the May- activation – which ranged from outdoor adver-
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 8
tising and retail programs – were focused on the five US states in Links >
which Tecate generates the majority of its sales: California, Ne-
vada, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Top Rank:
The Tecate activation follows hot on the heels of the beer http://www.toprank.com/
brands big new ad campaign for Tecate Light.
This campaign, which was also developed by agency Saatchi
Showtime:
& Saatchi and which targets 21 million bi-cultural US/Mexican con-
http://www.sho.com/sho/home
sumers, is called ‘Born Bold’.
While neither boxer is Mexican, Tecate aimed to stay neutral
HBO Boxing:
despite Pacquiao strong following amongst Mexican and bi-cul-
tural demographics. < http://www.hbo.com/boxing#/
CO-PROMOTORS & BROADCASTERS
The property was collaboration between Mayweather Promotions
and Top Rank and co-broadcasted primarily by Showtime and
HBO.
As both Pacquiao and Mayweather have exclusive broadcast-
er relationships with HBO and Showtime, the fight telecast was a
joint production.
This was the first blended collaboration between the two
since Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson in 2002.
This fight, the first bout between the two boxing titans, cer-
tainly managed to capture public interest beyond the core boxing
fan.
In terms of results, the campaigned helped ensure well above
three million bought pay-per-view at around $100 each in the
USA, Canada and Puerto Rico (exceeding the previous record
from the 2007 Mayweather-De La Hoya bout with 2.5 million).
While a further according $35m was generated by interna-
tional broadcast sales including $10m from Solar Entertainment
for the Philippines rights (according to Repucom).
Interestingly, the two fights (Mayweather and Pacquiao) be-
tween them have generated moiré than 90% of all of boxing’s
PPV sales over the last decade.
Overall, the fight is expected to deliver 33m US viewers, which
is the largest sporting event audience ever for a non-Super Bowl
telecast .
Furthermore, rights to show the fight in commercial venues
(like bars and restaurants) were administered by G&G Sports saw
costs reaching $5000 (based on venue size)
In total these rights brought in as much as $400m in revenue.
As well as the central co-promotion marketing campaign it-
self both Showtime and HBO broadcast documentary specials
focusing on the two fighters as part of the lead-up to the fight.
Showtime ran a four-part documentary series ‘Inside May-
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 9
weather vs. Pacquiao’ with a primary focus on The digital ad features boxing experts and Links >
Mayweather, while HBO aired a similarly title fight fans sharing their own personal predictions
‘Mayweather/Pacquiao: At Last’ focusing on the on who the winner would be. TalkTalk Facebook:
history of the prospective matchup and Pac- This straightforward, vox-pop style creative http://www.facebook.com/TalkTalk
quiao’s preparations. approach aimed to convey the message that Talk-
Of course, the fight wasn’t the only major Talk brings high quality and high value sport to its
TalkTalk Twitter:
sports event around. customers’ homes.
https://twitter.com/TalkTalk_UK
In a week that saw the Kentucky Derby, the The film was posted to the brand’s YouTube
NFL Draft, plus the NBA and NHL Playoffs and channel on 29 April.
TalkTalk Website:
the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight – which sports It invited fight fans in the UK to tune in to
event dominated US TV viewing? the fight of the century from the comfort of their http://sales.talktalk.co.uk/
Well, a record number watched the Kentucky own sofa and ended with the copyline ‘Watch
Derby in person and the race earned its best rat- Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on TalkTalk TV for just TalkTalk Blog:
ing in 23 years with 10.8. £14.95’. http://blog.talktalk.co.uk/
Day 1 of the 2015 NFL Draft saw total TV The video, designed to be optimal for users
viewers slightly down, but it racked up 7 million of Facebook, automatically plays videos listed
viewers on ESPN with a 4.5 rating (and it was also on each user’s news feed as they scroll down by
the week’s top cable show with a 1.1 rating), plus it making the first five seconds ‘attention-grabbing’.
was also the dominant TV show in terms of social This dual webfilm and content strategy was
media presence (with 2.7 million tweets seen by a developed with AllTogetherNow with creative di-
US audience of 10.3 million). rection came from Robert Clayman, Chris Reed
While the NBA and NHL playoffs, also on and Ben Hanson.
cable, tied for second spot this week with a 0.8 Social activation was being handled by Art-
rating. Science.
‘#PickASide is a great mechanic to amplify
Mayweather Promotions / Top Rank / Showtime the Social conversation and gives TalkTalk a ring
/ HBO ‘All Roads End Here’ > The official ‘All side seat for the fight of the century,’ outlines
Road Lead Here’ Mayweather v Pacquaio advert TalkTalk online marketing manager David Brady. <
- a 30-second commercial from the collective co-
promoters marketing team - spearheaded the big ALIGNING MARKETING TO SOCIAL SENTIMENT
fight’s pay-per-view options.
This spot, which rolled out slightly less than While Mayweather gained more social media
one month before the fight, filmed both fighters mentions, Pacquiao was streets ahead when it
in a Los Angeles studio and highlights the antici- came to positive sentiment.
pation and the great magnitude of this once-in-a- So it comes as no surprise that marketers pre-
lifetime event. ferred to attach their brand to the Filippino fights.
It was a creative collaboration between May- After all Mayweather’s social traction was
weather Promotions, Top Rank, Showtime and based largely on controversy.
HBO Pay-Per-View and served a the lynchpin to The US boxer generated 100,000 more social
what was aa fairly aggressive, multi-media mar- mentions than Pacquiao in the week before the
keting campaign. < fight (according to Brandwatch).
But 70% of Pacquiao mentions were ‘posi-
Talk Talk ‘Pick A Side’ > TalkTalk, the telecoms and tive’, compared to just 55% for Mayweather.
internet provider TalkTalk rolled out an online so- And when it came to fans and followers
cial spot called ‘No More Talk #PickASide’ on its Pacquiao was ahead. While Mayweather added
social channels to promote the fight.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 10
an additional 350,000 Facebook followers in 313,555 tweets. Links >
the month building up to the bout, Pacquiao ‘Everyone has an opinion on this fight, our
gained 512,000 Facebook fans (says Repu- customers included,’ explains BetVictor cheif BetVictor TweetRumble:
com). marketing officer Anton Bell. http://tweetrumble.com/
Similarly, the hashtag #pacquaiowins ‘The ‘fight before the fight’ is a great op-
gained more impressions (17210530) than portunity to put our social teams to work en- BetVictor:
#mayweatherwins (149382075). gaging with boxing fans and bettors alike.’
http://www.betvictor.com/
Similarly Pacquaio’s online appeal and VCCP vice chairman Julian Douglas add-
trust measures are 70% and 63% respectively, ed: ‘This is the biggest fight of the century and
VCCP TweetRumble:
while his rival has 66% for appeal and 60% for we’ve created the venue for the fight before
trust. the fight… an innovative technological plat- http://www.vccp.com/campaign/
Thus, like most bouts, two very different form, giving fans the opportunity to land their tweetrumble/
fighters offered two very different sets of val- own punches in the social media battle.
ues for brands looking to endorse one of the ‘It’s a great opportunity to partner with Manny Pacquaio
fighters – one good guy and one bad man. < BetVictor to engage with customers and box- http://mp8.ph/
ing fans.’ <
BetVictor ‘#TweetRumble’ > The BetVictor Footlocker Website:
campaign, to drive awareness of an interest PACQUIAO ENDORSERS www.footlocker.com
in its fight odds, used Twitter-based game to
encourage fight fans to ‘punch’ animated ver- Pacquiao has an impressively long list of long- Footlocker YouTube:
sions of Mayweather and Pacquiao by tweet- term sponsors, particularly when compared to https://www.youtube.com/user/
ing support for one of the two boxers (and bet Mayweather.
on the bout). footlocker
From fronting major stand-alone cam-
Fans were incentivised to tweet their sup- paigns for long term partners such as Foot-
port using the hashtags #TheMoneyTeam or locker, Nestle and Nike, to on-trunk logo-led
#TeamPacquiao – and each tweet resulted campaigns, Pacquiao proves to be a popular
in the animation of their favourite throwing a athlete endorsers.
punch at his opponent. This was despite the minimum Pacquiao
The initiative, developed in harness with endorser sponsorship (excluding short-logo
agency VCCP, used Twitter Stream API to deals) for this fight was set at $1 million.
count tweets and then figures were broadcast In fact, it was reported that his boxing
to the campaign microsite. trunks were lengthened to fit in the six brands
The online casino and betting outfit cre- (Nike, Smart Communications, Cafe Puro, Air
ated an online platform - http://tweetrumble. Asia, Motolite and Pheonix Petroleum) who
com/ - filled with fight-related content rang- paid a total of $2.3m to have their logos on his
ing from the odds on who will win, which ce- shorts.
lebrities are putting their weight behind which It is not just hiss skill and success, but also
fighter, a countdown clock, real-time fight his good nature, mass popularity and willing-
tweets and the latest number of tweets each ness to make jokes at his own expense makes
side has received so far on its #TweetRumble Pacquiao an appealing and safe ambassador
game. and many of these endorsement campaigns
The campaign was launched a week be- themselves have helped him maintain his posi-
fore the bout and was promoted via a #Twee- tive image.
tRumble YouTube film and across owned and Even in defeat.
paid social media platforms. His Footlocker commercials, for example,
Pacquiao won the #TweetRumble withMayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 11
show how willing he is to mock himself. ‘We’re such fans of what Manny represents Links >
While his Nike Training behind-the-scenes and love that he has such a great sense of humor
training videos for its ‘Inner Strength’ campaign to join us in our April Fools’ Day fun and launch Butterfinger Facebook:
are genuine and reveal a likable and personable the Get In Our Corner campaign,’ explained But- https://www.facebook.com/
character. terfingers brand manager Fabiola del Rio. butterfinger
A marked contrast with the glitz and brash ‘We want fans to get in our corner with Man-
nature of Mayweather’s media appearances. ny and help us celebrate this different kind of
Butterfinger Twitter:
competitor.’
https://twitter.com/Butterfinger
Butterfinger ‘Get In Our Corner’ > Butterfinger’s Butterfinger then continued its campaign
‘Get In Our Corner’ aims to rally Pacquiao fans during the fight build-up with activation running #GetInOurCorner
with an athlete endorser campaign built around primarily on its own social media channels.
celebrating ‘a different kind of competitor’ and This social creative featured images of the Butterfinger Website
using the Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight as a sim- product and of Pacquiao and various bpoxing http://www.butterfingercups.com/
ile for the consumer choice between Butterfinger related graphics all using the campaign hashtag getinourcorner
cups and rival Reese’s Cups (indirectly referred to #GetInOurCorner.
as ‘Plain Cups’ throughout the initiative).?. The premise of this phase is that the fighter Manny Pacquaio
This comic campaign for the big fight began was training to ‘help Butterfinger Cups’ go up http://mp8.ph/
early on 1 April launch phase that began with a against the ‘plain cups’ (specifically, but not overt-
Butterfinger press release offer a ‘One Million ly mentioned, it is aimed at rival product Reese’s).
Payout’ if Pacquiao wins. As the fight drew closer, the brand added a
This hefty brand bet, it turned out, is not for further digital strand in the form of offering its
$1m but for one million peanut butter cups. website and social media followers a free digi-
The company promised that if its brand am- tal version of an exclusive, brand-commissioned
bassador Pacquiao emerged victorious on 1 May ‘Commemorative Pacquiao Portrait’.
that it would give away a million of its peanut but- The digital graphic, created by award-win-
ter cups in a nationwide payout run through www. ning artist/director Warren Fu, was made avail-
ButterfingerCups.com. able to the first 25,000 fans who download it
The offer mechanic was that the brand prom- from the campaign microsite.
ised to give away 500,000 e-coupons – each The brand reported that Pacquiao himself
good for one two-piece package of the peanut had requested that the original 30 x 30 acrylic
butter cups – through its website on 5 May (be- painting would ultimately be displayed in his
tween 6am and 6pm – while stocks last.) home.
‘I never cut corners, and that is what makes This digital portrait was one of thee several
Butterfinger Cups the best peanut butter cup – ‘surprises’ Butterfinger offered during the cam-
they don’t cut corners either,’ said Pacquiao in the paign.
campaign. Another of these surprises saw Pacquiao
‘Butterfinger and I always go the extra mile carefully unwrap and eat a Butterfinger live on
to distinguish ourselves. For us, being different is stage at the big fight weigh-in.
the difference.’ Again, this real-time stunt was promoted on
Thus, the April Fool’s Day launch phase set the brand’s social channels.
the tone for the ongoing spoof-style campaign – Indeed, the brand’s Facebook page (https://
one that played on the athlete’s famous sense of www.facebook.com/butterfinger) and Twitter
humour and willingness to mock himself. feed (https://twitter.com/Butterfinger) contin-
The announcement kicked off a month-long ued the campaign pre-, in- and post-fight with
‘Get In Our Corner’ campaign built around the big Manny fan photos, branded graphics and mes-
fight. sages of support.Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 12
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 13
The brand’s website (http://www.but- plores the mentality he’s created over decades Links >
terfingercups.com/getinourcorner) also site of training experience and offers an exclusive
includes a set of tangentially related videos, insider view on his training for the Mayweather Nike Training Inner Strength Website:
such as ‘Champions Have A Little Extra’, ‘Score’ match-up. http://news.nike.com/news/inner-stren
and and ‘Game Winner’. He also talks about mental and spiritual
Comment > Butterfinger Cups, reportedly preparation, as well as how to cope with carry-
Nike Training Inner Strength YouTube:
one of the most successful product launches in ing the expectations of more than 100 million
https://www.youtube.com/user/
Nestle history, used the fight and its endorse- Filipinos.
Nikeprotraining
ment deal to solidify its position and take on its ‘I love to have people around me while I’m
major competitor. training. But you have to prepare your mind,
Square-shaped (like a boxing ring), But- train your mind,” said Pacquiao, the only boxer Manny Pacquaio
terfinger Cups only debuted last year and the to have held world championship titles in eight http://mp8.ph/
Nestle only recently added the Butterfinger different weight divisions,’ says Pacquiao.
Peanut Butter Cups Minis extension. ‘When you focus, you don’t have to worry
This is a classic boxing activation ap- about, Oh, what am I gonna do? Maybe I’m not
proach – boxing, perhaps more simply and ready, or anything like that. But you have peace
directly than any other sport, pits one man di- of mind and you’re ready to fight.’
rectly against another. Nike is also unveiling a new line of Pac-
And thus it can be an effective property quiao apparel (led by hoodies and sweatshirts)
to build direct competitor rivalry campaigns that is on sale at Foot Locker, via Nike.com and
around. in Nike stores on the West Coast.
This is exactly what Butterfinger aimed to The Inner Strength campaign promotes
do as it went head-to-head with established Nike Training Gear and highlights what the
market leader Reese’s (referred to as ‘Plain boxer wears in the gym and on the road.
Cups’). This film is part of a series captures the
It positioned itself, like Pacquiao, as the un- inspiration and motivations that drive Nike
derdog. athletes in their training and is built around a
The messages were about it being a ‘dif- campaign microsite at (http://news.nike.com/
ferent kind of cup’ (like Pacquiao is a ‘different manny-pacquiao).
kind of fighter’). It the latest episode in Nike Training’s wid-
The tone aimed to establish that both thee er ‘Inner Strength’ series that also features the
brandd and the boxer shared appreciation for world’s number one golfer Rory McIlroy and
having fun and living a life that’s not just plain Marcus Mariota (recently picked number two
Thus trying to ensure that the boxer and in last week’s NFL Draft). <
the brand were a ‘perfect match’. <
MAYWEATHER ENDORSERS
Nike Training ‘Inner Strength’ > Activating
around the self-styled ‘Fight Of the Century’, Meanwhile Mayweather’s controversial charac-
Nike has placed Manny Pacquiao at the heart ter and jail time for domestic violence charges
of its current Nike Training ‘Inner Strength’ (and high prices) tend to scare most sponssors
campaign – a documentary series that aims to away and mean he earns very little indeed in
capture the inspiration and motivations that terms of direct commercial sponsorships and
drive Nike athletes during training. endorsements.
The Pacquaio online documentary ex- Although Mayweather himself seems toMayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 14
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 15
wear his lack of endorsements like a badge of Mayweather out when it comes to commercial Links >
honour. deals, it is the US fighter who remains the world’s
But for the bout three brands were brave/ highest earning athlete with earnings well above Burger King Website:
foolish enough to spend $1m each on an endorse- $400m). http://www.bk.com/
ment deal with the US-based fighter.
Swiss watch maker Hublot effectively paid Burger King ‘Mascot Entourage Stunt’ > ?
Burger King Facebook:
$1m for prominent brand placement at the waist The so called ‘Fight of the Century’ between
https://www.facebook.com/burgerking
of his boxing trunks and its press release on the Mayweather and Pacquiao was more about mon-
day before the fight simply said that Mayweather ey, brashness and male brutality than brave mar-
was ‘a great fit for Hublot’ and that ‘we will lay wit- keting and yet there was one stand out sponsor- Burger King Twitter:
ness to greatness tomorrow’. ship stunt – Mayweather entered the ring with an https://twitter.com/burgerking
Daily fantasy sports website FanDuel struck entourage that not only including musician Justin @BurgerKing
another $1m commercial deal with Mayweather Bieber and talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel, but
that enabled it to have the company logo on the also the famous Burger King brand mascot. Flord Mayweather Website:
bottom of one leg of Mayweather’s trunks (de- The official Burger King mascot, clad in his http://floydmayweather.com/
signed by Harlem hip-hop designer Dapper Dan) trademark crown and robes, stood behind May-
This deal included six tickets to the fight, val- weather backstage and followed him to the ring. FanDuel Website:
ued at $10,000 each, that were offered in pairs Seeing the brand character in Mayweather’s
https://www.fanduel.com
(along with flights, hotel and a Mayweather meet- entourage was both bizarre and unexpected.
and-greet) as the central incentives of three fan- Thus achieving the primary objective of most
Hublot Website:
tasy contents. sponsorship stunts – surprise.
Enabing FanDual consumers, with a $2 entry Albeit one that, according to ESPN, cost http://www.hublot.com/
fee of $2, to be in with a chance of winning a ‘once Burger King around $1 million.
in a lifetime opportunity to be at MGM, and wit- The investment was sufficiently bizarre and
ness boxing history’. unexpected that fight fans immediately wanted
More than 200,000 FanDuel users entered to know why the mascot was there: setting social
the three contests through its website, which Fan- media alight with questions and comments that
Duel argued ‘validated that we offered one of the ensured Burger King was part of the big fight cir-
most desirable experiences to sports fans across cus both ringside and across the digital space.
the country’. Despite Mayweather’s victory (taking his re-
Mayweather personally commissioned big cord to an impressive 48 wins and 0 defeats) and
fight mouthguards from Iceberg Guards that his status as the highest paid athlete in the world,
contained $100 bills, gold leaf and diamond dust the fighter has a poor public image.
and cost $25,000. As part of the partnership Ice- Indeed, leading up to this fight there was an
berg Guards also released a limited-edition TMT- avalanche of media negativity and backlash over
branded mouthguard to tie in with the fight. his history across traditional and social media.
In terms of simple eye-ball based exposure, For example, Sports Illustrated called May-
these brands got some exposure for 36 minutes weather ‘the most hated athlete in professional
(as the fight went the full 12 rounds at two minutes sports’.
per round). Not only is he seen as arrogant, self-centered,
On the other hand, Burger King, which ran money-obsessed, but he’s been convicted of do-
the most innovative of Mayweather activations, mestic abuse twice (and spent time in jail).
only got around two minutes of exposure when Hardly the kind of role model a so-called fam-
its brand mascot ‘The Burger King’ walked into ily-friendly fast food brand might normally link up
the arena with Mayweather and his entourage. with as an athlete ambassador.
(Nevetherless, while Pacquiao may outpunch So why would a mainstream, Fortune 1000Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 16
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 17
company choose to ‘get in the ring’ with such a controversial Links >
sportsman?
After all, video shows most fans in the MGM Grand arena Berkshire Hathaway Homepage:
loudly booed when Mayweather came into the ring (thus, by as- http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/
sociation, booing Burger King too).
And yet Burger KIng’s response to requests for comment
about the deal were answered with a joke about its mascot.
A statement just said: ‘We don’t call him the King for nothing’
When asked to elaborate a Burger King spokesperson simply
said: ‘We do not have anything else to contribute at this time’.
Despite having more than 1 million Twitter followers and
37,500 YouTube subscribers, it didn’t appear that Burger King in-
tegrated the stunt across its owned social media channels.
Comment > Consumers may initially find the mascot’s pres-
ence in the entourage odd, but careful consideration might lead
one to determine that the two do have some genuine synergies.
After all, both seem to love the sparkling trappings and sym-
bols of wealth and power (from jewels and belts to crowns and
chains) and both are extreme caricatures who have been de-
scribed as ‘brash’ and ‘creepy’.
Indeed, back in 2006 for his fight against Carlos Baldomir,
Mayweather even entered on a throne.
So clearly the boxer and the Burger King mascot even share
the same taste in seating.
This left-field activation certainly ensured Burgher King’s
presence on one of sports’ biggest sports stages of the year.
Initially it was back in 2003, when hot shop Miami agency
Crispin Porter + Bogusky took command of the Burger King
advertising account, they devised this over-the-top, plastic and
slightly weird variation of the long running Burger King character
for the debut ‘Burger King Kingdom’ campaign.
And ever since, despite CP+B losing the account several years
ago, the brand mascot widely known as ‘the King’ has fronted
most of the fast food chain’s marketing.
As for Mayweather’s other commercial partnerships, well,
brands have largely stayed well clear of him in recent years.
Despite topping the Sports Illustrated/Fortune athlete earn-
ings list for the last three years, he has achieved this with no listed
brand endorsement deals.
Indeed, one of the few other company’s to associate them-
selves with the champion boxer has been Berkshire Hathaway.
Iconic investor and company boss Warren Buffett met May-
weather in Lag Vegas last January and shot a comic video in
which ‘Buffett fights the champ. This film was then aired at the
2015 annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting in Omaha.
Bizarre! <Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 18
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 19
PERISCOPE Links >
Mayweather won the fight, Pacquiao won the en- Periscope Website:
dorsement battle, but Twitter CEO Dick Costolo
https://www.periscope.tv/
said that the big victor in the Fight Of The Centu-
ry was the company’s new mobile live-streaming
app Periscope..
In a much-shared and much-discussed post-
fight tweet Costolo proclaimed Perescope the
winner.
Indeed, Costolo said his own personal feed
was full of tweets from fans thanking him and
Twitter for enabling them to watch the fight for
free.
After its SXSW launch, then being banned by
the NHL and tentatively accepted by MLB, some
have described the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight
as the app’s first big event.
While three million customers in the USA
paid to watch it on pay-per-view, it also appears
many fans caught it for free on Periscope (and ri-
val Meerkat).
Not only did Periscope have an officially
sponsored stream inside Manny Pacquiao’s dress-
ing room, but the number of consumer streams
of the fight itself was described by Mashable as
‘almost overwhelming’.
Some were shooting in portrait mode, others
in landscape – whichever mode was used, it was
an example of live broadcast rights-breaking pi-
racy on a scale never before seen.
It is no surprise then to hear that property
owners and media companies are beginning to
take live-streaming apps seriously.
While so-called pre-event ‘takedown notices’
are largely useless for live streaming, post-event
legal action might be more effective.
Certainly the president of fight co-promoter
Top Rank and senior management at both HBO
and Showtime have said they are comitted to pur-
suing legal action following widespread piracy of
Mayweather vs Pacquiao.
Perhaps new enforcement technology, like
Google’s Content ID system, is necessary?Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 20
Mayweather vs Pacquiao > Marketing Boxing’s Latest Comeback 21 TAKEAWAYS 01 > Plucky Underdogs & Arrogant Champs: Independent Opinion Platforms Or Choosing A Corner? Boxing’s narrative is often a clash of characters and styles, so enable fans to air and share opinions. Alternatively, carefully chose the fighter that best fits your brand, tell his story and rally his fans. 02 > Reaction Speed Is Often The Key: Think Fast And Act Faster Big fights are tortuously negotiated up to the last minute, not leaving marketers long to plan/activative. So fast reactions are crucial (after all, sponsors only had around a month to sign and leverage this fight). 03 > PPV Necessitates Tight Targeting Unlike most big sports properties, boxing is seldom free-to-air and pay-per-view typiccally restricts reach. So it’s not always about rights to the fight: the best boxing campaigns are often not built on the main event. 04 > Boxing’s Backlashes & Comebacks Boxing has been on the edge of sporting and sponsorship suicide for decades and this mega-fight is merely the latest of many so-called ‘boxing comebacks’ - so it might just be a one-off (like all the rest were). Unless you are clearly and inextricably linked to sport, don’t put all your eggs (or all your sponsorship mon- ey) in the boxing basket (and that goes for boxing endorsements too – fights and fighters are always a risk.
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