The coronavirus hits Ajax and its fans hard. The stadium remains empty for a full season, even when the 35th national championship is won. Despite the empty stadium, Ajax continues to feel the unconditional support of its fans all year round.

This made us think.

National challenges

How do we include our fans in the championship win and thank them for their loyalty?

And how do we retain our season ticket holders in times of Covid-19 and empty stadiums?

International challenge

How do we increase love for Ajax among football fans globally?

Objectives

Strengthen the relationship with the fans and influence the love for Ajax, resulting in:

A) 50% growth in social followers compared to an average period

B) 100 million impressions through earned media

C) 2 million euros earned media value

D) 1 million content views

E) Sell out all season tickets for next season

F) 90% positive feedback

The success of Ajax is the success of its fans, even when they’re not allowed to be physically in the stadium due to Covid-19. That’s why Ajax decides to do the unthinkable: share the 35th national title with its fans. Literally.

How? By melting down the highly coveted championship trophy, the top prize in Dutch football, into more than 42,000 little stars: A reference to the three championship stars on the chest of the Ajax jersey.

Every season ticket holder and business relation received a personal thank you letter and a unique piece of the trophy: 'A Piece of Ajax'. Each star weighs 3.45 grams and contains 0.06 grams of the real championship trophy.

The campaign is a sports world first. Never before has a club shared its trophy with the fans in this way – anywhere. Through this, Ajax showed the world who the real stars are: their fans.

Culture of Ajax

Ajax is a club that's globally known for its bold and attacking style of play. For over 100 years, creativity has been at the center of Ajax' DNA, both on and off the pitch. For Ajax fans, the most important thing in the world is winning the national championship and its precious trophy.

PR strategy

Unlike their European competitors, Ajax does not have the budgets to reach football fans worldwide with a paid media strategy. Hence why they must be creative to earn (media) attention.

With a personalized and tailored earned media approach, a strong and influential (inter)national media network is involved in spreading the story. By selecting non-Dutch Ajax players for the campaign, Ajax significantly expands the reach in player's home countries such as Brazil, Morocco, and Mexico.

The result? Within 24 hours, media from 150 countries write about A Piece of Ajax.

To create the stars, Ajax collaborates with the creators of the original trophy. They melt the trophy and supplement the metal with the right amount of pure tin, after which the stars are cast, polished and neatly packed in a smart black box.

Ten days after winning the league title, all of the 42,390 stars arrive in the fans’ mailboxes at the same time. The surprise also includes a personal letter from Ajax thanking fans for their support during a difficult year.

The same morning, Ajax announces the campaign on its website and social media channels. The scenic hero video stars well-known Ajax players like Gravenberch, Martínez and Ajax captain Tadic.

To confirm the authenticity of the campaign, a making-of video and Instagram slider are shared, explaining the casting process step by step. Finally, all Ajax players share pictures with their Piece of Ajax, increasing the reach on social media.

With an all-in budget of 120,000 euros, Ajax made the news in 150 countries with a total of over 1,600 publications and an earned media value of 12 million euros (500% above target).

The campaign had an earned reach of 3.75 billion (3,600% above target) in print and online publications and over 900 million social impressions. The total number of content views reached 12.1 million (1,100% above target).

99% of the reactions were positive (target: 90%), igniting global appreciation and love for Ajax.

Retention

And the retention of season ticket holders and partners? All 42.390 season tickets were sold within a heartbeat, resulting in a completely full stadium during the following season. A massive success in uncertain Covid-19 times.

Socials

Ajax saw an average growth of 1126% (target: 50%) in new followers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram compared to an average period. And ith almost 10 million views on Twitter, the hero video tweet even became Ajax’s highest-scoring tweet ever.

Bidding war

The stars were hugely popular. Within hours after the launch, people rushed to buy them on eBay, Catawiki and Marktplaats, with bids of up to a thousand euros.

These results proved that A Piece of Ajax not only struck the right chord with Ajax’s season ticket holders, but also ignited love and appreciation internationally for Ajax.