The campaign for EDEL’s Messi biography is suited for the category Promo & Activation because it was designed to promote the book amongst buyers of branded Lionel Messi football boots during the FIFA World Cup 2014 with the intended outcome being the purchase of the publication. Entertaining reading samples combined with activating messages and information on how to obtain the book were placed as removable inserts into the branded shoe range and had a direct impact on book sales.

Brief quotes from the book were juxtaposed with basic information about the book itself and put on the visible parts of the shoes’ removable insoles. The quotes were about Messi – “he is too small” and “put him on, put him on” – but could also be read as remarks about the shoes, thus prompting a reaction by the customer. When pulled out the inserts did reveal an additional anecdote from the book relating to the quote and again pointing to purchasing the book in order to reveal even more insights on Messi. Shoeboxes with EDEL’s inserts were placed at German sporting goods and online retailers in time for Argentina’s first World Cup fixture on 15 June 2014. The campaign ran for as long as Argentina staid in the competition, the final versus Germany on 13 July 2014, and thus achieved its maximum possible exposure.

The target audience responded favorably increasing sales by over 30 percent for the duration of the campaign. For weeks the EDEL Books Messi biography by Guillem Balague made it into various German bestseller lists and into Amazon.de’s top 100 bestselling books of 2014.