Following the 2012 Olympics, increasing numbers of sports players were questioning the efficacy of sports drinks. We wanted to capitalize on the World Cup to help grow penetration, educating consumers of the importance and relevance of our product. In order to achieve this, we had to cut-through the clutter of one of the world's most over-sponsored sporting events.

We created the Lucozade Sport Conditions Zone, a pop-up climate-controlled pitch in order to bring Brazil's playing conditions to the heart of London. Inside the Conditions Zone, we recreated the heat and humidity of the Amazon, as well as labs to give players full medical assessments pre and post-match. The Lucozade Sport Conditions Zone was a living, breathing demonstration of the brands expertise in the science of hydration, providing an opportunity to demonstrate first-hand the impact of drinking Lucozade Sport on performance. It brought consumers into direct contact with the science behind the brand, as well as reinforcing the brands credibility to influence conversation during the 2014 World Cup.

Outcome:

- PR reach: over 30million

- 114 pieces of coverage across the UK including 30 national print & broadcast media

- Almost every national newspaper either attended or covered the launch

- Broadcast highlights incl: Good Morning Britain, ITV News, BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sunrise, BBC Breakfast, BBC London

- 100% of coverage included positive Conditions Zone brand mention

Media planning determined the appropriate channels to reach our primary audience of 'Driven Winners'. We needed to add value to the conversations around the World Cup, dramatising Lucozade Sport's key benefits.

In the month before the launch, we targeted grassroots Powerleague players to drive recruitment, and leveraged the social platforms of key influencers such as Stephen Gerard and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and online sports bloggers.

We launched the experience with a TVC spot, in which we melted Stephen Gerrard to dramatise the fierce heat of Brazil to drive buzz and participation and even created print which captured the nation's emotions around key England games.

The Conditions Zone itself existed for a month, and, crucially, was a content generator in its own right; producing shareable content in the form of participants' stats, driving social engagement. Interest was sustained with online content, featuring England lookalikes and John Barnes, demonstrating Lucozade's expertise in hydration.

Social activity generated 7.5M in additional reach and over 32M impressions. Places at the Conditions Zone sold out in just 2 days with over 3,300 individuals registered to get playing. Online content engaged the nation, delivering over 1 million views.

Giving grass-roots players the ability to experience the same conditions as their international counter-parts captured the imagination of the press appearing on every national news channel and paper worth £30 million in PR reach.

Among those exposed to the event, it generated a 43% increase in agreement with the key equity statement: “helping you perform at your best”. The campaign helped Lucozade achieve a record summer contributing to a 12% rise in sales.