Entertainment Lions For Sport > Community

BETIS PREGNANCY TEST

VML SPAIN, Madrid / REAL BETIS / 2024

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Overview

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Overview

Why is this work relevant for Sport?

Football is more than just a sport in Spain; it's an integral part of the culture. It’s a lifestyle.

This campaign leverages the deeply ingrained football culture and rivalry to foster a sense of community among Real Betis fans. By creating the world's first green-and-white pregnancy test, we not only symbolized the inherited love for the club but also encouraged the nurturing of this fanbase from birth. The campaign resonated with fans' emotions, reaffirming their loyalty and inspiring them to pass on their love for the club to future generations.

Please provide any cultural context that would help the Jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.

In Seville, a beautiful city form the south of Spain, you are born either a red-and-white supporter of Sevilla F.C or a green-and-white supporter of Real Betis Balompié.

These colors - green-and-white for Betis, red-and-white for Sevilla - are more than just team identifiers; they're symbols of identity passed down through generations.

This campaign was created for Real Betis for their 116th anniversary, at a time when the club was looking to reaffirm its bond with its fan base and attract new members through the phrase that all Betis fans encounter when they enter the Benito Villamarín stadium: "From parents to children. From grandparents to grandchildren."

This led us to think of the first thing you see when a new life is conceived: a pregnancy test. You see two RED lines on a white background. But a Betis fan certainly doesn’t want to see its rival’s colors in the most precious moment of their lives.

Background

In Spain, football allegiance is often inherited. You are born with them. Real Betis Football Club, with its passionate fan base, needed a creative way to reaffirm this deep-seated loyalty and attract new members for their yearly membership campaign. So it wasn’t fair that your new baby was born with your rival’s colors: red and white.

The brief was to develop an innovative concept that would resonate with the existing fans while also appealing to potential new ones. The idea had to reflect the unique cultural context of football fandom in Spain, particularly the intense sentiment.

The primary goal was to drive membership sign-ups. Additionally, we aimed to generate buzz around the campaign, strengthen the club's brand image, and foster a stronger sense of community among fans.

Describe the strategy & insight

Our strategy was rooted in the insight that loyalty to Real Betis is inherited - "From parents to children. From grandparents to grandchildren." We faced the challenge of giving special meaning to this phrase but we encountered a dilemma shared by all Betis fans: the colors of pregnancy tests are those of Sevilla FC. This realization led us to create the world's first green-and-white pregnancy test, symbolizing the inherited love for the club from the moment of birth. Our initiative thus capitalized on the profound family bonds and the joy of welcoming a new generation into the Betis family, reinforcing a lifelong journey with the club. This innovative approach also reinforced the bond within the community, fostering unity and pride among fans. By continuously engaging on various platforms and encouraging conversations around our initiative, we celebrated the new generation of Real Betis fans, further strengthening our community.

Describe the creative idea

The Real Betis Football Club's yearly membership campaign redefined the notion of being "born not made" by creating the world's first green-and-white pregnancy test. This innovative idea stemmed from the insight that our fans' love for the club is inherited - passed down through generations. We turned a universal symbol of birth, typically represented in Sevilla FC's colors: red and white, into a unique symbol of allegiance to Real Betis.

By tapping into the deep-seated rivalry and cultural significance of football club colors in Spain, we stirred attention and conversation among our target audience. The green-and-white pregnancy test was not just a product but a statement against the norm, directly challenging the red-and-white color convention. It was designed to resonate with passionate fans, reaffirming their loyalty while inviting them to pass on their love for Real Betis to the next generation.

Describe the craft & execution

The campaign was implemented strategically to maximize impact. We launched the campaign nationally just before the first match of the season in August, a time when fans are returning from summer vacations and ready to resume their regular routines, including watching soccer. The timing was chosen to capture the renewed enthusiasm of fans as they geared up for the new season. As soon as the campaign was launched, it went viral within minutes, demonstrating the power of our creative idea and its resonance with our target audience. The scale of the campaign was nationwide, reaching millions of fans across Spain, making it one of the most impactful campaigns in the history of Real Betis Balompié.

Describe the results

It achieved an astounding reach, with the membership swelling to 70,500, indicating a near-capacity fan base. Engagement was through the roof with the campaign hitting 17 million views in the first 24 hours, and over 50,000 social media mentions, rivalling that of celebrity Taylor Swift's mentions in Spain. This demonstrates not just visibility but also significant impact, sparking conversations and viral engagement.

The initiative fundamentally changed fan behavior—80% of seat reassignments shifted to family re-grouping, suggesting a shift to a more family-centric fan experience. This aligns perfectly with the club's strategy to reinforce its legacy through a family-oriented approach.

Brand perception skyrocketed as evidenced by the club's brand value recording the highest growth in Spain. Against objectives, the campaign not only achieved but exceeded its goals, especially with a high renewal rate of 96.1%, indicating a deeply loyal fan base and solidifying the club's strong community presence.

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