If you’re reading this outside the UK, you may not know that being at the bottom of the fourth division in the Football League basically means you’re the lowest of the low. That position is currently occupied by Stevenage Football Club. And yet, the team attracted the sponsorship of none other than Burger King.
Why? Because BK and its Spanish agency David realised that Stevenage FC would appear in the FIFA 20 online game, just like all the biggest teams. And if it sponsored them, so would the Burger King logo. When the game kicked off, BK launched the #StevenageChallenge, inviting gamers to play with the team in return for cut-price meals and other rewards. The gamers loved it – and they soon began recruiting virtual versions of real-life stars like Messi and Neymar to play for Stevenage. Which is how BK got its logo onto the chests of the world’s best players, without paying them a penny.
Thanks to Burger King, the smallest team in the real world became giants online. The campaign went on to win the Digital Grand Prix in the first AdForum PHNX competition.