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Orange fever? Not all marketing campaigns work

It is a year later than planned, but it's finally here: the European Championship. And the Netherlands is completely ready for it. This does not only apply to normal citizens, but also companies were eager to set up their marketing campaigns. Advertising during the European Championship time seems to, “automatically”, generate a lot of money. Appearances can be deceiving; European Championship campaigns were not always successful.

The importance of a good Orange campaign
A successful campaign generates a lot of extra money. A good example of this is the World Cup in 2014, where the Dutch men became third in the tournament. This provided the supermarket sector with approximately 54 million euros in additional income. How did this come about? ING, for example, used 10 million euros per match. In addition, it is important to be original; the competition is fierce in Orange times. Making sure you stand out from your competition is the key to success.

Orange-flop
However, it could also turn out differently… During the European Championship in 2008, Kruidvat promised to give a €100 discount on an LCD television for every goal scored against Italy. The Netherlands won 3-0. Kruidvat only had 250 devices in stock and could no longer meet the demand. Heineken's 'Trumpet' also did not do well. There was a fuss about; according to UEFA, Heineken got in the way of the Danish beer brand Carlsberg. So, when you arrived with a Trumpet in public places such as a stadium, there was a good chance that you had to hand it in immediately.

Bavaria
Of course, number one is the much-discussed Bavaria dress during the 2010 World Cup. In this case you can wonder whether it was a flop; Bavaria received a lot of attention from the world press. On the other hand, the company was not loved by the KNVB and FIFA.

Nevertheless, it did work. Bavaria designed an orange dress for women, the Bavaria V-dress, where the V stands for Victory. More than thirty women appeared in these dresses in the stands during the match. Bavaria was not a sponsor of the World Cup, and the women were removed from the stadium and held for hours in an office of the World Football Association. The result was an ultimate form of marketing, Bavaria was discussed worldwide without the name being mentioned anywhere.

Orange in 2021

This year, the marketing advertisements are flying around our ears as well. The Netherlands waited for a long time, which is well responding to the screaming advertisements.The most present advertisement of this year is of course the one of Jumbo. The cheer cape is a huge success, and the tune gets stuck in the head with many people. Is the KNVB happy with this? According to the football association, it seems that the supermarket chain is a sponsor, while they are not. It does work from a marketing point of view; Jumbo gets a lot of attention through advertising.

Bavaria is also back with the ‘lucky pants’. Orange shorts, based on the European Championship of 1988 (when the Netherlands won). It is available when buying a 7-pack Bavaria in the supermarket. Lidl, Kruidvat and Heineken are also launching promotions that are relevant to the European Championship.

Albert Heijn
While Albert Heijn is the official partner of the European Championship, competitors who are not partners are also advertising heavily. To the annoyance of the KNVB, which has tried several times to get the European Championship advertising of supermarket chain Jumbo off television. But Albert Heijn strikes back. In a short commercial on YouTube, we see the 'father' of the advertisements of the supermarket chain, with stickers and tattoos from Albert Heijn’s campaign. But he also wears Bavaria's lucky pants and the Heineken Orange Shirt. Finally, he puts on Jumbo's cheer cape and steps into Lidl's bright orange slippers. The message: 'Together for Orange, together we stand behind our boys.' Albert Heijn strikes back in a beautiful way.

In conclusion, not everything works, but if your campaign shows originality and togetherness, the chances of success are high.

 

 

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