Six months into its above-the-line London 2012 activation activity, BP is ramping up the focus on its ecology promises and sustainability initiatives – and February 2012 research suggests the campaign is boosting the oil giant’s brand image.
One consumer-focused strand of its wider Olympic work is BP’s Target Neutral campaign. This scheme invites all ticketholders for the London 2012 Games to offset the carbon for their travel to the Games – at no cost to them.
The aim (and the supporting call-to-action) is to set a new world record.
Ticket holders simply need to sign up at BP’s microsite and BP will offset their carbon footprint for their Games-related travel.
To add an additional slice of independent credibility to the initiative, BP Target Neutral is a founding member of ICROA, the International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance.
BP is also offsetting the carbon footprint of Team GB, Team USA and millions of spectator journeys through BP Target Neutral.
BP, the Official Oil & Gas Partner for the London 20-12 Olympic and Paralympic Games (as well as London 2012’s Sustainability Partner and the Official Carbon Offset Partner), is focusing its sport-related (as opposed to its Cultural Olympiad sponsorship activity) London 2012 work to its commitment to leave a lasting legacy from the Games for years to come.
In early 2012 it began re-airing its mid 2011 TV ad promoting its Fuelling The Future commitment to London 2012.
When it debuted in July 2011, it was BP’s first TV campaign in five years (a ‘dark’ marketing period partly connected to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico).
Created by Ogilvy & Mather, the 30 second ‘Fuels of the Future’ spot features athletes from Team GB. It is supported by outdoor, digital and print work.
It aims to improve perception of the brand.
As a London 2012 partner, BP is fuelling the 5,000 official Games vehicles (largely provided by fellow official partner BMW) with eco-friendly bio fuels and engine oils.
The campaign also communicates how BP is supporting individual athletes prepare for the Games and bringing arts and culture to a wider audience through programmes such as the Cultural Olympiad and helping to inspire young people through initiatives including the Young Leaders programme.
Comment:
Half way through its London 2012 activation, there are signs that BP’s Olympic sponsorship has boosted company’s image.
New research from sponsorship specialist Havas Sports & Entertainment, part of a larger sample across all Olympic sponsors, shows a fairly positive picture for BP.
The company hopes this partnership will help rebuild its brand image following the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in 2010.
The research shows that only 18% of those polled were not aware of BP’s sponsorship of London 2012. Of those aware of BP’s sponsorship of the Olympics, 38% believe that BP had been getting better at working towards a cleaner planet.
A total of 13% of those polled, a third higher than in August 2011, were aware of BP’s sponsorship of the games.
Alastair Macdonald, director of sponsorship insights at Havas Sports & Entertainments, said: “These results provide persuasive evidence that sponsoring the Olympics Games can make a real difference to how people perceive a brand.”
The research involved a total online sample of 3,192 UK adults and was undertaken to identify the effect of Olympic games sponsorship on sponsors’ brands.
Links:
Spectator Target Neutral Website
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