13/07/2022

LinkedIn Activates Euro 2022 Tie-Up Via ‘Follow In Her Footsteps’ Campaign & Carol Thomas Partnership

UEFA Euro 2022 partner LinkedIn acted its rights around the tournament in the host country through a campaign called ‘Follow In Her Footsteps’ that promoted the importance of role models

 

The business-focused social networking outfit teamed up with agency partner VCCP to create an integrated UK campaign highlighting the importance of role models within all aspects of life – both on the pitch in football and off the in business.

 

LinkedIn’s tournament activation seeks to demonstrate how the platform and its community supports women to achieve their goals – whatever their profession or industry – and aims to drive content and conversations around women’s empowerment, leadership, wellbeing and diversity.

 

The idea and campaign theme emerged after LinkedIn commissioned research into the impact of role models and found that more than half of the women surveyed agreed that there is still a lack of relatable mentors in the workplace.

 

To bring this role model theme to life, LinkedIn tied up with new brand ambassador Carol Thomas (BEM): the first woman to captain in a UEFA Euro tournament back in 1984 when the team finished as runners up after agonisingly losing to Sweden 3-4 on penalties after the two-legged finals finished 1:1.

 

The brand is backing the former national team skipper on a 30-mile walk on 4-5 July from Crewe’s Mornflake Stadium (formerly called Gresty Road) where the first Women’s Euro game took place to Old Trafford (Manchester) where this year’s Euro 2022 tournament kicked off on 6 July.

 

During the trek Thomas was joined by other trailblazers from women’s football; including Crystal Palace FC player Chloe Morgan, the first captain of the Somali Women’s National Team Iqra Ismail and former England striker (who earned 129 caps) Rachel Yankey.

 

 

 

 

 

Led by a hero spot, the activation is supported with earned and paid media across out-of-home (OOH) and digital channels, as well as a paid media partnership with Telegraph Women’s Sport.

 

The spearhead ‘UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 – Follow In Her Footsteps’ video dropped across the brand’s online platforms from 30 June.

 

 

 

 

 

“This sponsorship follows LinkedIn’s global partnership earlier this year with International Women’s Day – where our campaign sought to break biases around career flexibility. Sponsoring what is set to be the largest women’s European sporting event in history felt like a natural next step in our sustained commitment to making the world of work for women,” said the LinkedIn campaign launch PR statement.

 

“We want to spotlight and celebrate inspirational women across LinkedIn’s community of 32+ million UK professionals through this campaign. Seeing people from all walks of life achieve success encourages others to follow in their footsteps, and this is key to achieving an equitable workplace for all. Ultimately, it’s easier to be what you can see!”

 

“We were inspired by LinkedIn’s mission to make female role models more visible and our team went in search of a way to bring this to life that would demonstrate the power of the platform. We unearthed the story of the first Women’s Euro Championships in 1984 and England’s captain, Carol Thomas, and were astounded that so little was known about it,” added

 

VCCP Deputy Executive Creative Director Matt Lloyd, commented: “We knew straight away this was the story we had to tell, it was the perfect demonstration of a relatable role model that needed to become more visible. Carol was really excited to get involved and totally up for the challenge of the 30-mile walk. This inspired everyone else to get involved in the walk and the campaign, from our other famous role models to UEFA and the full production team.”

 

Comment

 

It was back in February 2022 that LinkedIn was unveiled as a sponsor UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 to reinforce it’s company commitment to ‘make work work for women’.

 

The tournament, which runs from 6 to 31 July and is hosted by England, is set to be the biggest European women’s sporting event in history.

 

As a national sponsor of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, LinkedIn’s strategy was based around spotlighting some of the game’s female trailblazers who have supported one another on their path to professional success: inspiring everyone with their stories as it commits to ‘make work work for women.’

 

At the time the deal was announced LinkedIn VP Communications and Brand (International) Ngaire Moyes stated: “At LinkedIn we’re championing a gender equal world that’s diverse and inclusive, and it’s a privilege to support UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 which actively shares and celebrates these values. The tournament is set to be a landmark event that will provide professional female footballers with a platform to showcase their remarkable talent and achievements. Off the field, we’re increasingly seeing sports professionals use LinkedIn to share interesting stories and insights into their careers, and we know how powerful they can be to encourage and inspire others.”

 

 

 

 



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