BEST SPORTS MARKETING CAMPAIGN – INTERNATIONAL
ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon 2024 – Abu Dhabi Sport Council
The ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon 2024 marketing campaign, led by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, delivered a record-breaking, community-first campaign under the theme “Run Together. Rise Together.” Now in its sixth edition, the event has evolved into the UAE’s leading mass-participation race — attracting more than 23,000 runners from 98 nationalities across five race categories.
The campaign successfully positioned the marathon as both a world-class athletic event and a unifying wellness movement. Through digital storytelling, influencer-led training journeys, school and corporate engagement, and vibrant bilingual messaging, the campaign inspired participation from first-time runners, youth, and families. Strategic content partnerships and real-time digital coverage helped drive 67 million impressions and 9.5 million video views, while fan-focused activations across Abu Dhabi turned the event into a citywide celebration of health and community.
The event achieved record female participation (42%) and delivered strong brand alignment with ADNOC’s focus on sustainability, wellness, and national pride. From free community runs to elite finishes, the campaign redefined what a modern marathon can represent — inclusivity, inspiration, and shared purpose. The result was not just an event, but a movement that brought the entire capital city together.
Betway – The Romans
12 years after retiring from a glittering career of Grand Slams and three devastating Wimbledon final losses, Betway gave Andy Roddick the ‘Advantage’ and a shot at redemption…4,018 miles away in Wimbledon, North Dakota. Transforming this tiny town into a DIY tennis tournament, enlisting all the residents as players, officials and fans. The result? Betway’s most successful social-first campaign to date across 12 markets. Plus (more importantly), Andy Roddick finally getting a win at Wimbledon.
Euroleague Basketball
Euroleague Basketball celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dynamic, multi-layered campaign designed to honor its legacy while boldly stepping into new markets and engaging a diverse fanbase. Founded just 25 years ago, Euroleague Basketball has rapidly become Europe’s premier basketball competition, culminating in the historic 2025 Final Four hosted in Abu Dhabi—its first-ever event in the Middle East.
The campaign featured three key pillars: a bold season spot tip-off with a custom anniversary brand identity; the Legacy in Motion initiative, where all clubs activated four “Retro Weeks” with retro jerseys, playlists, and unique fan experiences, supported by a modern commemorative badge designed by the league; an interactive digital platform that invited fans worldwide to vote for the greatest players in league history; and a memorable on-court tribute in Abu Dhabi honoring the fan-selected All-25 EuroLeague Team with exclusive 3D memorabilia.
Broadcast across 45 networks and generating over 77 million impressions globally, the campaign engaged tens of thousands of fans and featured 29 basketball legends. By blending heritage, fan participation, and premium experiences, Euroleague Basketball not only celebrated its past but ignited excitement for its future—demonstrating it’s ready to dream bigger and grow its global footprint for decades to come.
Formula E x Soapbox – Evo Sessions
Formula E, the all-electric motorsport series, sought to position itself as a culturally relevant brand resonating beyond traditional motorsport audiences.
Formula E launched Evo Sessions, a bold, editorial-first PR campaign designed to reframe motorsport through the lens of culture, lifestyle, and entertainment.
The campaign embedded 11 globally recognised celebrities, including Brooklyn Beckham, Sergio Agüero, and Tom Felton, into a live Formula E environment as active team participants. They trained with race teams, drove GEN3 Evo cars, and engaged with the sport in a way that blended authenticity with spectacle. Rather than defaulting to traditional publicity tactics, the campaign focused on tailored editorial storytelling and strategic media re-engagement, successfully reintroducing Formula E to previously disengaged outlets, including the BBC.
Real-time content syndication, a collaborative approach across PR, talent, and production partners, and immersive celebrity involvement resulted in a cultural moment that redefined the brand’s media perception. Evo Sessions broke through mainstream and lifestyle media, diversified audience demographics, and laid the groundwork for ongoing celebrity affinity with the championship. It became a landmark campaign, shifting Formula E’s place in culture through strategic PR craftsmanship.
Go Full Speedo – TBA Group
The ‘Go Full Speedo’ campaign boldly reimagination the brand on a global scale, repositioning Speedo as the cultural and innovation leader in swimwear. The integrated campaign spanned three high-impact activations — an LA global launch, the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Indianapolis, and the Olympic Games in Paris — each designed to emotionally connect with diverse audiences and drive brand momentum during an Olympic year.
In LA, Speedo debuted its 2025 range at the “House of Speedo,” merging fashion, product innovation, and heritage through immersive storytelling and experiential design. At the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, Speedo turned spectators into participants with interactive retail experiences, including AI photo booths and personalized goggle design via the Google Wall—successfully elevating fan engagement and digital reach. In Paris, the Café Speedo pop-up became a hub for athletes, influencers, and fans, blending luxury, community, and Olympic energy through curated events, workshops, and social programming.
Unified by the call to action “Go Full Speedo,” the campaign delivered a refreshed brand narrative that celebrated confidence, performance, and lifestyle. The result was a cohesive, multi-platform marketing success that significantly increased social engagement, media coverage, and global visibility—firmly re-establishing Speedo as the world’s most dynamic swimwear brand.
PGA Tour
In September 2024, the Presidents Cup launched “The Shield Unites Us,” a campaign that united fans globally behind the International Team. This integrated, multi-channel initiative transformed the team’s shield into a powerful symbol of unity and pride, engaging fans through guerrilla marketing, influencer partnerships, and earned media.
Over five days, creative activations captivated audiences in Tokyo, Seoul, Cape Town, Melbourne, and Canada, turning high-traffic locations into canvases for intrigue and conversation. The campaign culminated in the Breaking News hero film, documenting the shield’s journey and generating 645,000 organic views.
With a modest budget of under $75,000, the campaign delivered over 1.7 billion media impressions, secured 300 global media articles, and drove a 12% increase in brand awareness. It showcased how innovative, resourceful execution can achieve global impact, uniting fans while elevating the International Team’s profile ahead of the 2024 Presidents Cup tournament.
PIF Saudi Ladies International 2025 – 54
This campaign, delivered by specialist agency 54 on behalf of Golf Saudi, supported the 2025 edition of the PIF Saudi Ladies International — a flagship Ladies European Tour event and a landmark for women’s sport in the region.
In a country where golf is still emerging, the challenge was to drive real audience engagement, broaden the game’s appeal, and position the tournament as a culturally relevant moment in Saudi Arabia’s sporting transformation. The campaign combined world-class entertainment (with headline performances from Jason Derulo and Fouad Abdelwahed), immersive fan experiences, and meaningful youth and sustainability programmes in partnership with schools, universities and the United Nations KSA.
From themed zones and VR golf to green skills workshops and a masterclass led by golf legend Gary Player, the event created accessible, high-energy ways for new audiences to experience the game.
By uniting sport, culture and education, the campaign not only delivered record-breaking visibility and attendance for a women’s golf tournament in Saudi Arabia – it also laid the foundation for a lasting legacy of participation and progress.
This campaign is a standout example of how sports marketing can transform perception, behaviour and opportunity at scale.
WeAreFearless x TeamViewer
SheSportTech is a pioneering campaign by WeAreFearless for TeamViewer, created to close the gender gap in sports technology and demonstrate the power of purpose-led sponsorship.
In partnership with Manchester United and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, the campaign offered women aspiring to work in sports tech a real pathway—combining training grants, mentoring from elite staff, and access to exclusive events. A digital hub showcased stories and insights from women already thriving in the industry, helping others to see what’s possible.
The campaign flipped the spotlight—pairing players like Mary Earps and Nikita Paris with the behind-the-scenes women driving performance in data, engineering and analysis. A high-impact launch at Old Trafford and targeted rollout across social, PR, and LinkedIn gave the campaign both cultural and commercial reach.
SheSportTech significantly exceeded engagement targets, drove widespread interest in sports tech careers, and generated strong employee advocacy. For TeamViewer, the campaign enhanced brand perception, strengthened sponsorship visibility, and increased resonance with Enterprise audiences.
More than a campaign, SheSportTech became a platform for progress – and has now sparked a new research partnership with Loughborough University to explore how the sports tech industry can become more inclusive, accessible, and future-fit.
