BARCLAYS LAUNCHES I AM ONE CAMPAIGN
Barclays has launched a new campaign in the build up to the end of the season, which marks an evolution of the Spirit of the Game programme.
Called ‘I am one’, the campaign celebrates a generation of fans who have made the Barclays Premier League what it is over the last 15 years.
To coincide with the title race run-in, the fully-integrated campaign is spearheaded by a television advert looking for ‘the one’ to hand over the Barclays Premier League trophy come the end of the season.
Since its Premier League sponsorship began in 01/02 Barclays has given millions of football fans access to the game, through tickets and money can’t buy experiences, as well as building 200 community sports sites across the UK and providing employability support through a range of initiatives linked to football.
The campaign is fronted by three such fans whose stories showcase the difference Barclays has made to their lives and many others during this period.
Maddison Hubbard’s love of Tottenham began in 2008 when her father Ian won the chance for her to be a mascot at White Hart Lane thanks to Barclays. 21 year old Dillon White’s life changed for the better when he was offered a job as a fulltime football coach at his local Barclays community sports site. And finally Rachel Key was given the ultimate honour of handing over the Barclays Premier League trophy to Chelsea last season having completed a Barclays employability programme.
The campaign will also feature a group of current and ex-football stars that Barclays has worked with over the years, and will be rolled out across TV, PR, social media and in-stadia advertising.
Nathan Homer, head of global sponsorship & partnerships at Barclays, said: “Since we started sponsoring the Premier League 15 years ago we have always tried to make sure fans and those who give back at the grass roots level are beneficiaries of our sponsorship. We have helped tens of thousands of fans to go to matches, thousands of amateur players the chance to play on their favourite Barclays Premier League pitch, hundreds of youngsters the chance to be a match day mascot and a whole host more around the world have been able to see the trophy up close. Now we’re going one step further by giving one fan the ultimate opportunity to hand over the trophy itself.”
Last season’s trophy presenter and Barclays Spirit of the Game Hero Rachel Key added: “I am just one of the thousands of people that Barclays has supported through education and employment opportunities over the years. After completing the Barclays Premier League Works scheme at Chelsea I was given the opportunity to present the trophy to John Terry at the end of last season. It was a life changing opportunity, which gave me the confidence to go onto become a football coach.”
The campaign includes a television advert, created by HSE Cake and produced by Dark Energy, focusing on three individuals.
To accompany the advert Barclays will also be releasing a series of short films featuring some of those who have benefited as well as Ian Wright, Harry Kane, Claudio Ranieri and Wes Morgan. Each film, released on the Barclays Football Facebook page, will tell their personal story across three areas of Barclays’ investment – employability, community sports sites and access.