Some of the Brand Strategy team attended the O2 Wireless festival at the weekend. There was no mistaking that O2 was the lead sponsor – the festival name is a giveaway! Its blue branding was prevalent throughout the festival. It seems the telecoms company can do no wrong when it comes to music.

The Wireless festival is one of several ventures that O2 is associating itself with. The O2 arena was once a laughing stock in its former life as the Millennium Dome, but it now attracts world-class music acts such as Prince. Nicky Nicolls from WPP agency Lambie-Nairn is the senior client director for the O2 account, advising the brand on its sponsorship activity. She says the marque wants to provide an experience and is not interested in badging an event: “O2 users have access to tickets 24 hours before they go on sale to the general public. This is the kind of offer that really encourages brand loyalty.”
The sponsorship deal, which includes the naming rights, has allowed the brand to have a say in the direction of the arena. Nicolls comments: “We were able to have an influence on the architecture within the arena, and made sure there weren’t any restaurants and brands that would jar with the O2 brand.”

As well as music, O2 sponsors the England rugby team, and is running a summer party ‘Scrum on the Beach’ to highlight its association with the sport. Nicolls says of the event: “O2 is sponsoring rugby that’s beyond the team itself. Scrum on the Beach is about encouraging rugby at grassroots level – anyone can go along and learn how to play. It’s also a chance for people to meet the players.”

Rugby star Kenny Logan talks about how he feels the O2 brand has got it right when it comes to sports sponsorship. Subscribers to Brand Strategy can read the full article here.

This blog, based on an interview with Lambie-Nairn’s Nicky Nicolls was originally published on Brand Strategy.