Did you see the same Euro 2020 Final as me?

There is plenty to take away from the Euro 2020 final. I probably don’t need to reel off examples, but heck I will anyway:

• what inspirational leadership can look like;
• the genuine team spirit from everyone involved - on and off the pitch;
• the power of affirmations and self-belief (in the case of Jordan Pickford);
• that football is far more than 'just a game';
• that it still hurts days later when you have come so close to a victory so desperately wanted; and
• the sadder and more frustrating truth that some people are still incredibly small minded even in 2021.

My colleague Amal says it far more eloquently to be fair.

For Italy of course, the Euro 2020 Final takes on a completely different meaning. Every England fan will be sorely aware of this fact.?

?But are we always so aware of differences??

As a marketer I couldnt help but be impressed by the ‘Virtual Replacement Technology’ used by broadcasters to cleverly overlay different adverts depending on the location and channel of the viewer - all entirely different to those seen around the pitch by spectators within the stadium.?

What I saw on the boards around the pitch while watching the game was not what I would see if I were watching from Rome, Madrid or Paris (or on ITV instead of BBC). Many spectators will have been unaware that the ads they were seeing on screen could possibly be any different to those in other locations, or those watching the game on different broadcasting channels.?

TikTok time

Despite being gripped from the first second, I found myself taking note of each brand displayed and thinking about why they had chosen to spend a significant chunk of change on stadium advertising beyond good ol’ fashioned mass brand awareness. TikTok’s immersive AR, Live Streams, Hashtag Challenges and unique Sounds made them the newcomer with the most obvious fit (outside of a sports brand), and the most likely to generate instant engagement and new users. Their success was no doubt reliant on the fact they had a 360 degree campaign plan well beyond the confines of some small rectangles around the pitch.

The fact that England accounts for the largest social media presence of all the European teams at 18.7 million is also no bad thing for the social media brand.?

Fans of The Drum will know this type of virtual advertising has been around for a few years now, but the next stage is where it starts to look really interesting. This kind of targeting is bound to become hyper-personalised as soon as the tech (and red tape) allows, bringing brands far more bang for their buck. It also provides marketers with much clearer ways of measuring ROI. A relief to those hungry to hit clear top of the funnel KPIs and accurately analyse spend.

Whether consumers will be aware that their experience watching entertainment and sporting events will be different from each other’s remains to be seen. Watch this space (ba-dum-bum) I guess.?