Ole’s at the wheel, and while the wheels may have fallen off a little in the past couple of weeks or so – to the delight of Liverpool and Leeds fans in the office – his return to Old Trafford marked a huge change in the mood around the club.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s appointment presented an opportunity for our client, and one of the club’s partners, Thomas Cook Sport. From past experience, we knew that such events in the sporting world equate to spikes in bookings for Thomas Cook Sport: Zlatan saw more Swedes heading to the North-West and Klopp causes a steady flow of Germans to Anfield, for example. With all the buzz about the returning super-sub, we were supplied with the Manchester United booking figures and voila – a huge spike from Scandinavia. Realising the opportunity to add to the conversation by proving the tangible uplift in the United brand and the new lease of positivity around the club, we hit the phones, armed with our new stats.
Unsurprisingly there was great interest in our insights and as a club partner, Thomas Cook Sport had an added authority on the matter which gave it great cut through. The results? The statistics and a quote from the Head of Thomas Cook Sport, Rob Slawson, about club’s renewed mojo were hot property and were quickly picked up by the Daily Mirror. The brand-led piece hit key messages about Thomas Cook Sport’s partnership with the club, included a call to action to book Manchester United Match Breaks with the travel operator and increased the brand’s authority in a crowded sphere.
Thomas Cook Sport’s insight was also picked up by the PA and included in an interview piece about Lingard and his experiences under the new boss which was syndicated across tens of titles. The Daily Mail, BT Sport, the Irish Independent, RTE and the Irish Examiner all published the story, as well as 28 regional titles, resulting in a potential audience of millions and a back of the net moment for the Thomas Cook Sport team.
