UEFA Euro '12 sponsors Carlsberg, Castrol and U.K.-based telecommunications company Orange are all “focusing their activity around this summer’s tournament on social media to avoid being overshadowed by the likes of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, which are also sponsoring the London Olympics,” according to Joseph & O’Reilly of MARKETING WEEK. Carlsberg has launched a Facebook campaign that “encourages fans to show their support for England via a series of challenges as part of a wider multimillion campaign.” Carlsberg U.K. Dir of Marketing David Scott said that the brand “has made more of an effort to galvanise supporters and work closer with its retail partners than it has done for any of its previous campaigns around the European football championships.” Joseph & O’Reilly report that the growth of social media since Euro '08 means that Castrol “can now use the predictions from its EDGE Index -- the official tournament ranking system -- to respond to fans in real-time on Facebook and Twitter.” Castrol’s digital presence during this year's event will be “supported by in-store, outdoor and press activity as the brand looks to engage with fans across multiple touchpoints.” Meanwhile, Orange has made interaction its “biggest priority for its Euro 2012 strategy.” The majority of the company’s marketing will focus on “direct channels, such as using social media for its Supporters’ Cup competitions and launching the official Euro 2012 mobile app.” TV activity "is also planned" for Orange, but Head of Global Sponsorships & Partnerships John Constantinou said that is “more of a ‘nice to have’ than its core focus” (MARKETINGWEEK.co.uk, 5/2).
