Commercialisation of key digital initiatives at Europe’s flagship handball event ensures broad exposure for record seven partners
Zug, Switzerland – Sponsors of the Women’s EHF EURO 2020 are set to benefit from a host of innovations when the tournament throws off in Denmark on 3 December after Infront, a Wanda Sports Group company, reached commercial offers with a record seven partners for the event.
A new hyper-casual game as well as digital initiatives such as automated videos and content mean all sponsors will continue to enjoy high visibility to fans despite matches being played behind closed doors.
Julien Ternisien, Senior Vice President Summer Sports said: “The last few editions of the EHF EUROs have illustrated that we are on a clear path to enhancing handball’s digital offering for both fans and sponsors. The commercialisation of these products is the latest step in an exciting journey for the sport. We are delighted to be able to adapt to these challenging times and still deliver this tournament alongside EHF.”
Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the European Handball Federation, said: “Adaptability has been key leading into this unique Women’s EHF EURO 2020 and we are delighted that Infront has ensured our partners remain relevant to all handball fans. The technology we have jointly introduced has already increased handball’s online presence and introducing our audience to the brands we work has always formed part of our ongoing strategy.”
Commercialising innovation
For the first time in the EHF’s history fans will be able to partially emulate their heroes on the court through a new penalty shoot-out game in a standalone app. It is the first time the EHF will promote a hyper-casual game at any tournament and it will feature in-game advertising.
Innovations introduced at previous EHF EUROS will also return, this time bringing added benefits for all seven sponsors which include DIY and home improvement store Bauhaus, e-commerce specialists Bring, workwear supplier Engelbert Strauss, insurance company Gjensidige, pump manufacturer Grundfos, sports good retailer Intersport and betting company Unibet.
Technology from WSC will be used to create automated videos for both the EHF and all commercial partners. All seven sponsors will be presenting partners of its own specific video series. These include countdown lists from each day and round as well country-focussed content from specific teams.
The EHF will also once again benefit from Minute.ly’s moving thumbnail technology which improved the website’s article click-through rate by 57 per cent during the Men’s EHF Euros in January 2020. Minute.ly will look to improve engagement through its new story format technology on the tournament’s website and Google.
All content will be tracked by Videocites, an AI-based tracking and analytics tool which calculates engagement and reach of all EHF-produced content, providing valuable insights into earned media value for sponsors.
Grundfos will also sponsor the Player of the Match award, which will be presented by a Grundfos-branded robot to ensure hygiene measures are maintained.
In addition to the content produced by the EHF and Infront, three handball influencers will provide fans with a different perspective of the tournament. Dr Handball will be conducting interviews onsite while the (Un)Informed Handball Hour will produce a podcast for fans to listen to daily and former German international, three-time EHF Champions League winner Anja Althaus will provide engaging content from offsite.
This enhanced digital strategy leverages projects introduced by iX.co, Infront’s digital arm as well as Infront Lab, the Group’s strategic initiative to identify new monetisation avenues from evolving technology.
About Women’s EHF EURO 2020
The Women's EHF EURO 2020 is played from 3 to 20 December in Denmark with 16 nations competing to lift the trophy and be crowned European champions. The host cities are Herning and Kolding, with both venues hosting preliminary and main round matches. Herning’s Jyske Bank BOXEN arena will then host the final weekend where the champion will be crowned.
