Edelman and United Entertainment Group (UEG), its global sports & entertainment agency, announced today that they have expanded their award-winning Olympic marketing and communications offering in advance of the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The agency, with nearly 40 years of experience working in the Olympic Movement, has formalized an international, cross-discipline team of experts designed to meet the changing needs of marketing and communications around global sporting events.
“The communications landscape is in a constant state of reinvention, demanding a more holistic approach to the way brands engage with key stakeholders around sports sponsorships,” said Mary Scott, president of sports & experiential marketing for UEG. “Our expanded offering provides clients an end-to-end solution for navigating the inherent complexities of today’s global sporting events, while driving maximum return and impact on their business.”
Led by UEG, along with Edelman Significa in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the offering includes full-service strategic communications planning and execution, sponsorship and experiential activation, athlete acquisition and management, digital and social media engagement, as well as new dedicated team members in the areas of global issues management and preparedness, employee engagement, social purpose strategy, and research and analytics. Edelman Significa has more than 25 years of presence in Brazil and during last year’s 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, the team worked with multiple clients to activate sponsorship assets to generate brand awareness; engage with consumers, volunteers and influencers; develop corporate social responsibility programs; manage issues and crises; and lead media relations programs.
Global Team
In preparation for the 2016 Games, Natalia Martinez, executive vice president at Edelman Significa, serves as head of Strategic Programs in Brazil, currently with a focus in developing Olympic business. Martinez led multiple client efforts on the ground at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. UEG has also appointed Erin Weinberg, an executive vice president based in New York City, as head of Olympic business in the U.S. Weinberg has more than two decades of experience working in the Olympic Movement, having implemented large-scale activation programs at nearly every Games since Albertville 1992. Both will partner to oversee strategy and creative execution on all Olympic accounts, reporting to Mary Scott.
“Companies that want to leverage the global stage provided by the Olympic Games need to be aware that creative, outstanding campaigns are not enough. They also need to gain a deep understanding of the local culture and context,” said Martinez. “Brazilians’ expectations and demands of brands are extremely high. Based on our on-the-ground learnings over the last couple of years, flexibility and cultural mindfulness are fundamental to successful planning.”
In advance of Rio 2016, Edelman Significa has created Aquecimento or Warm-up, a periodic qualitative report for marketing and sponsorship executives, which explores Brazilians’ perceptions and expectations around the Games, as well as how brands should best engage stakeholders before, during and after the event.
Additionally, Harlan Loeb, Edelman’s global practice chair for Crisis and Risk; Kevin King, global chair of Edelman Digital; Christopher Hannegan, U.S. practice chair for Employee Engagement; Larry Koffler, executive vice president of Edelman’s Business + Social Purpose group; and Mike Berland, Global CEO of Edelman Berland, the firm’s research and analytics arm, have been designated respective leads for Olympic-related issues management, digital, employee, cause marketing and research assignments.
The leadership team will work with the more than 30 Olympic experts within the UEG/Edelman network to leverage the team’s collective experience at more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of clients ranging from global and regional corporate sponsors to organizing committees, governing bodies, sports federations and bid committees, to media rights holders, events and athletes. In addition to teams in Brazil, Edelman has dedicated sports and Olympic team members in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, London, as well as South Korea and Japan, hosts of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and 2020 Olympic Games, respectively.
About Edelman
Edelman is a leading global communications marketing firm that partners with many of the world’s largest and emerging businesses and organizations, helping them evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Edelman was named one of Advertising Age’s “Agency to Watch” in 2014; one of Forbes’ “14 Most Influential Agencies of 2014”; and The Holmes Report’s “2013 Global Agency of the Year.” Edelman was awarded the Grand Prix Cannes Lion for PR in 2014 and was among Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work” for the third time in 2014. Edelman owns specialty firms Edelman Berland (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, experiential), a joint venture with United Talent Agency. Visit http://www.edelman.com for more information.
About United Entertainment Group (UEG), a DJE Company
United Entertainment Group (UEG) is a global marketing agency specializing in entertainment and sports. UEG creates breakthrough marketing and communications campaigns by partnering with the people, places and platforms that shape pop culture. It serves brands seeking to engage consumers through talent, film, TV, music and sports platforms, and has worked with hundreds of FORTUNE 500 companies, consumer brands, properties, A-list celebrities and professional athletes. Formed in 2007, UEG is a joint venture between leading global communications company DJE Holdings, Hollywood powerhouse United Talent Agency, and marketing pioneer Jarrod Moses. For more information, visit uegworldwide.com, UEG’s official Facebook page or @UnitedEntGroup on Twitter.
About Edelman Significa
Edelman Significa is an integrated communications agency with a PR culture, which evolves, promotes and protects brands. It has a contemporary view of the world, the engagement of stakeholders, and the communications industry, and adopts strategic and creative approaches to define singular narratives for brands across multiple platforms. The agency has 170 professionals in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and representation in Brasilia. Its services are based in Public Relations principles and methodologies, complemented by specialties in Branding and Planning, Digital and Creative, Research and Metrics, Strategic Programs and Global Clients. For more information, visit www.edelmansignifica.com.