1. Introduction

For ECAL, the creative opportunity for retail offers is high. They can insert limited-time offers, flash sales, and exclusive discounts directly to what is regarded as a high-value audience at precisely the right time, all via the intimacy of their digital calendar.

For sports fans across the globe, Black Friday merchandise sales are a highly anticipated retail period as fans anticipate gift purchases, exclusive offers and discount merchandise.

ECAL provides in-calendar events with relevant calls to action based on publisher objectives, and the execution of calendar marketing for multiple sporting organisations during Black Friday sales was seamless.

2. Objectives

• IMPACT fan engagement and maximise revenue opportunities by driving pre-registration for exclusive deals and product launches.
• INTEGRATE Black Friday marketing campaigns and utilise calendar marketing to share timely and relevant promotional material.
• PROMOTE retail events directly into customer calendars with relevant calls to action for seasonal sales.
• CREATE  a direct path to purchase and allow publishers to actively alert fans about merchandise sales, discounts and special offers..

3. Strategy

ECAL prepared and supported timely and relevant daily retail campaigns for Black Friday promotions, including discount offers, merchandise promotions and integration marketing campaigns. Calendar marketing impacted daily sales and increased engagement during the sales period.

4. Solution

ECAL’s innovative use of calendar-based marketing provided publishers with a powerful tool to connect with their audiences, drive revenue, and maximise the impact of their Black Friday campaigns.

By delivering timely, relevant, and personalised offers, ECAL helped publishers achieve their objectives and stand out in a highly competitive market.

5. Outcomes

• CTRs ranged from 1% to 6.5% for on-the-day sales events.

• Over 12 million event impressions on Black Friday alone.

• 8 days of promotional events sustained audience interest and participation throughout the week.

• High engagement from targeted promotions led to increased sales.

1. Introduction

• Liverpool FC encourages fans to own a part of the club’s history by bidding for signed match-worn shirts from the season’s Premier League and Champions League games. The proceeds are donated to the LFC Foundation, creating life-changing opportunities for young people and families at home and abroad.
• As Liverpool FC’s official calendar marketing provider, ECAL provides the platform for the Club to reach its global fanbase and communicate important match, member, and promotional information directly to their personal digital calendars.

2. Objectives

• Expose the recently launched Liverpool FC Auction Store to fans and educate fans on the opportunity to bid for priceless items.
• Communicate upcoming auction details and important commencement and closing windows to fans globally.
• Increase interest and engagement in the auctions through increased visits to the LFC Auction Store.
• Create a seamless path for fans to bid, increasing conversion, raising auction prices, and delivering proceeds for the LFC Foundation charity.

3. Strategy

ECAL would work hand-in-hand with the marketing team at Liverpool to construct pro-forma campaign messaging for the brand, with recommended alerts, copy and direct action links, and direct access to the ECAL admin for effective self-management and success metrics.

4. Solution

• The team created 12 separate tactical events across a 30-day campaign, beginning on the 15th November 2024.
• Fans received ‘LFC Auction’ events directly into their calendar, with timely alerts, feature shirt details, positive messaging, and with a simple ‘Bid Now’ call-to-action linking directly to the LFC Auction Store.
• Due to the nature of these live events, fans globally were easily aware of auction commencement and closing times, giving them a greater opportunity to participate.

5. Outcomes

• 12 tactical events were crafted and served into fan calendars over a 1-month campaign.

• ECAL delivered over 1.4m event impressions to high-value MyLFC Members over this campaign.

• Over 2,600 bidders utilised the  ECAL’ Bid Now’ CTA directly from their personal calendars.

• The LFC Player Shirt Auctions have been a great success, raising BIG funds for the LFC Foundation.

1. Introduction

For football fans across the globe, the release of the new Premier League season fixture is a highly anticipated event. It’s a chance for fans to plan their year ahead, lock in the blockbusters, mark down the rivalries, book weekends away, and reimagine hopes and dreams.

For ECAL, Premier League’s official ‘Digital calendar’ provider, the global release to millions of passionate football fans requires a sophisticated, well-co-ordinated strategy to on-board a flood of new subscribers on release whilst servicing the millions of connected users to update their calendar. Up until now, the Premier League schedule has only been available in English language only. ECAL set about solving this problem for Premier League.

2. Objectives

• DEVELOP a solution to provide the Premier League fixture and all its related event details, promotional ‘calls to action’ and direct-action links in languages other than English.
• LAUNCH this solution in time for the Premier League fixture release scheduled for the 19th of June 2024
• INTEGRATE the solution into ECAL’s existing ‘global displays’ that already have a smart language translation feature for the ‘sync to calendar’ user journey,
• ADOPT a platform approach to further revolutionise digital calendar communications using cutting edge technologies that would be relevant for other major global brands.

3. Strategy

Following months of investigation and testing, we partnered with Microsoft and OpenAI to develop an AI powered language
translation feature specific to the needs of calendar communications and our event-based client partner network.

4. Solution

ECAL unveiled it’s ‘Native Language Translations AI’ service, with the service officially launched by Premier League as part of their 2024/25 season fixture release in June ‘24.

In collaboration with Microsoft and OpenAI, and launched as part of ECAL’s expanding ‘Calendar AI’ toolbox, our ‘Native Language Translations AI’ feature delivers smart, personalised events content in the user’s preferred, detected, native language, directly into their calendar.

The service covers 248 countries, 49 languages including the top 10 dialects in India. All intelligently translated, with key nouns such as sporting team names, venue names, and brand names preserved and presented as they should in the user’s calendar.

5. Outcomes

ECAL has successfully developed the first mass language personalisation feature for Premier League, which will help inform its expansion and communications strategy going forward.

• 18% of Premier League ECAL subscribers are being served events content in a native language other than English.

• 33 of 49 available languages were served in the first week of the fixture release.

• 90% + of users have more than one language preference.

• Korean was the most popular native language, then French, Norwegian, Swedish, Arabic.

1. Introduction

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) is the ultimate championship of One Day International Cricket. The event is held every four years, with preliminary qualification rounds leading to a finals tournament. This year the event is in cricket-obsessed India played across 10 venues.

2. Objectives

• Deliver important ticketing access details, and inform fans on the staged release of tix;
• Promote CWC ticket release dates for non Indian matches to a targeted international audience, to drive sales and fill venues;
• Promote CWC ticket release dates for Indian matches by venue group, to inform fans and facilitate sales.

3. Strategy

Audience segmentation based on location and preferences, followed by delivery of high impact, timely ticket alerts and on-sale dates, with multiple alerts, ticketing access details, and direct access to purchase where relevant.

4. Solution

Six separate calendar campaigns were created to deliver the right message, to the right user segment.

1. Cricket fans interested in the CWC received a ‘Tickets On-Sale’ entry detailing the process for ticketing access, with direct access to purchase non-Indian match tickets;
2. Cricket fans interested in the CWC and located in India received a ‘Tickets On-Sale’ entry for Indian matches, for each venue group, with specific match

5. Outcomes

• 269K Impressions directly in fans calendar

• 15,412 Buy Tickets clicks directly from calendar

• 6% CTR click-through to buy tickets

1. Introduction

For Arsenal fans across the globe, having the match schedule delivered dynamically into their personal digital calendars has become an expected and valued service. A service that has been consistently popular, however the content of the events lacked detail and context, with only basic match information, dates,times and location information available.

For ECAL, Arsenal’s official ‘Digital calendar’ provider, the opportunity to offer fans a more content rich, contextual, engaging experience, with improved match details, promotion and direct-action links had become increasingly important.

2. Objectives

• REDUCE / eliminate the human and technical overhead for the Arsenal business in delivering an automated, smart, dynamic calendar marketing and communications service..
• COMBINE relevant match data, broadcast data and reminders to
  ensure that fans receive the right information, in the right place, at
  the right time to increase awareness and tune-in.
• INTEGRATE the solution into ECAL’s existing ‘global displays’ that already have a smart language translation feature for the ‘sync to calendar’ user journey,
• ADOPT a platform approach to further revolutionise digital calendar communications using cutting edge technologies that would be relevant for other major global brands.

3. Strategy

Following months of investigation and testing, we partnered with Microsoft and OpenAI to develop an AI powered language
translation feature specific to the needs of calendar communications and our event-based client partner network.

4. Solution

From the outset of the 2023/24 season, ECAL successfully transitioned Arsenal to a totally automated events feed service. ECAL delivered smart, dynamic, relevant match events content for Arsenal with ECAL’s best practice content templates, and custom business logic, to communicate events better and deliver outstanding business outcomes.

5. Outcomes

ECAL has successfully developed the first mass language personalisation feature for Premier League, which will help inform its expansion and communications strategy going forward.

• Action & Engagement
  93% increase in the number of click-throughs (and CTR) on the direct-action links in-calendar almost doubled.

• Revenue Generation
  1/3 of all clicks were to revenue generating products, such as Shop, Membership and Tickets.

1. Introduction

bet365 is the world’s favourite online sports betting brand, and official partner of the FIFA World Cup 2022. UK media agency, Immediate Media partnered with ECAL, to help deliver an exciting new advertising campaign, that would connect with football fans across the globe, for the duration of the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar.

2. Objectives

• Design: Produce compelling ‘don’t miss the action’ creative for bet365 to their brand;
• Distribute: Develop functional ad displays in a range of test formats for desktop and mobile, supported by editorial;
• Connect: Create a live and dynamic connection to the user calendar, to deliver the latest fixture information, and relevant betting promotions;
• Acquire: Capture high value consumer data.

3. Solution

Ad Displays: Functional ad displays were created in various formats incl. skins, MPU and mobile banners;

Distribution: The ad campaign was run across the RadioTimes.com network, supported by editorial links;

Sync to Calendar: Football fans could click to ‘sync’, choosing their preferred tournament fixtures;

Engaging Content: Match details included local TV broadcast details, relevant promos, and direct access to ‘Join Now’, ‘WC Odds’ and ‘Bet Boosts’;

Global Languages: The ECAL pop-up display was available in 30+ languages, with language auto-detection;

Fast, Dynamic Updates: Match updates were instantly delivered into calendar as the tournament progressed, including final scores!

4. First of its kind

This exciting new ‘Sync to Calendar’ premium ad display is media first, and proved successful in reaching expected industry standard benchmarks, with the added value of a continuous engagement with fans across the FIFA World Cup campaign. This type of campaign lends itself to many varied use cases including major events, festivals, movie releases, game releases, retail offers, TV and streaming programming, and lots more. Stay tuned!

5. Outcomes

• Clicks on the bet365 adverts averaged 0.25% across a wide suite of test formats, hitting the industry display benchmark;
• 16% of all users who clicked on the advert successfully proceeded to complete the ‘sync to calendar’ journey to add content to their personal calendar;
• Direct action links in the calendar entries achieved a CTR benchmark of 1.0%

1. Introduction

Tigo Sports is a Latin American sports subscription television channel which has rapidly established itself as a major team and events broadcaster and sponsor in football at national, regional, and international level. Tigo Sports is also the champion television channel for a huge number of other sporting fixtures all year round. These sports include rugby, futsal, handball, tennis, table tennis, polo, athletics, mixed martial arts and fitness.

2. Objectives

• Remind subscribers when all matches are showing on their Tigo Sports channels and give them the option to watch the matches in either standard or HD quality.
• Increase awareness of Tigo Sports news, exclusives, videos, and live matches across all their channels.

3. Future Strategy

The plan is for ECALs service to play an integral part in the communications strategy and be a permanent feature for fans going forward. There are additional plans to bring in sponsors and promotional deals from huge clients and brands in association with Tigo Sports’ new calendar marketing service.

4. Solution

These plans will ensure that fans of the sports channel receive the best fan-engagement services in Latin America and further improve how Tigo Sports communicate with their huge audience.

5. Outcomes

• Exceeding Expectations: Surpassed the original forecast of 5,000 subscribers before first match;
• Data Driven Insights: Highly profiled user data acquired will shape Tigo Sports future marketing & advertising strategies.

1. Introduction

The EFL (English Football League) was formed in 1888 and is widely known as the world’s original league football competition. As such, the EFL has often been considered the first template for football leagues all over the world.

The EFL is the largest single body of professional clubs in European football and is responsible for administering and regulating the EFL, the Carabao Cup, the Papa John’s Trophy, and the reserve and youth football.

2. Objectives

• Deliver valuable new content outside of match times
• Satisfy strong fan desire to engage with video content
• Make it timely, relevant and compelling for fans
• Make it easy to manage (automated)

3. Strategy

Deliver an automated service for final match scores and video highlights post-match, delivered at the right time, in the right place, direct to fans with one-click access to watch highlights.

4. Solution

Subscribers will receive an ICYMI (in case you missed it!) entry in their calendar the morning after a match, with the final scores and direct access to highlights, whenever their favourite team wins or draws. The match scores are contained in the event title, with a brief match description and a strong ‘Watch Now!’ ‘call to action’ link, with direct access to the relevant match highlights.

• Entries only placed in calendar when their favourite team wins or draws
• Entries appear in the calendar the 24 hours after kickoff, with an alert at 5 minutes prior to prompt response.

5. Outcomes

• 400% increase in click-through rate;
• 651% increase in clicks from the calendar;
• 2052% increase in total engagement when compared to the same period one year prior;
• ‘Watch Now’ (highlights) is the most clicked link across the EFL Digital Platform (73% of total clicks).

* Two month sample size. 1/8/2021 – 1/10/2021 and  1/8/2022 – 1/10/2022

1. Introduction

The Premier League is the top level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL). The Premier League is also the most watched football league in the world.

Premier League releases it’s fixtures for the new season in June every year. In 2022, Fixture Release Day was on 16th of June and millions of fans worldwide tuned in to see who their favourite team is going to be pitted against and in what order.

2. Objectives

• Pre-promote Fixture Release Day by directing fans toward their digital calendar, powered by ECAL. This helps to build excitement ahead of the new season and drive new subscribers throughout the week.
• Launch Premier League’s new season football fixtures using the digital calendar, powered by ECAL, to connect and engage with football lovers and sports fans worldwide.
• Drive fan engagement and tune-in by delivering localised broadcast details into a user’s calendar within Premier League game entries. This helps to support major broadcasters across 200 countries and lets fans know where they can watch the games.
• Deliver important event information, including broadcast details, social media platforms, and club’s online stores. This drives sales, tune-in, attendance, and engagement.
• Aquire highly-valuable customer data and behavioural insights from their huge, worldwide fanbase.

3. Strategy

The project would target a cohort of bank customers who were prone to payment default and prone to entering ‘collections’. For the sake of the test, customers would receive an SMS with a feature link to sync payment reminders to their mobile calendar.

NB: In a full integrated rollout, the feature is integrated into the mobile banking app, and online banking portal.

4. Solutions

Pre-Release

• Created multiple ECAL button and ad displays. Alongside this, Premier League also produced a number of high-impact creative assets across multiple platforms including website, mobile, social media, app and email.
• Pre-promotion of Sync to Calendar feature in the week prior to Fixture Release Day via the aforementioned creatives, displays and a website splash page. This helped to build excitement among the fans and increase the window of opportunity for new acquisitions
• Informed all existing subscribers that their calendar will automatically populate with the new seasons fixtures and so therefore, there was no need to complete the sign-up process again.

Fixture Release Day

• Connect – their multi-platform marketing approach led to a huge number of new subscribers connecting to Premier League’s various schedules, including all 20 teams’ fixtures, Fantasy Premier League, and the ePL. The PL2 and u18s schedules were also added in this year.
• Activate – with a huge, connected audience, Premier League can now deliver important information directly to their highly engaged fans to stimulate sales, social engagement, tune-in, and attendance.
• On the day promotion – Premier League hit all platforms on the day, marketing their digital calendar via social media posts, a dedicated eDM, and push notifications. They also did a website takeover including splash page on site entry, homepage banners, button displays and an article. This all resulted in a huge new subscriptions figure. Additionally, Premier League continued their promotion in the days following to ensure that they continued to grow their subscriber-base.

5. Outcomes

• 153,000+ new subscribers within the 10-day campaign period
• 60,000 new subscribers on fixture release date alone, all seamlessly connected without incident
• 14,000+ in-calendar clicks illustrating a highly engaged audience, with fans visiting the Premier League website, checking out TV scheduling and visiting team and league social media platforms and online stores.
• Most popular links included ‘Visit Premier League website’ (10,752), ‘Match Centre’ (1,449), ‘TV Schedule’ (555), club’s online shops (345) and clubs’ Twitter platforms (173).
• 57% opt-in to receive further communications from the Premier League. This subscriber data automatically syncing to the Premier League’s CRM on a weekly basis for targeted marketing purposes.
• Worldwide engagement – The two maps highlight the worldwide audience Premier League commands.
• Data acquisition – ECAL’s Data Delivery Service provides Premier League with direct and frequent access to their customer data so that they can segment audiences and use a targeted approach in all their marketing efforts.

1. Introduction

England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales.

The Hundred is a new professional franchise tournament run by the ECB, scheduled to start in July 2020. It plays a new 100-ball game format, in a round-robin tournament with eight city-based franchise teams. Each franchise will field a men’s and women’s team. 

2. Objectives

1. Launch England’s new season cricket fixtures using ECAL, to connect and engage cricket lovers, general sports fans and social groups.
2. Use ECAL to schedule the competition and team fixtures directly into the calendar of users.
3. Leverage the connected calendar audience to deliver important ticket release details for The Hundred, to drive early sales and stimulate demand.

3. Strategy

A. Create

• Multiple ECAL button displays were created for all cricket competitions, incl. The Hundred, International Men’s / Women’s, County Championship, Vitality Blast, and Royal London Cup.
• These buttons were integrated into the ECB website and a link on their mobile app. 

B. Connect

• ECB executed an integrated launch campaign around the release of The Hundred fixtures, to drive strong user adoption.
• Promotion included web ad (home page), site article, social campaign and email. 

C. Activate

• With a large, connected audience, ECB can then deliver important ticket release dates directly to an engaged audience, to stimulate sales and interest.

4. Results (at end of Feb)

Timeline

• 15 Nov: ECAL Launch
• 26 Nov (7am): The Hundred Fixture Release

International user subscriptions

With very strong local adoption

Timeline

• 12 Feb (10am): Priority Ticket Window Open
• Next: 17 July (6:30pm): First Game

Definitive response to ticket release

Drives significant purchase intent