Bridged is thrilled to announce its first strategic long-term partnership with Fuse, a leading global sports and entertainment marketing agency headquartered in the United Kingdom. This collaboration aims to drive and champion diversity and representation within the sports and entertainment industries, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue rewarding careers in these fields.
As a cornerstone of the partnership, we are excited to launch ‘Fuse Stories’, a series of articles spotlighting Fuse employees. These stories will offer readers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the agency, the impactful work they do and the talented individuals who make it all possible. In addition, Bridged will regularly feature job opportunities at Fuse on our social platforms and website, broadening access to exciting career opportunities.
Bridged will also assist Fuse in developing a more accessible and inclusive recruitment process by advising on strategies to eliminate barriers to entry. This involves using inclusive language in job descriptions to attract diverse candidates, promoting available roles across various platforms to reach a broader talent pool, and implementing feedback mechanisms to address any obstacles candidates may encounter. With Bridged’s expertise, Fuse aims to strengthen its DE&I strategy, ensuring a fair hiring process whilst reinforcing its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Together, Bridged and Fuse will spearhead several initiatives, including:
These initiatives will be available to members of the Bridged Community Hub, which aims to further support individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds who are facing barriers breaking into the industry. It is free of charge and can be accessed via the sign up form here.
Ella Ireri, Founder of Bridged – “We are incredibly happy to be working with Fuse, as their commitment to diversity and inclusion alights perfectly with our mission at Bridged. This partnership marks an exciting step towards breaking down barriers faced by individuals from underrepresented groups, creating more opportunities, and ultimately making the sport and entertainment industry more accessible. A big thanks to Sarah and the wider Fuse team!”
Sarah Kendall, Managing Director of Fuse – “As soon as I met Ella and learnt about the Bridged mission and community, I knew we’d make great partners. We share a vision of a thriving and diverse Sport & Entertainment Marketing industry that reflects modern society and the music and sport stars we work so closely with. An important starting point is ensuring that talent can easily access jargon-free information about our industry and live opportunities, and another is helping them feel empowered to apply for roles. We’re looking forward to working with Bridged and their network, confident it will drive real change and make a tangible difference in creating opportunities for all.”
Bridged is dedicated to showcasing the diverse range of career opportunities within the sports and entertainment industries. Our mission is to inspire and empower young individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue successful careers in these dynamic fields by providing insights, education, and access to job opportunities.
Founded in 2008, Fuse is a global leader in sport and entertainment services. Fuse offers a comprehensive solution combining sport and entertainment expertise with strategic, creative, and activation services. Trusted by top brands such as PepsiCo, Nissan, Vodafone, Enterprise amongst others, Fuse is known for delivering impactful partnerships with exceptional service, governance, and transparency.
The Paris 2024 Olympics marked a cultural shift in how brands connect with global audiences, with the games being dubbed the “TikTok Olympics” due to many sponsors’ digital-first approach.
As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) acknowledges an ageing fanbase—the average age has risen by approximately 10 years in just a decade—the need to captivate younger consumers has never been more pressing.
This urgency has driven brands to rethink their strategies, moving towards innovative campaigns that blend cultural relevance, human stories, and digital engagement.
Samsung emerged as one of the most prominent brands at the Paris 2024 Games, successfully capitalising on the event’s global reach. Through their “Team Samsung Galaxy” initiative, the brand not only highlighted the talents of both debut and returning athletes but also bridged the gap between the online and offline experiences.
Their clever use of “victory selfies” taken on their latest flip smartphone, which was gifted to all 17,000 competitors, ensured that the product became a focal point in the games’ digital narrative. These images significantly boosted sales for Samsung’s foldable phone, with a notable 23 per cent increase following key victories by Team GB athletes.
The campaign’s success underscored the power of integrating product placement with real-time social media amplification, setting a new benchmark for how to activate Olympic sponsorship rights.
Relaxed IOC rules at Paris 2024 also allowed for more direct, unfiltered athlete-to-fan interactions – a move that brands were quick to leverage. Pampers, in particular, made a lasting impact by partnering with track and field star Allyson Felix to highlight the first-ever Olympic Village nursery.
This collaboration was a powerful statement on the compatibility of motherhood and athletic excellence. The nursery’s presence addressed a long-overlooked need and aligned perfectly with Pampers’ brand values.
Felix’s personal story, coupled with Pampers’ commitment, resonated deeply with audiences, especially considering Felix’s previous conflicts with Nike after becoming a mother.
NBC, the official broadcaster of the Paris 2024 Olympics, also adapted to the changing media landscape by betting big on pop culture. Snoop Dogg’s role as a special correspondent added a layer of entertainment that was unexpected and highly engaging.
His spontaneous dance moves at gymnastics events, pre-filmed clips with Michael Phelps, and humorous commentary on events like badminton and rugby went viral across social media platforms. The decision to integrate Snoop Dogg paid off handsomely, with the network averaging 34m viewers across its platforms in the five days following the opening ceremony—an increase of 15m from the Tokyo Games.
This strategic move highlighted the growing importance of cultural relevance and entertainment in capturing audience attention, even for a traditional broadcaster like NBC.
The Paris 2024 Olympics have shown that the future of brand sponsorship lies in digital innovation and cultural resonance. As brands like Samsung, Pampers, and NBC have demonstrated, success at the Olympics now hinges on the ability to create meaningful, shareable experiences that transcend the boundaries of traditional media.
With the 2028 Games on the horizon, it will be fascinating to see how these trends evolve, what new technologies emerge to shape the next generation of Olympic partnerships and how open the IOC will be to embrace them.
In the background, NBC is working hard to “humanize” the Olympics in Paris this year, said Alex Charkham, chief strategy officer at Omnicom specialist sports agency Fuse.
“It’s about creating things that are talkable, that drive interest,” he said. NBCU is also set to shake up its commentary staff, adding celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon and Snoop Dogg to its on-screen talent roster.
The Figs-sponsored heart-rate monitors will help NBC bring “relatability,” said Charkham, to a sporting event that otherwise focuses on pushing the limits of human physicality.
“It’s very hard for us to relate to any athletes, but many people can relate to what it’s like watching your kids perform, and the trials, tribulations and nerves that you go through,” he said. “From a commercial standpoint, that then brings in a whole new raft of opportunities because of that story.”
The summer of sport kicks off in earnest on 14 June with Euro 2024 – and brands across Europe and in the UK will be tapping into ‘football fever’.
The tournament itself only lasts for four weeks. But with anticipation already building for one of the most competitive tournaments in a long time, fans and marketers’ attention will really dial up after the Uefa Champions League wraps up on 1 June, before the tournament kicks off in Munich. Essentially offering brands a six-week condensed period of activity around the tournament.
Euro 2024 gives brands a valuable opportunity to reach an inflated football audience – not just ‘core’ football fans but also ‘mass-eventers’ – those who only tune in to the major tournaments. Major tournament match viewing figures feature highly in most watched programmes across the year, and I fully expect this to be the case in 2024.
With potential economic benefits for the UK should England and Scotland progress, brands will also be hoping for competing nations to reach the later stages, ensuring Home Nation fan interest remains high for as long as possible.
Brands will generally fall into three key categories: official tournament partners, official partners of competing nations (England and Scotland) and ‘ambush’ brands; those with no official partnerships but leveraging football hype moments through their communications and marketing.
Whichever category brands fall into, there will undoubtedly be a lot of noise and clutter to cut through. So, any campaigns during this period will need to stand out in a busy marketplace.
Official Uefa Euro 2024 partners have invested heavily in their associations, so expect an upweight in activity and integrated campaigns across all marketing channels, leveraging their official association and tournament IP. These brands will take a longer-term approach to their marketing activity.
Lidl, for example, has already launched its new sponsorship platform, ‘We’re On Your Team’. Hellmann’s, the official BBQ partner of Euro 2024, has announced Jack Grealish as the face of their campaign, activating through the line and even creating the ultimate ‘Grealish Burger’. And official Euro 2024 partner HiSense, recently announced that Spanish goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas has joined Manuel Neuer as a brand ambassador.
Partners of competing nations will lean into the excitement, passion, ambition, and national pride they share with the fans. They’ll leverage their exclusive access to key players to drive association and deliver their brand messages. We’re expecting partner activity to really kick off in early June – so keep your eyes peeled.
Ambush brands will be taking a slightly different approach. While these brands won’t be able to leverage any specific tournament or team IP, we expect big brands to lead with general football creative across all comms and all channels throughout the tournament.
Natural football ‘brands’ (e.g. Nike, Puma) and those who can tap into the cultural moment and fan behaviours (e.g. beer, food takeaway services) will upweight their activity during the tournament. These brands will often use high-profile ambassadors to cut through the noise, using their association with fan’s favourite players to stand out from the crowd. For example, Nike’s 2022 FIFA World cup 2022 ad and Pepsi’s recently launched 2024 ad.
In the UK, linear TV is going to be an important channel for all brands to target, specifically advertising around the big matches on ITV. Every match will be broadcast on free-to-air TV which has unrivalled audience reach. And major tournament moments regularly feature in the annual top 10 most-viewed broadcasts. The Euro 2020 final between England and Italy attracted over 31m viewers in the UK. But this huge reach comes at an inflated cost. If England progress through to the semi-finals, brands should expect to pay well over £600k for a premium half time 30s ad spot.
While TV advertising will predominantly focus on the key moments around big matches, brands will revert to social media for their always-on activity. Again, paid social costs are likely to be inflated during the tournament period, and brands will be competing to break through in a cluttered space.
We’ll also see a lot of ‘tactical’ media spend from brands, particularly across out of home advertising (OOH) where I expect to see many brands leading with football creative across the UK’s most impactful, high-value media sites throughout the tournament – whether they are official partners, nation partners or brands tapping in to ‘football fever’.
FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands and retailers will look to maximise points of sale – from on-pack ticket promotions to brands leveraging their partnership rights (e.g. Bud Light and England, Coca-Cola and Euro 2024) or supermarkets pushing ‘the ultimate viewing’ deals for football fans and families.
Euro 2024 promises to be an exciting tournament and offers a major marketing moment for brands. Whether you are a football fan or not, there will be no escaping ‘football fever’ – I for one cannot wait!
As part of ambition a.M.’S ongoing ‘pass the pen’ series, Louise Johnson, CEO of Global Sport and Entertainment agency Fuse, takes a look at what she believes to be some of the most important factors to consider when looking for talent.
If you consider yourself an entrepreneur, odds are you’ve come to be familiar with the sight of a solo laptop on a cluttered coffee table or empty co-working space.
When is the right time to bring in outside talent, and how do you choose who’s going to join you?
Johnson answers these questions in her view on teamwork and management ahead of what will be a “transformative” next few years for the workplace.
“You wouldn’t use a saw to hammer a nail, which is a great analogy when thinking about the obvious – you wouldn’t hire a creative to do finance.
“Choosing the right talent for the right role is the difference between thrive and die for a business. And it isn’t just about skills. You need the right personalities to match your business culture and those who can build morale in the team, which takes us back to the very start.
“Implementing the right culture early on sets the foundation for which you build your business (and your team). It’s well documented that ‘purpose driven businesses’ are more successful – so companies need a worthy purpose and bigger ambition for their people to get behind.
“And I don’t just mean slapping company values on the office kitchen wall, I mean acting through strong values – to be trusted, committed, collaborative and restless – which are crucial to constructing a team of diverse talent.
“But business leaders are role models, so if your optimistic outlook is a little hazy, it may be time to try new ways to embrace the positive and project this onto the company with hyper-personalised strategies for all of your team members.
“And finally, you must be a master of yourself during uncertain times. I found it useful to check and challenge myself with ‘how are you showing up’ to the agency, especially when so many people are looking at you in a crisis for direction and answers.
“To do this, it was important to make sure I was ‘feeding and watering’ myself properly – this involved getting regular exercise (boxing), eating well, and trying to get good quality sleep.”
“Attracting and retaining staff is of course about the role in question, how strong your employer brand is and how you leverage it across social and digital channels, but importantly for candidates it’s about competitive compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion initiatives and career development opportunities.
“Businesses at the minimum should look more closely at market research to ensure salaries align with industry standards, but to set the organisation apart from its peers it’s all about outstanding initiatives that make an actual difference to employees.
“For example, rising the minimum wage for new entrants to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis for younger generations or offering staff the chance to study or learn a new skill to build their career.
“At Fuse we like to celebrate employees’ achievements and contributions. Our Spotlight Award is an ongoing recognition programme designed to celebrate exceptional individuals and teams who embody our core values.
“The initiative runs throughout the year, highlighting outstanding efforts on a bi-monthly basis, with the winners receiving a financial reward.
“I also feel very strongly about the positive effects of mentoring as it’s a great way to retain your staff.”
“Success is often built on the learnings of others, and for business leaders, reverse mentoring opportunities can help you understand today’s challenges.”
“Tech and AI are undoubtedly transforming the workplace, but arguably, there is a greater force at play: how new generations will impact business changes. By 2025, Gen Z will account for 27% of the global workforce.
“They are the future of our businesses but demand flexibility, new ways of working and a work-life balance that business leaders will have to increasingly cater to. In fact, flexible working has actually turbocharged a huge wave of career ambition among women.
“In the next five years (I hope) we will have even more female leaders, a significantly smaller gender pay gap and more internal policies extending support to the likes of fertility treatment, better menstruation leave and a better system for mental health.
“We may also see a rise in copycat culture – where businesses introduce new policies and initiatives aligning with their peers and other global leaders.
“But to do this, companies need to monitor the global consumer and businesses landscape. At the very least they should stay on track with changing consumer and business habits, but ideally get ahead of the curve with innovative new programmes and strategies.”
With the Cannes Film Festival about to begin, we interviewed Louise Johnson, a member of the jury for the Entertainment Lions for Sport category at Cannes Lions 2024. In addition to its role on the jury, Fuse, the agency led by Louise, is expanding into Brazil, marking an exciting new chapter in the company’s history.
Louise Johnson is the CEO of Fuse, a leading global sports and entertainment marketing agency within Omnicom Media Group. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, Louise has worked on both the client and agency side, managing Vodafone’s global portfolio that included Ferrari F1, McLaren F1, Manchester United FC, David Beckham and the UEFA Champions League, operating in more than 100 markets. Under his leadership, Fuse has tripled in size, with a team of 250 people serving 10 of the world’s top 30 brands. The agency has negotiated over $1.1 billion in rights over the past six years, making it one of the largest and most respected in the industry.
Louise Johnson: Since the inception of the Entertainment Lions for Sport category four years ago, the ambition has been to embrace purpose and inclusion. And these demonstrations of inclusion continue to be important. However, I believe we will also see a return of sports jobs that entertain audiences by connecting with lifestyle and humor. With brands fighting for attention and looking to credibly connect with culture, I expect more cross-cultural activations in sports involving music, fashion and film.
Louise Johnson: The Festival aims to celebrate creativity that harnesses fan culture and the power of sports and esports to connect people to brands. In judging entries, we strive for excellence in innovative creativity within the sports and esports ecosystem, through the effective use of strategic planning, sponsorship, brand management, media, entertainment, and/or talent. Participants should focus on highlighting their creativity and ability to connect with fans to stand out.
Louise Johnson: Bringing esports into the Entertainment Lions for Sport category is a positive step towards making the sport more inclusive and accessible for everyone. This highlights alternative ways of engaging in the sports landscape and helps diversify the application pool and areas that brands can address in their campaigns. The lines between sport and entertainment are increasingly blurred, with the sporting event itself being a small part of a larger fan experience. With over 3 billion players globally, esports creates a vast and interconnected audience, providing ample opportunities for brands to innovate and engage with specific communities.
Louise Johnson: In recent years, we’ve seen the advent of partnerships, rather than sponsorships. It’s a way of working that benefits both sides equally, creating a strong legacy, impacting important change, and generating a significant return on investment. Last year’s Grand Prix deservedly went to Michelob Ultra and FCB for the DreamCaster campaign. This campaign allowed a blind basketball fan to fulfill their dream of narrating a live game to millions of people in the U.S., showing how the sport can create valuable real-life impacts.
Louise Johnson: From my perspective, the Festival continues to work its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy. Within the Entertainment Lions for Sport category, there is a specific category for this theme. This includes creative work led by brands that utilizes sport to address and confront disparities based on sex, sexuality, disability, age, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or other status within a sports or sports-related community. I hope to see very strong work in this space in 2024.
Louise Johnson: In addition to the criteria set by the organizers, my jury and I will be looking for unique ideas that are relevant to the real world. This includes ideas that connect different sports fans across diverse regions/cultures and that can align with the values and purposes of a brand or organization. While the work needs to add value to the end consumer or the business, it would be great if there’s an entertainment factor too – after all, we’re in the entertainment category!
Louise Johnson: Artificial intelligence is still the buzzword and has already shaped some impactful work. If we look at last year’s winner – generative artificial intelligence helped a blind man narrate a basketball game. In addition, AI was incorporated into the process of creating Orange’s ‘Les Bleues’ revealing advertisement during the UEFA Women’s Euros last year, helping to highlight the necessary progression in attitudes towards women’s sport. While it clearly has wide-ranging benefits for sports marketing, brands need to be careful about how they engage with AI and ensure they are not completely eradicating human creativity. A new aspect of this year’s awards is an AI notice, which I hope will be a transparent and effective way to see how AI has been incorporated into the entries
Louise Johnson: São Paulo is the center of sport in Brazil, and having a Fuse office there will allow us to capitalize on the region’s fastest-growing sports sponsorship market. In addition to supporting brands and rights holders, we also aim to increase local participation in sport, from the grassroots to the professional level. Over the past ten years, Brazil has hosted two of the world’s biggest sporting events – the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With confirmation that the FIFA Women’s World Cup will also be held there, there are many untapped opportunities in this territory, ripe for innovation.
Louise Johnson: We cannot ignore that women’s football in South America is still developing, but it is evident that Brazil is going through a clear movement to expand and professionalize women’s leagues, bringing the region closer to the infrastructure of the US and Europe. With the confirmation of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Brazil is experiencing a special moment with its venues, brands, sponsors and sports rights holders, all looking forward to the joy that the Cup will bring. This will also generate an excellent opportunity for Brazil to connect and relate to a significantly larger audience. In addition, Formula 1 recently extended its contract with the São Paulo Grand Prix until 2030, showing that the motorsport market in Brazil is profitable. It is the fourth largest motorsport market in the world and Lucas di Grassi, one of the country’s greatest racing drivers, is supporting the electric revolution in Brazil. We can see a lot of opportunities for new entrants in the sponsorship scene, and with sustainability at the top of global agendas, we’re likely to see an increase in these types of sports around the world.
Louise Johnson: Luiz has extensive experience in sports advertising and marketing, with almost two decades in the industry. He was previously Marketing Director at São Paulo Futebol Clube and, most recently, led the sports division of the Outpromo media agency, OMG Brasil. Leveraging their expertise will ensure that Fuse is at the forefront of sports sponsorship in Brazil.
Louise Johnson: The new office opened with a strong customer collection that includes insurance company Ezze Seguros, betting companies KTO and F12Bet, online sticker store Panini, the Brazilian Olympic Committee, payment wallet company Pay 4 Fun, and brewery Heineken. Fuse’s Brazil office will focus on offering partnership consulting, rights consulting, activation, measurement and effectiveness in sports and entertainment to clients. In addition to these services, Fuse Brasil will launch a sales and rights consulting offering, Fuse Ignite, designed to enhance rights holders’ sponsorship proposals.
Louise Johnson: Fuse is part of the Omnicom Media Group, and in addition to our deep understanding of what brands want in terms of sponsorship, we benefit from the group’s broader media, data, and business intelligence capabilities. The result is that our clients benefit from truly integrated thinking, suited to modern marketing.
Louise Johnson: In addition to Brazil, we now have offices in Chile, which is extremely exciting. In 2025, we plan to expand into other markets in South America that are strategically important to our industry. We are excited about the positive impact our presence in Brazil will have on the sports marketing and entertainment industry in the region.
Louise Johnson: Not only do we have great talent in Brazil, but Fuse is fortunate to be part of the Omnicom Media Group. Already one of the fastest-growing sports and entertainment networks, this connection to the broader OMG allows us to bring truly integrated thinking to customers’ sports and entertainment partnership needs, while ensuring a significant impact on brand image and business bottom lines.
Global Sport and Entertainment marketing agency Fuse has been appointed by British Gas as their agency for its partnership consultancy and activation. British Gas joins Fuse’s roster of clients that include PepsiCo, Vodafone, Nissan, Enterprise, FedEx and Just Eat.
Fuse has been working closely with British Gas for the past eight months to secure its return to the sports partnership industry, negotiating major deals with the Scottish Rugby Union, the Scottish Football Association as well as Team GB and ParalympicsGB – the latter two announced earlier this week.
Victoria Chew, Managing Partner at Fuse said: “The prospect of working with new clients is always exciting, but especially so with a brand like British Gas, re-entering the partnership world with big ambitions.
“We are proud of the work we have delivered so far and are delighted to now be able to bring to life the partnerships creatively. We look forward to working with British Gas to achieve its business goals internally and externally, by leveraging such an exciting portfolio of rights.”
For Louise Johnson, the CEO of Fuse, the Omnicom global sports marketing agency, recent successes in women’s football have cemented the place of women’s sport on the agenda, however, she says that isn’t enough – and the way brands activated around the World Cup should have been stronger.
Brands still had a focus on the “parity story” says Johnson. While this is still important, and there’s still work to be done around it, she says there remains a “very big white space creatively” for how brands engage with women’s sport beyond the obvious headlines.
“It’s not being utilised by brands using women’s sport, particularly football, actually,” she adds, noting there’s a “big opportunity” for brands to own this creative gap.
Female players have become household names, and are much more accessible to brands now, says Johnson: “The parity story is super important, but I do feel we can be elevating women’s football, in particular, and the athletes in a more creative, storytelling-led way.”
