Challenge

Hi-Definition football

In 2006, Philips was an official partner for 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, the year's most important sporting event. For the first time ever, all 64 matches were broadcast using high-definition television (HDTV), requiring a special TV set and broadcast station. At the time, there was absolutely no HDTV in Russia, and TV broadcasters had no plans to introduce HDTV, so Philips Russia faced the challenge of introducing the country, including the media, to this new technology.

Solution

Alexei Kortnev, the host of Hi-Definition Football

Polylog proposed a comprehensive PR program designed to help achieve the project's main goal, promote HD-Ready TV sets and Philips as a business partner, and popularize HDTV.

The culmination of the project was a unique Hi-Definition Football event organized by Polylog. From June 9-July 9, 2006, for the first time in Russia, exclusive live broadcast sessions were held for all World Cup matches using HDTV and HD-Ready Philips televisions at Moscow's Tinkoff restaurant.

Results

• The media carried over 60 articles on the event; Playboy's December issue included the event in its list: The Five Most Revolutionary Inventions of 2006.
• The local media carried over 200 articles on Philips' sponsorship and its HD-Ready TV sets.
• Major industry players took note of the popularization of HDTV: the official site of major European TV company EURO-1080 mentioned a Russian TV company as one of the distributors of a new HD channel, HD3, for 2007.
• The PR campaign had an impact on sales, with analysts reporting that as of end-2006 Philips was the leader in the flat TV segment of the Russian market.