Being the title sponsor of AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022, Mitsubishi Electric considers this as an opportunity to tie the “unity knot” among many targets, from the community, and the stakeholders to the company’s internal employees.

Sponsorship is an interview series conducted by Brands Vietnam, aiming to delve into the decisions and communication effectiveness achieved when brands sponsor prominent events.

In the 9th episode of this series, we are excited to have Mr. Vu Long Hai - Corporate Communications, Manager of Mitsubishi Electric Vietnam join and discuss the sponsorship of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.

* What factors lead Mitsubishi Electric to consider sponsorship activities over other marketing initiatives?

Communication through sponsorship will be effective, especially for potential customers, not only used as hospitality for present customers. As our company conducts many B2B businesses, it is one of the biggest challenges to enhance brand presence for stakeholders who don't have any touchpoints.

Sponsorship activities allow us smooth communication with those who are not familiar with our business. It will help to enhance engagement not only of customers but also of employees. In addition, sponsorship of an event that is well known in the region can expect mass reach.

* Why does Mitsubishi Electric choose sports, specifically football, as an area for sponsorship?

Mitsubishi Electric Group is addressing social challenges through our business and contributing to a fulfilling life and a vibrant society through activities regarding culture, arts, and sports. Therefore, we decided to sponsor the ASEAN Football Federation Championship (AFFChampionship) because it perfectly matches our desire to contribute to the development of Southeast Asian communities through sports.

The reason we choose football as a vital area is that the sport matches well with our brand to express "vibrancy”.

In addition to aligning with the corporation's mission, this sponsorship potentially helps Mitsubishi Electric to attract a significant portion of the Southeast Asian audience. For example, take a country with a strong passion for football like Vietnam; major football events will attract the attention of many viewers, thereby helping the brand build widespread recognition.

Becoming the new title sponsor of AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 is a strategic step aimed at connecting with the community in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. Through this activity, Mitsubishi Electric wants to raise more brand presence in Southeast Asia about who we are through various branding measures.

* What are your objectives and key message of this sponsorship activity? How does Mitsubishi Electric measure the progression of these objectives?

Based on the 3 purposes of our sponsorship, we set out 3 targets:

1. Enhance brand love from the mass audience: The first purpose is to enhance our brand presence (especially preference) through corporate communication. This can be applied to all targets, but the main scope is mass audience. We keep an eye on our awareness and preference gained from the communication of the tournament to evaluate this objective.

2. Strengthen relationships with clients, partners, and important stakeholders through hospitality by inviting important customers to see the games in each country. Building and developing relationships based on sports spirit can connect the two sides, possibly impacting the number of business deals for appropriate future marketing activity.

3. Foster a sense of unity as Mitsubishi Electric Group in Southeast Asia through cross-regional sports sponsorship. Football is top-rated among many countries and sponsorship of the largest football tournament in the region will be great media to achieve these goals. We use sponsorship rights not only to give employees opportunities to watch the games but also to get them involved in related events such as football clinics, and CSR programs in the sponsorship, which aim to enhance internal engagement. However, internal engagement is one of the most difficult factors to measure, currently, we look at the employee satisfaction or retention rate to have an overall picture of this factor.

We try to visualize the effects of the number by surveying our target after the tournament.

Combining the sports spirit with the goals Mitsubishi Electric has set out, we will support and accelerate the momentum of Southeast Asia, which is experiencing remarkable growth in both economy and football and move forward together to a new stage. Therefore, we chose the slogan “Together, we can build better” as our key message in this sponsorship.

*What activities have Mitsubishi Electric implemented to achieve the stated objectives aimed at the three target audiences and conveying the message of unity?

Mitsubishi Electric leverages the media exposure benefits to reach our target audience. Specifically, the Mitsubishi Electric’s logo is prominently displayed before - during - and after live broadcasts of matches. Moreover, we place advertisements and brand key visuals around the stadium and at tournament events.

The logo appeared before the match

The logo appeared during the match

The logo appeared after the tournament

Additionally, to achieve our objectives, Mitsubishi Electric executes numerous multi-channel activities to increase engagement with the three groups: mass audience, key partners, and our employees.

To begin with, Mitsubishi Electric initiates booth activation in the stadium to interact with the audience before matches. Attendees can check in and take photos at our booth then receive cheerleading plastic sticks in the 2022 tournament. Moreover, we share tournament-related images across Mitsubishi Electric's social media channels.

Besides regular social media posts, we organized interactive mini-games on Facebook to attract customer attention. At the same time, we provided match tickets and sports jerseys to loyal customers and partners to strengthen relationships and spread communication before and during matches.

Similarly, we organized mini-games to give away match tickets or prizes related to the tournament for internal employees to stimulate their interactions and utilize each employee's communication channels to spread the tournament's image.

Finally, Mitsubishi Electric aims to contribute to the local community through sports activities as part of our goal to "realize a vibrant and sustainable society". Therefore, together with AFF, Mitsubishi Electric has launched a CSR Programme to give back to the local communities through football.

One notable activity is the Football Clinics, which were conducted across various Southeast Asian countries for children from different charitable organizations. Children participating in the activity will have a chance to learn and compete with local football legends in one day. This activity aims to help children learn football techniques and inspire and encourage them to dream big and pursue those dreams in the future. Additionally, we organized the Trophy Tour, a 10-week journey to 5 cities in the region, allowing fans to get up close with the tournament trophy and experience the tournament spirit firsthand.

This activity aligns with Mitsubishi Electric Vietnam's CSR development direction. Based on the group's development direction of "contributing to a sustainable society through business activities," we focus on SDG goal number 4 - Quality Education - building a comprehensive quality education system for students from elementary to university levels. The programs organized at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 are one of the ways we approach this comprehensive CSR goal.

Football Clinics were conducted across various Southeast Asian countries for children from different charitable organizations.

* After investing in various channels for this sponsorship, what are the achievements of Mitsubishi Electric after the tournament? What criteria will Mitsubishi Electric consider for future sponsorship choices?

The effectiveness of sponsorship has to be checked in the long term, but we believe this sponsorship will contribute to achieving the goals because we have received positive feedback and comments regarding all factors from local colleagues so far.

It cannot be denied that the media values generated by sponsorship activities have proven to us that this is a worthwhile investment. Beyond conventional advertising metrics, the value of these activities lies in helping Mitsubishi Electric tap into a common insight about the love for football to connect countries within the Southeast Asian region.

Though some of the outcomes of the 2022 sponsorship were beyond our expectations, we will continue to pursue better results at the next tournament as we verify the effectiveness of each measure. We would like to contribute to the local community through sports to realize a “vibrant and sustainable society”, which is our brand purpose. Therefore, before each sponsorship decision, Mitsubishi Electric will always weigh three important factors:

  • If it matches our brand’s purpose.
  • If it leads to contribution to society and community.
  • If we can get empathy from our employees and stakeholders.

Therefore, in 2024, we continue to accompany the AFF as the main partner of the tournament. This comeback marks the "new face" for the region’s premier tournament as it changes the logo and officially changes its name from the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup to the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024. The new logo comprises three main elements: the ASEAN Championship Trophy, named the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the new AFF Unity Weave, and the tournament name, all enveloped by a shield. Through the tournament, we hope to provide fans with an unforgettable season, leaving an imprint of unity and solidarity.

* Thank you so much for your sharing!

Source: Brands Vietnam