WWE USES APPLE TO CREATE MONDAY NIGHT RAW
A partnership forged by the shared duty of storytelling
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The global marketplace is shrinking and the expression of differences is following the same path. It’s challenging to provide leverage to a product and differentiate it from it’s competitors in marketplaces where other companies have a stranglehold on the market. It’s just as difficult to maintain the level of success, whether internationally or domestically, for similar reasons. Business partnerships have evolved to counteract these concepts, and usher in a new era in partnership. Shared values, common messages, and harmony within the two entities in question provide for the original needs of brand awareness, integrity, and ultimately higher revenues.
WWE has claimed it’s audience both domestically and internationally, and in specific cases for Apple, in countries where Apple is attempting to grow it’s user base. China and India, both either new or on life support for Apple products are both growing in fans and general affinity for WWE. With the growing amount of domestic competition in the states, Apple is also losing market share and it will continue to become more difficult to hold on to Apple’s share.
Apple and WWE share several key similarities as separate corporations. Each of the parties has grown to be a leader within their respective industry. Both companies share the narrative of what an American Success story is all about. Most importantly, WWE and Apple share the duty of storytelling. These stories are told in a variety of ways, but closely connect the two companies through the platforms that are used to engage with both Apple and WWE everyday.
Through a globally recognized partnership between WWE and Apple, Apple stands to benefit from the greater amounts of exposure and most importantly the leverage WWE can provide to add value to the overall campaign concepts that are original to WWE, have a larger domestic affinity percentage per industry user/fan than Apple, and have settled internationally in key areas of Apple’s growth potential.
WWE provides Apple with the potential to increase awareness, brand equity, affinity, and ultimately revenues with content marketing concepts with an incorporation of all platforms available from WWE inventory including: traditional (television advertising, print media), digital (wwe.com articles and editorials), social (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), and over the top digital (WWE Network across the web and many mobile devices, including Apple iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV).
MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
WWE provides Apple with a true global branded partner. 100 million fans watch WWE programming each week; larger than many other sport and entertainment companies.
Concerning WWE’s North American audience, 78% of the total audience is over the age of 21, providing a larger base of decision makers for consumer goods in the $1000+ range, where Apple products typically fall. 35% is female, more than the most popular female oriented television networks in the United States and falls into Apple’s range of 40% female users. 48% have a household income greater than $60,000, which serves as a top reason other Business Partners have stayed with WWE. WWE RAW is the #3 most watched program on cable among Hispanic viewers and is the most watched program on the shows’ home network among African-American viewers. 40.6 million households in the United States (approx. 35% of digital television homes) watches WWE programming, larger than Apple’s existing user base for PC vs. Macs (13.7%) and iPhone vs. other smartphones (15%). Essentially, WWE can further leverage the domestic specifics of activation, providing Apple greater exposure to an audience that is predominantly Android users, according to download amounts and use reports of the WWE App on both Apple and Android devices.
With 350 Gross Rating Points annually, WWE programming is a television leader among leaders. Specifically, WWE RAW averages 60% more viewers than the entire #1 network program line up. Apple’s presence during the domestic live broadcast of Monday Night RAW makes sense solely from a viewership statistic.
The translation from broadcast to social & second screen has garnered 260 million social media followers, which includes 150 million followers outside of the United States. These statistics combined with the #1 and #2 programs on cable television with WWE RAW and WWE Smackdown respectfully, WWE is ready to leverage its large, diverse, and addressable global market to Apple and it’s suite of devices and apps. Apple’s presence on WWE social media and WWE smartphone App further leverages WWE’s brand for Apple and could serve as a major platform to integrate Apple products into an ongoing campaign.
The statistics addressed include percentages and averages that span all 12 months of each calendar year. Opposed to other entertainment companies, who's business trends with the release of big production-project based content and to other sport franchises, who’s season does not run 365 days a year, WWE provides a true year round, stable, and captive audience.
SPONSORSHIP ACTIVATION
Apple makes products for consumers/pro-sumers/business to create stories. WWE uses Apple products to tell its stories to WWE’s worldwide audience, which includes developing countries and areas of interest for Apple, like the established market in the United States, and in technological battlegrounds of India and China. As a selection of WWE’s portfolio, the company uses Apple products to create its flagship television program, Monday Night RAW. This concept provides a platform to create an over-the-top content marketing strategy for WWE and Apple to co-brand the campaign around WWE’s use of Apple products in the production and live broadcast of Monday Night RAW.
This specific concept would be activated over traditional routes, digital methods, and over-the-top platforms. The content would be present in both WWE and Apple realms, each of which encompassing more of a narrative in the story of story making with Apple and WWE. The visuals that accompany this proposal are designed with a co-branded message between the visual cues of both Apple and WWE. Inspired by interactive menus, the digital and over-the-top pieces of the activation would be presented as mini-campaigns where each would individually leverage an aspect of the WWE brand to provide more value to Apple and express how WWE uses Apple everyday. Each mini-campaign would focus on selected Apple devices & Apps. Due to the content nature of this concept, the idea would be conveyed in photos and videos, both in extended versions for digital consumption and truncated for typical broadcast commercial length. In addition, during the live broadcast Apple products being highlighted in each campaign would be featured in some aspect during the show, providing Apple with further value into the actual ongoing story of the evening.
The first major area to focus a campaign on would be WWE’s live events and television broadcast of Monday Night RAW. WWE creates the RAW Experience with Apple products. The major areas of this campaign would be to highlight a specific person(s) who work in WWE production and discuss their day leading up to and during Monday Night RAW.
A second mini-campaign providing value to Apple would be to connect with the 56% of WWE’s audience in the age groups who are most likely to make decisions for small and medium size business by leveraging WWE’s corporate use of Apple’s devices and apps. This concept provides the viewers, likely decision makers in businesses of their own, real life results of WWE’s use of Apple and better explains the “get work done” consumer. This mini-campaign would serve as a great introduction to specific stories of WWE employees using Apple devices and apps to make Monday Night RAW.
The most unique and greatest value WWE can provide to better serve Apple and to ultimately leverage the Sports Entertainment brand equity in the direction of Apple is the use of WWE’s only natural resource and the reason for the company’s success, it’s talent the WWE Superstars and Divas. Each personality serves their own individual brand and audience, allowing Apple to strategically decide on who and what are the best ways to carry the story and ultimately the message that Apple helps create Monday Night RAW. An example: Apple’s demographics reflect that a lot of working moms are interested in Apple products but have yet to convert them into Apple users. Pairing with Chief Branding Officer, television personality, and executive Mom Stephanie McMahon, would provide a narrative of how a busy mom juggles her work load before the show with her Apple devices, what she uses during the show to better communicate with staff, and how she stays in touch with her kids while traveling for Monday Night RAW. Another example can be seen in the image below. The mini- campaign follows the story of WWE Superstar CM Punk on his return home to Chicago and his interactions with colleagues, fans, and WWE staff.
Appealing to consumers and business customers alike, while leveraging the WWE brand, the individual talent superstar and diva brands, and the corporate use of Apple devices and apps integrated with real life stories across traditional and digital platforms has much to offer for both Apple and WWE.
PITCH
In exchange for cash paid, WWE will provide services in all areas of company operations leading to the end result of a successful partnership further branding both entities with more information, better educated audience, brand awareness, and ultimately higher revenues. In addition, WWE is willing to discount sponsorship cash burden in exchange for some brand extending services to be provided by Apple that will benefit WWE. The following specifics from WWE are valued at $35 million; however with the exchange of in-kind services, WWE is eager to provide the following along with Apple’s agreement to the terms below.
WWE will provide Apple with:
· General terms of total partnership: August 1, 2014 – January 31, 2015.
· Traditional broadcast commercial time during all WWE programming (domestic and international broadcasts; 100 million viewers weekly).
· Extended commercial narratives (broadcast for domestic, China, and India only; 45 million viewers weekly) (digital presence on wwe.com, YouTube, and WWE Network; 300 million+ impressions worldwide, each post).
· “In story” interaction with Apple products during Monday Night RAW live broadcast (domestic and international broadcasts; 60 million viewers weekly)
· Use and likeness of WWE corporate identity, Superstar and Diva likeness and talent use, real life stories related to Apple products (full leverage of brand & superstars across all platforms).
· Exclusive naming right as “Official WWE Technology Partner” for 12 months following the initial launch of campaign; foregoing general terms. (Broadcast, 100 million weekly; 300 million+ digital impressions worldwide).
· Exclusive sponsor of (6) WWE Pay-Per-View events beginning with SummerSlam in August and ending with Royal Rumble in January. (Directly connecting with 3 of WWE’s largest PPV events while coinciding with Apple’s fall release of new products and into the holiday sales season; 100 million impressions worldwide weekly, 3.2 – 5.0 million direct viewers of all events with additional message from Apple).
· Social Media promotion of stories across all WWE platforms, including media and stories crafted from WWE creative around Apple products. (260 million+ impressions worldwide, each post).
· Option to revisit creative, message, and delivery for each calendar month.
· Use of WWE production and creative staffs to produce all media content for the campaign. (allows Apple and WWE full control over creative for brand integrity, eliminates 3rd party costs, Apple produces content with WWE’s expertise of it’s audience for full exposure).
In exchange, Apple will provide WWE with:
· Sponsorship, exclusivity, use of talent and brand, and creative costs of $30 million in staggered payments of $5 million each calendar month during the 6-month period of the general terms.
· Exclusive WWE page with stories, interactive media, and related content on Apple’s website.
· Apple’s use of WWE created commercial spots outside of this partnership, on non-WWE networks, use during tradeshows and announcements, and use of WWE Superstars/Talent during Apple presentations during the general terms period. (Use of WWE related spots regarding Apple products reduces production and creative costs for Apple and benefits WWE with exposure)
