CLIENT
Virgin Active

SERVICE
Content & Entertainment

YEAR
2018 & 2019

BRIEF
Moonsport was tasked with creating the global content strategy for the 2019 Virgin Active Gridgames, which took place over 6 months and across 6 countries. This was the first international iteration of the Grid Games, which featured local and national competitions leading up to an international championship, held in Cape Town. The finals broadcast required a 2-tier production to match the intensity of the event. A visually appealing online solution to retain the viewers’ attention needed to be matched with a live in-stadium experience to bring the event to life for those in attendance

RESULTS
The Virgin Active Grid Games successfully recruited 35 000 athletes from six countries, kept them engaged across the competition. Moonsport delivered a live stream of the final to a global audience. Coordinating the event presentation to fans and athletes participating at the event in parallel to producing a 1-hour live Facebook production with multiple cameras, graphics operator and a commentary studio. The Grid Games Global Finals was a huge success, and the first time Virgin Active pulled off a truly international event.  The supporting user-generated content campaign was a huge success – the GIF elements at the center of it were viewed 1.4 million times

WHAT WE DID

Running a sports event across multiple territories, languages, and time zones was always going to be a challenge, so we planned accordingly. Each moment of the production was scripted to ensure a visually appealing product that matched the clients’ core values and digital presence. We identified two major audiences, Athletes and Supporters, and created content that would work across all countries. This included training videos and tournament walkthroughs, video content from Virgin Active gyms around the world, athlete spotlights, and a library of Instagram Stories GIFS that gave fans the tools to create their own content. By bringing in an Outside Broadcast solution to handle both the streaming and in-venue production for the finals, we were able to keep the online viewers captivated while matching it to the high-energy events the live crowd was enjoying.