SMARTWATER X EPL

THE CHALLENGE

Smartwater needed guidance on how a premium water brand could credibly show up in football through its Premier League rights.

THE STRATEGIC MOVE

Define a specific premium football audience, that I call the “Football Experience Seekers” and use them to shape where and how Smartwater should activate.

THE OUTPUT

As a newcomer to football, Smartwater needed to earn the right to play and rather than trying to be everything to every fan, I identified a relevant audience subset that aligned to their premium positioning: fans looking for memorable, premium and elevated football experiences.

This audience included fans drawn to hospitality, VIP tickets, premium matchday spaces, tunnel clubs and experience-led football moments. The audience definition helped Smartwater move away from generic football activation and towards a more focused role within the Premier League partnership.

From there, the strategy helped identify the most relevant rights, channels, creator opportunities and fan engagement spaces for the brand.

THE IMPACT

Created the audience targeting and partnership strategy toolkit for Smartwater’s EPL activation.

THE ROLE I PLAYED

Led the audience segmentation, including qualitative research around football matchday experiences, and developed the strategic guidance for how and where Smartwater should show up.