In the MMA universe, the UFC is known as the biggest competition in the world, bringing together the best fighters at each event and attracting millions of spectators and well-known global brands, such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Monster Energy, and ESPN+ – all taking up positions on the mat in and around the octagon. EMS the largest pharmaceutical company in Brazil, wanted to get in on the action. And agency We, in partnership with IDK, found an innovative way to highlight Bálsamo Bengué, a traditional product for relieving muscle pain and injuries.
The brand introduced MMAds – the first octagon sponsorship located at the exact pain spot.
Using computer vision (AI) and statistical analysis to process more than 5,000 men’s and women’s preliminary and main card fights in UFC history, the activation identified the area of the octagon with the highest occurrence of knockouts and submissions. In other words where the pain is most intense in a fight. And it was in this strategic location that the brand appeared to millions of people in a live event, last Saturday, March 26, direct from Mexico City.
“This is the first time in history that a sponsor’s position has been defined by the relevance between the promise of its product and the dynamics of the competition itself. This ensured greater visibility because we were in the right place at the right time for the main moments of the UFC Mexico fights,” stated Armando Araujo, chief creative officer, We.
“For us at IDK, it was a huge challenge to carry out this activation in partnership with We. The work involved computer vision, video processing, spatial modeling, event density analysis, among other things that are not common in the day-to-day work of brands,” added Eduardo Augusto, chief executive officer, IDK.
The activation was broadcast on UFC Fight Pass, the official streaming platform for the Mixed Martial Arts championship franchise. The next activation will be at the event in Kansas City, in the US.
Credits
Client: EMS [Bálsamo Bengué]
Client Team: Marcus Sanchez & Cinthia Ribeiro
Creative Agency: We
CEO: Fabio Rosinholi
CCO: Armando Araujo
Executive Creative Directors: Kleyton Mourão & Carlos Schleder
Creative Directors: Otávio Mastrogiuseppe, Paulo Almeida PA
Creatives: Otávio Mastrogiuseppe, Paulo Almeida PA, Leonardo Brito & Humberto Pacheco
COO: Alexandre Ugadin
Account VP: Wesley Santesso
Account Director: Caio Cocozza
Planner VP: Gisela Toledo
Media VP: Gustavo Gaion
Head of Media: Julio Campos
Media Director: Tatiane Silvério
Media Manager: Almir Silva
Production VP: Camila Naito
Production Manager: Juliana Soares
Head of Graphic Production: Alexandre Borges
Motion: Gibran Sirena & Tiago Diel
Technology Company: IDK
CEO: Eduardo Augusto
Technology Director: Lucas Henrique
Data, Development and Analysis: Time IDK
