Wembley Stadium - Imaginators

26 Feb Wembley Stadium

Posted at 12:41h in by Brilliant CM

With a long-standing relationship of working with the mobile communications company EE and the global sports and entertainment agency HAVAS to deliver experiential activations and events. Imaginators were asked to establish new branding opportunities within Wembley Stadium.

A variety of opportunities were discovered but one in particular stood out. During televised matches, it was noticed that the EE brand was not identifiable on television. To overcome this Imaginators were tasked with surveying all Wembley steps on the twelve step runs facing the TV camera gantry. This survey revealed that each step was individually unique due to position on the run, and the extent of yellow coloured safety step edge nosing.

In total 1392 steps required nearly 7000 measurements to be taken by hand.

There were several other challenges to overcome as EE did not have branding rights for any non-Football Associated events. This meant that any branding materials would either need to be removed or covered on a frequent basis, in addition to maintain an agreed level of anti-slip coating due to safety within the stadium itself given the footfall on match-day.

Imaginators therefore needed to overcome both the technical challenges of materials, colour, production, installation. When researching potential materials, we needed to mindful of climatic conditions, including temperature, moisture and rain since many materials are only suitable for application when dry and of a certain ambient temperature. The temperature within Wembley stadium changes hourly due to the position of the unique retracting roof. Imaginators were also tasked with removing the branding on non-naming rights match days – an additional technical challenge when selecting materials since they need to be fit for purpose, safe and durable for application, yet removable after the event without leaving any residue.

The EE logo was split into many multiple sections specific for each individual step riser. As a result, when the logo was viewed there was a visual elongation which distorted the logo. In addition to the appearance of the logo, the logo also changed depending on the perspective and viewing angle. It is probable that this is the reason step riser branding had not previously been exploited together with the technical challenges of capturing the step data, sourcing materials and developing the best method of production/printing.

Many months of test work was completed by a team of 6 individuals with various skills sets – all of which were key to the success of the research, development, testing and application. The team developed unique ways of capturing and storing step data to simplify the method of bring the data into a graphics-based software packing used within our business. Extensive tests of materials/products were trialled on different days with different weather conditions to simulate all potential obstacles. Production templates were applied in situ and any discrepancies recorded.

This process took in excess of one year to develop. Many style variations to the EE logo were tested, colours measured and working with the television broadcast companies involved in filming live football, it became a requirement to have the steps filmed with TV cameras to simulate live coverage to ensure the desired effect was possible. Slowly an algorithm was developed to predict the extent of distortion required to each individual element to ensure that the logo would look correct from the TV camera nest positions.

Our work to find a solution for this project has enabled the Football Association and EE to reach extended audiences for key fixtures throughout the season yet easily revert to a clean stadium for events where naming/sponsors rights are not applicable.

Our relationship with The Football Association has grown due to our technical knowledge and capability.