Case Study: Commonwealth Games

The Client:

The Commonwealth Games is a huge international multi-sport event, involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since. In 2014, it was Glasgow's turn to host the event...

Target Market/Industry:

A host of volunteers for the Games - called ‘Clyde Siders’ were the target for this campaign.

The Brief:

Following an in depth tender process, we were asked to design and supply a high quality, attractive and competitively priced merchandise range to be given out as a recognition gift pack to each of the 15,000 Games Volunteers.

We were required to project manage, ensuring efficient and regular communication with the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee. All merchandise had to align with the Glasgow 2014 Brand and meet Brand Guidelines. As the merchandise was to be designed for the workforce, it was proposed that the merchandise was to carry the Glasgow 2014 Brand Mark; however some designs would feature the smile design taken from the Volunteer 2014 Brand Mark to keep association with the Volunteer 2014 programme.

Glasgow 2014 required 5 individual products to be produced to a high quality with specific requirements.

The Solution:

Two types of bespoke wristbands were manufactured to be worn by all volunteers - the first being for a small number of volunteers which were required for the initial prep stage. These were produced using a pantone matched silicone material which were personalised with a moulded logo on one side and a de-bossing with ink infill to the reverse. The second option was for the main workforce and described as a 'Games Time' item.

Alongside the wristbands were additional items to be included within a 'merchandise pack' that would be handed to each volunteer. These included a fully customised Sports Towel, made from 100% cotton. These were printed with traditional pictograms, representing some of the sports being played at the Games. The towels were presented in printed non-woven bags which had a carabiner clip attached, for easy attachment to the volunteers bags.

Thistle Seed Packets were also produced which featured the branding of 'Grow Your Own Clyde' - the official mascot (who is a thistle!) along with the Glasgow 2014 brand mark.

The final item was a Bespoke Soft PVC USB Flash Drive, moulded in a variety of colours and presented within a die cut foam insert inside a full colour metal presentation tin. The USB's were uploaded with a personalised video to all volunteers, thanking them for participating in the greatest event the city had ever witnessed. Due to the very specific requirements of the items, we ensured adherence to Glasgow 2014 ambitions, along with policies around the areas of sustainability, accessibility, sponsorship and the wider licensing and marketing programmes.

The Results:

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was hailed a fantastic event and a huge success, a major contributing factor to the success of the games were the roles played by the 15,000 volunteers.

Fiona McEwan, Vice Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: "The volunteers are the lifeblood of every major Games and in addition to playing a functional role, they bring the colour and culture of the host nation to the event."

The recognition items given to each of the volunteers were extremely well received and seen as a special 'thank you' to all involved.

Each of the carefully designed and manufactured items were limited edition and therefore a special memento for each of the Clyde Siders, to keep for years to come as a lasting memory of the Games and their contribution to them.

How can we help you and your brand?

At Fluid we pride ourselves in delivering consistently high quality promotional merchandise. Our mission is to deliver exceptional customer experiences that are driven by innovation, education, relevance and quality. 

Get in touch today to see how Fluid can help alleviate your brand woes. Just fill out the form and one of our Merchandise Consultants will be in touch for a free consultation.

Otherwise, why not browse our massive range of products, read all about the power of product media on our blog, or give us a cheeky follow on our socials?