Case study
FedEx: Champions of Business
Executive Summary
Champions of Business transformed FedEx’s UEFA Champions League sponsorship into a B2B platform. In partnership with the Financial Times and OneFootball, the campaign spotlighted 31 SMEs shaping football, positioning FedEx as a trusted partner for growth in complex markets. It delivered measurable uplift in awareness, consideration and perception, and won Best Branded Content – B2B at the Digiday Europe Awards 2025.
Objective
Reposition FedEx’s sponsorship as a credible B2B platform to:
• Build awareness among senior decision-makers
• Strengthen product understanding
• Drive SME consideration
Behind every moment on the pitch is a network of ambitious SMEs powering football, from fan experience to logistics and analytics, operating in fast-paced environments that mirror growing businesses worldwide. Against this backdrop, FedEx set out to transform its sponsorship into a meaningful B2B platform, positioning itself as the trusted partner enabling SME growth in complex global markets, while building awareness, deepening product understanding and driving consideration among senior decision-makers.
Strategy & Execution
Built on credibility and cultural relevance.
FT Longitude research (103 clubs, hundreds of businesses) identified 31 high-performing SMEs. FT Studio translated this into a multi-platform content programme, mini-documentaries and editorial features, distributed via FT and OneFootball.
Three pillars:
• Insight-led authority: Research, expert input and a Business of Football narrative
• Premium storytelling: Scrollytelling, films and multi-market content
• Targeted reach: FT, OneFootball, paid social and display
Conclusion
By combining FT authority with football culture, FedEx’s sponsorship became a high-impact B2B platform, positioning the brand as a champion of ambitious SMEs.
More case studies
AGC: Shifting Perspectives
AGC Inc., formerly Asahi Glass Co., is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of glass, chemicals, and advanced materials. Yet despite this global scale and technical leadership, AGC’s brand awareness among international institutional investors and senior business leaders remained significantly lower than key competitors in the materials sector.The challenge was clear: how do you build trust and consideration for a complex B2B brand that operates behind the scenes of modern industry?
Read more
Canva: Winning the Visual Economy on Social
Canva partnered with the Financial Times to bring insights from its annual State of Visual Communication Report to senior business leaders and decision makers across global markets. While long form partner content provided depth, social media was the engine of discovery and amplification.
Read more
Shell: Partners in Progress
The Financial Times and Shell partnered to create Partners in Progress, a branded content platform showcasing how collaboration drives innovation across complex energy challenges. Told through the voices of Shell’s customers and partners, the campaign brought to life real-world solutions spanning sustainable aviation fuel, data centre efficiency and Formula 1’s sustainable fuel programme.
Read more