Novuna x Rocket Sports
Turning athletics fans into champions with Novuna experiential brand activation.
Client
Novuna x Rocket Sports
Industry
Financial Services
Sports
Services
Experiential
Immersive
Key Results:
2,600+
Fans participation over two-day event
High repeat participation & dwell time
Strong athlete & fan advocacy
Challenge
Novuna is a modern financial services brand with a big ambition: to power progress for people and businesses across the UK. Last year, that ambition stepped onto a national stage when Novuna became the Official Finance Partner and Title Sponsor of British Athletics’ major events, with naming rights to the Novuna GB & NI Athletics Team. For 2026, Rocket Sports, acting on Novuna’s behalf, appointed Holdens as their experiential activation partner to turn the sponsorship into a distinctive, repeatable brand platform — and a content engine that could travel across channels.
The brief was to create a bold, engaging and memorable activation that would cut through the noise at major British Athletics events and build stronger brand memory for Novuna. That meant giving fans a reason to step in, take part and share — while creating moments we could amplify through PR, social, athlete advocacy and partner channels. The super-objective was clear: turn Novuna’s sponsorship into a springboard for brand fame, meaning and measurable engagement.
There were also practical challenges to solve. The activation needed to be scalable and flexible enough to work across very different venues and formats: the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, the Novuna UK Athletics Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium and the Novuna London Athletics Meet at the London Stadium. With a mix of indoor and outdoor space, and varying footprints, the idea had to retain impact — and consistent, ownable Novuna brand cues — while adapting to each environment.
Turning a major sports sponsorship into a springboard for brand fame.
Approach
Working closely with Rocket Sports and the Novuna team, we began with a deep dive into the brand, the audience and the realities of live sports environments, especially athletics. From there, we developed and refined a number of creative routes before landing on the idea that best brought Novuna’s purpose to life: “Novuna Champions”, an experiential platform designed to work on the concourse and beyond it, feeding a wider multi-channel plan.
The core insight was simple: athletics is built on running, jumping and throwing and fans don’t just want to watch those moments, they want to experience them too. “Novuna Champions” turns the excitement of elite sport into a gamified and interactive, accessible challenge for everyone, inviting fans to test their own abilities in a way that’s fun, social and unmistakably Novuna.
At the heart of the event was the Novuna Champions Zone: a bold, playful, high-energy space combining physical activity, immersive digital technology and shareable moments. The zone was built around three core challenge stations, each aligned to the fundamental disciplines of athletics.
From strategic insights and ideas to a live, gamified experience end-to-end.
Results
The first outing for Novuna Champions took place at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham – and it delivered exactly what the brief demanded: energy, engagement and genuine fan connection. Over the course of the weekend, we estimate that approximately 2,600+ fans took part in the activation, with many returning for multiple attempts at the challenges.
The response on the ground was overwhelmingly positive, with fans describing the experience as fun, competitive and memorable – exactly the kind of emotional association Novuna wanted to build with its new sponsorship.
Where sports sponsorship became something thousands of fans could step into.
The activation also proved its credibility and appeal across the athletics community, with elite athletes including 200m champion Jeremiah Azu and Paralympic high jump star Jonathan Broom-Edwards stepping in to take on the challenges themselves, helping to amplify buzz and social sharing around the zone.
Most importantly, “Novuna Champions” succeeded in turning a sponsorship into a lived experience. A repeatable platform that strengthens brand memory through participation, celebration and shareable moments. Rather than simply telling people what Novuna stands for, it invited them to take part, test themselves and celebrate their achievements. With further activations planned at the Novuna UK Athletics Championships and the Novuna London Athletics Meet in the summer, Novuna now has a scalable, ownable experiential platform that brings its partnership with British Athletics to life in a way that’s bold, human and built for fan engagement.
