Sydney FC used Campaignware to put fans on the big screen at Allianz Stadium in a Macquarie University-branded photo frame. Fans scanned a QR code, took a selfie and saw it framed in the university's branding on the stadium screens, giving the club's partner a level of brand exposure a standard logo placement couldn't match.
The challenge
Fans love seeing themselves on the big screen, but a simple photo upload often gives a partner little clear brand attribution. Sydney FC had run fan photo campaigns before. For this second version, the club wanted more visual impact and more prominent, premium exposure for its partner, Macquarie University, that felt part of the fan experience rather than an afterthought.
The hurdle was technical, and time was short. The club needed something that could handle a high volume of submissions in real time and get photos from fans' phones onto the stadium big screens, which are run by Downtown Events.
What they did
Campaignware worked directly with Sydney FC and Macquarie University to give the fan cam a new edge.
- A branded photo frame. Campaignware fast-tracked its photo frame feature for the match. Macquarie University designed a custom branded tile that framed every submission, so every second of big-screen airtime carried the university's branding.
- A tile page for the big screen. Sydney FC used Campaignware's tile page feature to get photos from phones to the screen: a moderated feed Downtown Events could plug straight into the stadium's display system, showing a rolling gallery of fans.
- Hands-on support. Because this was the feature's debut, the Campaignware team was directly involved in the deployment to make the handoff from a fan's upload to the venue's display instant.
The results
By kick-off, the fan cam was already capturing the energy of the crowd, and the feedback from organisers and fans was strong.
- Every fan photo on the big screen carried Macquarie University's visual identity, a level of brand exposure a standard logo placement couldn't match.
- Thousands of fans' phones fed one shared big-screen moment for the university.
- Fans enjoyed seeing themselves framed on the big screen, many showing off their Macquarie University-branded Sydney FC jerseys.
- The link with Downtown Events' big-screen setup meant no lag between a fan's submission and the stadium display.
- In under 48 hours, the photo frame went from a fast-tracked request to a proven feature, adopted by several other clients for their own events across the same weekend.
In their words
“Our partnership with Campaignware has been a genuine value-add for Sydney FC and our commercial partners. We trust the team enough to work directly with our sponsors to help deliver on their objectives, and the brands themselves have been excited about what the platform can do. The trial of the new frames feature on the big screen during our Big Blue match against Melbourne Victory was a great success, and we're looking forward to what's next.”
Match Day and Partnership Experience Manager, Sydney FC
Key takeaways
- Frames turn a generic fan photo into a sponsorship asset that feels like part of the entertainment.
- Keep it simple in the stadium: scan a QR code, take a photo, see it on the screen.
- A platform that can add a feature quickly lets you deliver a new idea on a tight deadline, without a custom build.
Try it for your club
Put your fans, and your partner's brand, on the big screen with the user-generated content template, frames included. See how clubs turn match day into partner value with our fan engagement platform.