Easy as Pie

FCB London installed a giant, 12-foot high pie & mash dispenser at West Ham United’s London Stadium as part of an activation for the team’s Official Accounting Software Partner, Intuit QuickBooks. The campaign also included a chance to win a VIP, business growth themed hospitality experience, offering the lucky winners personalized business advice.

West Ham United fans over-index on small business owners and small traders, with one in four fans running their own enterprises, making the club the perfect fit for financial software company Intuit QuickBooks.

FCB’s activation is the first for QuickBooks since signing the deal this summer. The oversized pie vending machine distributed hundreds of pies outside the team’s home ground in Stratford, East London, all made by local business, Tony’s Pie & Mash, whose own business received a boost as part of the deal. Former West Ham United striker Marlon Harewood was among the fans grabbing one of QuickBooks’ pies.

Each pie came with a QR code that could be used to enter a competition to win a VIP match day experience at the West Ham United vs Arsenal FC game on 30th November. Winners gain free access to financial and business growth advisors, ready to help small business owners in managing their taxes simply and easily, so they have more time to grow their business / pie.

FCB went all-out on connecting fans, not only with Tony’s delicious pies, but primarily with QuickBooks. With 71% of small business owners believing that taxes are too complex and confusing, QuickBooks wanted to show people how they can help them get a better grasp of taxes and grow their own share of the pie.

By building an accessible and light-hearted activation, QuickBooks was able to get across its more serious message in an engaging way: the role of technology in making life easier for sole traders, micro and small businesses and the impact that working with an accountant or bookkeeper can have on growth and profitability.

FCB London also created social media content to fuel the activation ahead of and after the event, and will be on hand to capture winners’ VIP, business growth themed hospitality experience at the Arsenal match later this month.