The Brands Playing On English Fans Emotions Through Euro 2020

July 23, 2021

England’s taste of success at the Euros had brands backing the Three Lions to the very end. We look back at a number of the genius marketing activations produced around the team as the Three Lions progressed to the final.

The unexpected progress of the England national team to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 hasn’t just delighted fans of the Three Lions – it’s nurtured the marketing efforts and impact of brands who partnered with the FA for the tournament. The High Press reflects on how partnered brands cleverly disguised creative around the team’s success, while also assessing how unofficially aligned brands got in on the trend.

EE: Lions’ Den content series

EE has a long-standing partnership with the FA, having become the inaugural lead partner for Wembley Stadium in 2014, making it the ’most connected’ stadium in the world.

Content series ’Lions’ Den’ debuted in 2018 during England’s last World Cup campaign, and this time has been broadcast daily from the team’s base camp in St George’s Park. Hosted by Josh Denzel, ’Lions’ Den connected by EE’ gave the Three Lions fans the opportunity to interact directly with members of the England squad every day throughout the month.

SportBible: Has it ever been home?

SportBible’s reactive billboard was displayed in Manchester on the second-biggest billboard in Europe at the White City Circle Roundabout (near Old Trafford) immediately after full time against Denmark.

The reactive ad plays on Kaspar Schmeichel’s controversial press conference statement ‘Has it ever been home?’ ahead of the England vs Denmark tie and then shows Kaspar with his head in his hands with the announcement that instead, Denmark are going home.

BT: Hope United

BT’s Hope United campaign featured prominent players from each of the three home nations competing – but since Scotland and Wales were out of the running, the brand switched to emphasise the English players featured in the creative, such as Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford.

The campaign has maintained its message against online abuse and hatred directed towards the team throughout the competition, even as major politicians weighed in on whether the team should take a knee at the beginning of each match.

To back up the important message, throughout the Euros BT posted Tech Tips content, created by the Hope United squad, helping to give people the digital skills they need to tackle hate online. They also monitored social media and proactively responded to both positive and negative stories across social media, raising awareness in the issue of online hate and helping to educate the nation on how to protect themselves.

Next drop of #HopeUnited shirts is now live. Last time we sold out in 24 hours with every penny made going to the amazing charity @CybersmileHQ. You can order yours here – https://t.co/UT5p3p4KoO pic.twitter.com/Hoojgelt5I

— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) July 28, 2021

McDonald’s: A quarter off for the quarter finals

McDonald’s, while not an official sponsor of the tournament this year, still managed to join in by offering 30% off it’s entire menu on Saturday July 3 to celebrate England reaching the quarter-finals.

Additionally, the mammoth fast food chain got swept up with football fever with the rest of the nation, rolling back prices to ’96 prices when England played Scotland, to increasing percentage-off discounts as England progressed through the knockout stages.

Specsavers: It’s coming home

Ever one for a tounge-in-cheek joke, opticians Specsavers celebrated England‘s progression by erecting a spoof eye test chart, which spelled out ‘It‘s coming home‘.

Specsavers have combined their classic, humorous tone of voice with classic ‘Should’ve’ mishaps, such as poor refereeing decisions, fouls, missed penalties, and questionable punditry. The creative practice has played a big part in bringing the brands slogan to life on social throughout the tournament, embracing reactive creative to boost campaign results.

Brilliant @Specsavers#ItsComingHome pic.twitter.com/qFk0FPZYxj

— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) June 30, 2021

Bud Light: Boxheads by Wieden+Kennedy

Bud Light thought inside the box for its creative campaign – touting its designation as the official beer of the England men’s football team. The tie-up sees extreme close-up shots of Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker’s phizogs adorning the front of custom-designed drinks cartons, enabling fans to toast their stars straight from the supermarket with a beer you can drink and a box you can wear.

’Boxheads’ is a fully-integrated campaign spanning TV, out-of-home, digital, social and PR to celebrate the brand’s role as official beer of the England men’s football team.

Nationwide Building Society: Sign Your Support

Nationwide’s ’#SignYourSupport’ campaign aims to help customers show not only their passion for the beautiful game, but their commitment to protecting its values.

For every signature of support Nationwide gathers, it will donate £1 to the new Mutual Respect Grant fund to help support grassroots football – up to a maximum of £50,000.

Any standout campaigns from the tournament that I’ve missed here? Be sure to comment below, and let us know your favourites.

Big thanks to @Arsenal legend and @England centre back @martinkeown5 for signing his support and joining us in standing for mutual respect within football ⚽

Want to #SignYourSupport ahead of Saturday? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Head to: https://t.co/7nWsBnU3Xa pic.twitter.com/2GD7yZ0h5L

— Nationwide Building Society (@AskNationwide) July 2, 2021

This article was written by Adam Henley. To check out their other work click here or you can leave them a comment below.