Going for bold: what can brands learn from the Euros campaigns ahead of the Olympics 2024?

Eli Shebson, Account Director at Boldspace shares his view on the boldest Euros campaigns this summer, with a specific focus on how brands can insert themselves into conversations during big sporting moments, without spending multi-millions on sponsorship deals.

So, football, it turns out, didn’t come home after all. England’s topsy-turvy Euro 2024 campaign fell at the final hurdle on Sunday with an exciting young Spain team winning 2-1 to claim the trophy. Gareth Southgate will no doubt be taking a moment to look back and reflect on the tournament. The world of PR, meanwhile, is looking back on a month filled with football-centric campaigns. 

In a tournament dominated by multi-million-pound sponsorship deals, the space for brands to insert themselves into the conversation is incredibly challenging and competitive. While official global sponsors of the tournament – the likes of AliExpress, Adidas, Coca-Cola and Lidl – have had open exposure to an engaged global audience across TV and social, we saw other brands working harder to earn cut through, without spending the big bucks. 

While the opportunity is great, massive sporting events can be a headache for brands – how do they jump on the bandwagon without seeming like they are doing so? For every seamless integration that captures the mood of a nation reaching fever pitch, there are a hundred lazy instances of tired football phrases crowbarred into existing messaging or grating scenes of smiling faces in unbranded shirts.  

We’ve looked at some examples of campaigns, both in the lead up and during the competition itself, which we believe landed well. And more importantly, serve as a reminder that brands shouldn’t shy away from inserting themselves into the conversation, as long as they have a genuine reason to be there.  

‘No More Injury Time’, Solace

In the lead up to the Euros, Solace, together with the National Centre for Domestic Violence, launched a powerful campaign to highlight the support available to victims of domestic violence. Based on the shocking statistic that there is a 38% increase in reported incidents whenever the England men’s team loses in a major tournament, the charities created their ‘No More Injury Time’ campaign to raise awareness on the issue.  

A new England kit was created, Shirt 38, which included some clever messaging – a faint England flag, the three lions facing the opposite direction – to bring the concept to life. The launch film was shown throughout all of England’s group games across social channels so victims could know where they needed to turn for support.  

There are so many good things about this campaign – most importantly, it brings attention to a key issue heading into the Euros. The messaging is strong and topical. The concept leans on an injury time reference that football fans identify with, flipping it on its head to provide a stark contrast. And the campaign has a clear insight. It is a reminder that you can have the best execution but if the narrative isn’t there, the story won’t work.  

Four Nine, Solace and NCDV have united to launch Shirt 38, a poignant football shirt symbolising a sobering truth: when England men’s team lose at a major tournament, domestic abuse rises by 38%.

‘England ‘Til I Died’, British Heart Foundation

‘I’m England ‘Til I Die’ is a famous football chant that was inevitably sung by fans as they followed the team throughout the tournament. With that in mind, the British Heart Foundation used a slight change of phrase to draw attention to heart disease in young people in the UK.  

Every week, a shocking 12 young people lose their lives to cardiac arrest – an issue which has also impacted some high-profile footballers in recent years. To help show that young people can also suffer from heart disease, the charity launched their ‘England ‘Til I Died’ campaign which saw 12 murals created across cities in the UK to celebrate young football fans who sadly lost their lives to cardiac arrest. 

The campaign took inspiration from the murals that spring up of footballing heroes all across the country. It was a bold campaign that leveraged the emotional connection we have with football and used it for a greater good by helping draw attention to such an important issue. It also proves that we’re clearly a sucker for purpose-driven campaigns based on a simple insight and clever football terminology. 

British Heart Foundation: 12 young people die each week from cardiac disease

Asda ‘Nanzones’, Asda

Ahead of the tournament, Asda commissioned research which revealed there were 1.9million over 65’s set to watch the Euros alone this summer. To combat that feeling of loneliness, the supermarket announced the launch of ‘Nanzones’: the first-ever football fan zone designed for elderly people to gather, socialise and enjoy the sport together – and not on their own at home.  

Scenes from the tournament will prove that normal fanzones are known to be busy, loud and likely to include a shower of beer thrown over you should England score… perhaps not the ideal environment for many of the older generation. In contrast, each Nanzone gave local elderly people the chance to unite over food, drink and football.  

Another important cause that uses the Euros as a perfect hook for the work Asda are already doing in the space. The boldness of the campaign comes from positioning their Euros campaign around a demographic not immediately synonymous with football. More importantly, it is also a good reminder that Brits like content about older people, so it’s always a good territory to consider! 

Asda launches ‘Nanzones’ to support the nearly two million over 65’s who are set to watch the football alone this summer.

A pint of JUBELLINGHAM, Jubel

Jude Bellingham fever was gripping the nation at the start of the tournament with every brand wanting to associate themselves with him and every CEO using him as a reference point for their latest inspirational LinkedIn post.  

JUBEL took advantage of the connection they had with the England star – the name, or at least the start of his name – to offer a pint of JUBEL on the house if Jude Bellingham scores. JUBEL launched the campaign during the 2022 World Cup which saw great success and with Bellingham getting the first goal of England’s tournament, it meant the activation got the attention it deserved again this time round – and their audience cashed in with the Real Madrid star’s header against Serbia and incredible bicycle-kick in the last-16 against Slovakia  

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The activation worked well in 2022 and sometimes there is no shame in leveraging an idea that you just know will resonate with fans. A great and natural way to build a connection with the then man of the moment, which also showed how a controlled activation in select pubs can translate to a wider media moment.  

Jubel offer a free pint to football fans if Jude Bellingham scores.

Like every other international sporting tournament, the space is limited but a bold idea that is backed by the right insight and tone can create the buzz you are looking for. As we now turn our attention to other upcoming sporting events and tournaments, we’ve put together five top tips on how to get cut-through.  

1. Make sure you’re speaking fans’ language: Take a pulse check of what people are talking about around this event in particular… nothing makes eyes roll quicker than out-of-date references, particularly around sport when it’s so easy to come off as inauthentic. 

2. Think about your brand’s reason for playing: Do you have something interesting to say? Does going sport-mad fit your existing comms and audience? Ensure that your sporting detour feels natural compared to the rest of your brand voice. 

3. Flip the expected: The ‘England ‘til I Died’ and ‘No More Injury Time’ campaigns this year worked so well because they took something recognisable and gave it a short, sharp and surprising contrast. It’s the best way to meet fans where they feel comfortable and instantly divert attention to your message. 

4. Play on famous imagery: Sport is all about nostalgia – everyone remembers their first sporting hero or where they were for famous events. You don’t have to have access to all the IP to reference famous moments and tug on fans’ heartstrings… it will immediately capture their attention. 

5. Be reactive: Some of the best wins don’t come from massive campaigns months in the making, but clever social posts that feed into the natural ongoing conversation around a big sporting event. Stay close to colleagues following the action and get a sense of what fans are talking about as the event unfolds.