England ‘Til I Died

The British Heart Foundation has unveiled the winner (for me at least) of Euro campaigns this year, which has utilised the tried and tested method of taking football terminology and turning it into a purpose-filled campaign by adapting the phrase 'I'm England Till I Die.'

Each week, 12 young people lose their lives to cardiac arrest, a number that's too high. To shift perceptions that heart disease isn't just for older people and that young people can suffer too, the charity has created a series of 12 murals featuring football fans who sadly lost their lives to cardiac arrest. 

But it’s not just a campaign of sadness; it’s a celebration.

Showcasing their passion for football and their national teams, they've been immortalised in their local areas. It's a strong and powerful campaign timed brilliantly around the Euros, and as a result, it has gone everywhere.

Dominos x Brewdog

Quite often Brewdog gets a hard time for releasing beers around topical newsworthy moments. People love to take to social media and write “CaNt wAiT FoR BrEWdOG To…” and I’m not quite sure why because it’s a nailed-on approach and they do it (very) well. What I love about their latest iteration is their partnership with Dominos. Pizza and beer, every football fans' dream.

The release goes into detail about how the IPA pairs nicely with Domino’s iconic ingredients: “The dry hop aroma and bitterness in the beer cut through the richness of the creamy mozzarella cheese, whilst pairing delicately with the fresh Domino’s dough.” But the real winner for me is that it provides a moment which taps into the fact (and it pains me to say) that people are going to the pub less. Having friends over to watch the game is growing in popularity, mainly because it's cheaper than going to the pub, but also the comfort aspect. Not squeezing into a pub and being covered in beer is more appealing (but I’ll still be there), setting Dominos up as the perfect partner to bring it to life.

Let’s just hope the beer tastes as good as the press release claims.

Boost Faversham

Boost encountered a problem that every marketeer has braced themselves for this summer: you cannot associate yourself with any major sporting tournaments happening and you can’t say anything remotely related to it. 

I’m scared of banged up for using the phrase summer of sport in the headline of this article. The only way around this is to be an official sponsor of any of the major sporting events happening this summer. 

Legal obviously told Boost they couldn't do it, but then they found a clever loophole in Faversham Town F.C which is the only town in the country that can use the 'Royal Coat of Arms of England' as its own. In short, they can use the three lions on their shirt. For a bit of added authenticity, they wheeled out footballing legend Adebayo Akinfenwa. He has big energy, which I guess makes him perfect for Boost. 

This is a really clever use of sponsorship around the summer of sport where brands are piling millions of the King’s finest into sponsorship. Boost managed to turn it on its head, and it looks great.

ASICS' 15-Minute Weight Loss 

Taking a break from football, ASICS rode the summer of sport wave with something a little different. While overall health and fitness is a rising, global trend — it still has weight loss at the heart of it. 

According to a poll of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by ASICS in May 2024, searches for weight loss exercise have increased by more than 500%, and it claims social media is flooded with quick-fix weight loss solutions.

Our relationship with exercise shouldn’t be like this. Focusing on exercise purely as a tool for physical weight loss is impacting our mental wellbeing and, as a result, preventing people from being physically active.

To combat this, they’ve released a series of mini-videos, titled "15-Minute Weight Loss" with a focus on how exercise can take literally take the idea of losing weight off your mind, and rebuild the relationship between working out and mental wellbeing.

This campaign is riding on the coattails of the buzz and media attention that sport is getting with a strong positive message.

Heinz x Kappa

We’re going over to our continental home for this final banger, over the Alps and down to Italy, where Heinz and Kappa have collaborated to create The Ultimate 'Football Foodie' Kit, in a campaign which celebrates Italy's Matchday Paninari – sandwich makers working outside the stadiums.

Kit releases are coming thick and fast as clubs and sponsors keep the drumbeat going during the in-between parts of the football season. However, this campaign focuses on the often overlooked team of workers outside the stadium, continuously feeding legions of fans across the Italian landscape. 

Absolutely glorious.

The campaign features a specially designed apron inspired by the traditions of both Heinz and Kappa, showing the bond between football and food. In their words, “it mimics the iconic squeezes of Heinz ketchup on thousands of sandwiches at every match. It includes a white collar, reminiscent of football jerseys, and the number 57, a nod to Heinz's heritage.” But they didn’t stop at just the design; it also features highly specialised functional design elements - safety lacing, heatproof, and stain-resistant - similar to the details considered when creating football jerseys.

It’s easy to do a ‘cool trendy’ collab, but one that honors an unsung audience hits absolutely every right note with me, one I wish I’d done.

This week's PR Stunt Watch was written by Lee Sanders, associate director at Frank.