It didn't come home for England, but which brands found the back of the net?
As the Three Lions sealed their place in the Euro 2024 final before a heart-breaking defeat to Spain, marketeers were getting to work...
Hello, from a rather wet and particularly miserable England.
A first major international trophy for our male footballers since 1966 would have sparked a moment of euphoria for the ages.
Gareth Southgate’s England team stood on the brink of actually bringing it home.
Alas, Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams had other ideas.
So instead of talking about bank holidays, knighthoods and street parties we are indulging in one of our favourite national pastimes: the blame game.
Whether you think Southgate lacks the tactical nous of the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed him *checks notes* Graham Potter, one thing is for sure - It ain’t coming home for at least two years.
However, the mere prospect of it coming home, is so tantalising as to stir the nation into a frenzy, with industry analysts predicting national expenditure would exceed £400m at the weekend on drinks, food and supermarket snacks and beers for the final.
Amid all that pre final excitement a host of brands got creative and tried to capture the zeitgeist.
Posting a memorable bit of content or shareable ad, not only places your brand at the centre of a wholly positive national conversation but can drive earned reach and help you engage with fans.
A well executed reactive campaign is simply great PR.
John Lewis, surely enjoyed treading (apologetically in a British, middle class way) into the lane of England sponsor Marks & Spencer with this.
A great example of how a well crafted reactive piece of content can be quickly and cheaply executed by your in-house social team.
At the other end of the scale, Budweiser, placed themselves and World Cup 66 hat trick hero, Sir Geoff Hurst at the centre of the conversation calling for a bank holiday, should it come home, complete with a petition.
A clever tactic with the social asset filmed and approved weeks in advance and published as soon as the final whistle blew in the semi final win against the Netherlands.
The call for a bank holiday and Sir Geoff’s quotes were front page news on Friday, positioning the beer brand as not just following the news agenda - but driving it.
Meanwhile, their star ambassador Gary Lineker may not have been too kind in his assessment of England’s group stage performances, but Walkers crisps played their part in attempting to heal the nation.
Posting a crisp in the shape of a broken heart, the social media asset tried to capture the mood, as crunch time turned to shattered dreams.
For Paddy Power, who have been running an impressively agile and witty content studio throughout the whole tournament, England’s loss was a perfect opportunity to lean into home nations rivalries.
Partnering with Irish Microbrewery, O Brother Brewing, the betting brand created a special product: English Tears giving rivals fans the chance to ‘relax and drink it in’.
In the darkest of times, the most fulfilling thing in the world is finding the light. Enter Greggs, the inexplicably popular purveyor of sausage rolls.
Take that Spain. You may have won three out of the last five European Championships - but you will never witness the joy of eating a steak bake on home soil.
A new playbook for the Premier League’s American owners?
With Euro 2024 drawing to a close, football fans’ eyes turn towards the domestic top flight seasons kicking off in August.
This year, the Premier League will see more than half of its teams owned or partly owned by our friends from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
But what works for fans in the USA can often irk fans in the UK - leading to disastrous consequences.
You can read my article on how Todd Boehly and co, can better ingratiate themselves with the UK football supporter here or on The Drum, here.
If you missed The Sports Marketeer live podcast recording at Hotel MUNDIAL with content creator Daniyal Khan and industry analyst Minal Modha check it out below. ⬇️
It was a lot of fun, as we looked talked Nike v Adidas, ambush campaigns, BBC v ITV and more.
And finally…
The Sports Marketeer newsletter now has 768 subscribers located in 83 countries. This includes professionals working at Premier League, Bundesliga and LaLiga football clubs, governing bodies, marketing agencies, global brands and leading media organisations.
Please hit subscribe and share with friends and colleagues if you are interested in learning more about sports marketing, content and culture.