The highly anticipated UEFA European Championships returned for the 17th edition, and England, once more, just missed out on glory.
This year’s competition provided a strange almost throwback feel compared to the previous two international tournaments we’ve seen, with it being the first to take place in the summer season with no restrictions in place following on from COVID. The winter World Cup in Qatar was a different experience for everybody and took some adjustment, whilst the last EUROs was heavily impacted by crowd restrictions.
As always, the build-up hype saw a variety of different PR and marketing campaigns from brands as the tournament approached. Here we take a look at some of our favourites and what makes them stand out from the crowd.
Irn-Bru – Unbridled Scottish Optimism
A cracking campaign from Scotland’s favourite soft drink, this advert perfectly sums up the Scottish spirit with a bit of lighthearted self-deprecation.
The nation has featured in three tournaments prior to 2024, with the team appearing at EURO 92, 96, and 20, and whilst they may have not reached the heights they would have liked, you can’t fault the fans’ belief in the country with their support being regarded as amongst the very best.
This advert from Irn-Bru perfectly captured the sense of cautious optimism that many Scotland fans encounter in the build-up to major tournaments, with a doctor diagnosing fans with a case of ‘optimism’ and carefully reminding them that their first opponents are the tournament hosts as a ‘remedy method’ for the condition.
This marks one example in a series of adverts from Irn-Bru in the build-up to the tournament that have all been positively received. You can watch the video here.
Sky Bet – Tournament Turmoil
Next up on the list is Sky Bet’s Tournament Turmoil campaign. The advert builds on the company’s positioning of ‘For the Fans’ and aims to take a more in-depth look at what fans are really feeling throughout an international tournament.
There’s a lot of focus on the internal thoughts of a typical fan during the competition including everything from having to learn to support a player who may play on a rival team during the club season, to rooting against a player who you’d normally back at club level.
Caught in an impossible battle, the supporter in the advert explores his new-found perspective during the tournament and is aware of how his feelings change. Ultimately, they arrive at the conclusion that the turmoil is all worth it to support your country and this brings a sense of relatability to fans all across the world who have all had to experience the same thing.
JAA – Topps Stickerbook
Finally, rounding things off is this short but sweet advert from JAA for the official Euros sticker book album in collaboration with The Special One, Jose Mourinho.
In the advert, we can see a number of clips which have Jose’s face edited onto numerous different bodies that are all showcasing the official album for the 2024 tournament aiming to get laughs from the audience. Whilst, it is certainly amusing to see his face where you don’t expect it, the montage is cut short as the camera pans to Mourinho who simply states “We don’t need special effects, the UEFA EURO 2024 Topps Sticker Album, is special enough.”
The advert is just 20 seconds long, but that is all it needs to be to deliver its powerful message. Sticker albums are something that people grow up with around major tournaments and they are already exciting enough for people to continue in the tradition of buying pack after pack, trying to complete the book. The message is, that in a world where everyone is trying to be more creative than each other, or bigger and better, sometimes you just need to keep things simple to appreciate them.
Of course, Mourinho makes for the perfect person to deliver this message with his title of ‘The Special One’ going very nicely alongside stating that the album is already ‘special enough’. People tend to listen when Jose speaks and so this advert achieves everything it sets out to do in a very short amount of time. It’s short, sharp and straight to the point. No complications needed.
