Every tournament sees brands spend big in a bid to capture the eyeballs, hearts and wallets of football fans and Euro 2016 is no different. In the spirit of competition, I’ve decided to pit some of the best and the worst of this summer’s campaigns against each other to see who wins the European Championships of content marketing.
SWEDEN
Representing Sweden is Volvo V90 – ‘Prologue’ feat. Zlatan Ibrahimović
What happens?
Zlatan prowls around an apartment topless discussing what has made him quite so, erm, Zlatan.
Is it any good?
It’s pretentious, overblown and quite ridiculous. Just like the man himself in fact. There’s no one quite like the insanely talented ego-maniac Zlatan and Volvo have pulled off a master stroke in marketing their traditionally conservative brand with such a cavalier personality. There’s so much noise surrounding football today that you need to be really bold to get cut through and that’s exactly what Volvo have achieved thanks to the Swede’s smoldering superstar presence, moody Scandi drama and a sweeping cinematic score provided by Hans Zimmer, the Academy Award-winning composer behind Gladiator, Inception and Interstellar.
Watch out for…
When Ibra stands in front of the mirror and opens his mouth really, really wide. Is his gaping maw meant to suggest the toothy grill of the V90?
PORTUGAL
Cristiano Ronaldo who will feature in a number of ads this summer but none more compelling than The Switch for Nike Football.
What happens?
Ronaldo stars in a Freaky Friday epic in which he and a young English ball boy swap bodies.
Is it any good?
This is a new classic from Nike to rival some of their best ads – and coming in at almost six minutes long – the story has been given real room to breathe. Nike never let anything get in the way of the brand truth that it’s every boy’s dream (and pretty much most men’s) to be a football superstar and The Switch nails that insight hard. What is extra clever is that the body swap idea provides a humour that can so often be missing from overblown campaigns that portray sportsman as infallible, unreachable heroes.
Watch out for…
Ronaldo’s acting – which is surprisingly good! The moment when he discovers his new six-pack stomach with a goofy smile is brilliantly funny and a million miles away from this unlovable performance for Israeli telecoms company Hot.
GERMANY
The Germans may not be renowned for their sense of humour but Lufthansa’s ‘Everyone`s Fanhansa’ is perfectly pitched.
What happens?
Two England fans discover they’re flying to the Euros with the Germans.
Is it any good?
Lufthansa must be rubbing their hands at the amount of earned media they gained from this campaign. The Daily Mail ran with the headline ‘Airline Lufthansa mock Three Lions supporters in new advert to stoke the fires ahead of Euro 2016’ in an article that prods England fans right where it hurts. Coming from a German brand this angle has the potential to be PR suicide but the result is quite the opposite – largely thanks to the genial tone which mocks both sides with equal good hearted nature.
Watch out for…
The brilliant, tubby kid who taunts the England fan by pointing at the four stars on his chest indicating the number of times Germany has won the World Cup.
ENGLAND
There’s lots of competition to represent the Three Lions but I’ve gone for Mars Bar #BELIEVE because it’s so much fun.
What happens?
The England hordes are invading France in a Dunkirk-like assault packed with football in-jokes and visual gags.
Is it any good?
Although they rarely deliver in big tournaments, England nearly always give you one moment when you think they just might achieve something. This film perfectly captures that feeling. It’s a lovely ‘truth’ for Mars to own so hats off to the strategist who picked out that insight. One criticism you could level at the ad however is that it feels a little familiar – I’m thinking of this Tango St George ad from 1998 and that lack of uniqueness could affect fans’ability to recall it effectively.
Watch out for…
Queen Elizabeth I yelling ‘Let’s be having you’ – a hilarious reference to Delia Smith’s gutsy but slightly tipsy shout out to Norwich fans in 2005.
SCOTLAND
Yes, I know they’re Irish but in their latest campaign Paddy Power capture what it means to support Scotland – the only Home Nation not to qualify for France – with this unique Euro 2016 anthem.
What happens?
Trainspotting meets Braveheart via Fat Les as Scotland fans rally for a finger poke at the English.
Is it any good?
Make football fans laugh and we’re putty in your hands. Like the Lufthansa ad, this one works well because it manages to mock the English and the Scots in equal measure – a feeling that is captured in the cheeky campaign hashtag #ViveLaBantz. The Scots are skewered by the featuring of ‘big name’ Scottish stars like The Krankies, Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus and Andy Goram as well as over the top references to deep fried chocolate but the joke is ultimately on England, as the anthem urges all Scots to bet on the Three Lions to lose.
Watch out for…
The sharp writing brilliantly delivered: “Do you think we’re gonna cry because we didnae qualify – ferget it!”
SPAIN
Who better to represent the reigning European champions than Spanish mattress manufacturer Dormity?
What happens?
It’s not exactly clear but it involves a worried looking Andres Iniesta being kidnapped by evil henchmen before finally being rescued by the actual owner of the Spanish mattress company.
Is it any good?
If you suspected that mattresses and football might make uncomfortable bedfellows in an advertising campaign than you would be correct. I fear Dormity may have over extended themselves here. This film is packed full of weird dream sequences, cheesy CGI and wooden acting by Iniesta who throughout looks like he is silently dying inside. The result is so bad it almost goes the whole way round to becoming good again – but not quite.
Watch out for…
The weird moment when Iniesta has his name engraved on a mattress by a robot.
THE FINAL: PORTUGAL VS GERMANY
The final is an incredibly tough one to call. On one side, we have Ronaldo’s surprisingly convincing performance in the ultimate boy’s own dream for Nike. While on the other we have Lufthansa who have managed to mock the English and even made us love them a little for it – an incredible result. All the more impressive is the earned media this campaign has achieved without featuring millions of pounds’ worth of talent. So it seems branded content is a bit like football, as Gary Lineker would say – everyone runs around for a bit and then the Germans win.
Matthew Weiner is Senior Strategist for The Moment and has worked on our latest sports campaigns for Ladbrokes and Continental Tyres.