Briefing #27 HeineCare Hatrick, Power of Puerility, SPARAoke Challenge, a Warning for Social Users, Inauthentic Euro 2024 Ad Blitz

The HeineCare Hatrick

Summer is here, and Euro 2024 are almost at the final whistle, and that can only mean one thing: we want to grab a pint and kick back in a beer garden to cheer our preferred team on. This year, over 300 million pints are expected to be sold throughout the tournament. But how many will be spilt or thrown in the air?

Heineken research found that 11 million pints are wasted every year at football tournaments, equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools. To protect fans from spillage, Heineken now offers HeineCare — the first beer insurance, at selected locations, which reimburses spilt drinks of any brand with a fresh Heineken.

And on top of that, Heineken will also hand out “Pintchos” — branded ponchos — to ensure Euro fans stay dry when goals are scored or are merrily on their way to the loo.

Lusciously PRable, it’s a perfect example of how research can be the basis of a campaign that has grabbed many a drinker’s attention through a fun hook that ladders back to a single truth — in this case, spillage.

Irn Bru shows the Power of Puerility

Some ads don’t need statistics to be a hit or need giveaways to grab headlines. Sometimes, it’s just a great sense of humour that makes a campaign a winner. Up there with the greats (we’re looking at you RyanAir and Paddy Power) is legendary Scottish beverage, Irn Bru.

With a history of tongue-in-cheek creativity, it’s no surprise that the soft drink made from girders’ “Scottish Mannschaft” Euro 2024 ad was such a cracker. It was filled with childish bratwurst innuendos, immature and overused clichés of the two nations, and topped off with a Braveheart-esque speech that has viewers chanting “no Scotland, no party” by the end of it.

Individually, these concepts might make anyone roll their eyes and tut. But cramming so many bon mots into a one-minute video has breathed new life into tired tropes. At time of writing, this cheeky film achieved over 300,000 views on YouTube and coverage from The Daily Mail and The Sun.

Irn Bru has once again demonstrated the power of puerile jokes, how embracing immaturity with a playful spirit and a bit of silliness can be all it takes for genius creativity.

The SPARAoke Challenge

Great creative doesn’t always need big budgets for out-of-home advertising, paid media spend, or market research. Sometimes, simple campaigns and activations wrapped around a universal truth and a bit of charm can capture imaginations. And that’s exactly what SPAR did with its “Make Me a Champion” activation.

This delightful campaign saw SPARs across England and Wales turn into impromptu karaoke venues with what the brand called “SPARaoke Saturdays”. Shoppers were invited to grab a microphone at the checkout and perform a song playing on the in-store radio for at least 30 seconds, with the chance to win their entire basket for free.

Spar says the campaign aims to “ensure customers have fun in-store and create a ‘champion’ atmosphere.” Despite the absence of an ad spend budget, this campaign is highly PRable, proving that engaging marketing doesn’t always have deep pockets to make it a kicker.

It’s a great example of a low-cost initiative that will enhance SPAR’s brand perception and exemplify the power that simple CSR initiatives have on everyday people, in an entertaining and accessible way.

Are Social Media Warning Labels Coming?

Even the mere utterance of this digital bogeyman can send shivers down the spine of any marketer. “How can I engage with Gen Zers?” “Will this affect my social KPIs?” “What new targeting Challenges must we anticipate?” All are valid points, but is it really the end of days for social media marketers?

These warning labels aim to reduce mental health risks in Gen Z and Gen A by significantly reducing the screen time of these groups. For marketers, this would mean refining influencer strategies, focusing on more effective outreach and stronger CTAs to achieve the engagement we all want. As young users spend less time on social media, we must innovate to maintain campaign impact.

This could significantly reduce engagement and complicate brand targeting, but it also invites the possibility of greater creativity and boldness. We just have to be brave enough to continue to push boundaries. As always we must be swift to adapt to new to ways of connecting with audiences while prioritising mental health awareness.

As we brace for change, we must be bold enough to look for the opportunities hidden here for more engaging and thoughtful content, ensuring our creativity can still thrive despite new limitations.

Euro 2024 Sparks Ad Blitz That Lacks Authenticity and Fan Connection

No matter England’s performance on the pitch or your Southgate allegiance, Euro 2024 is proving a goldmine for broadcasters and advertisers with industry experts predicting a total TV ad spend linked to the tournament reaching at least £46 million (WARC).

A single 30-second slot during a primetime England match on ITV can fetch a staggering half a million pounds, says Karen Martin, CEO of BBH UK and Ireland, the agency behind the current Paddy Power ad featuring Danny Dyer.

Sporting events are more competitive than ever for brands, but they are not competing against other advertisers, they are competing against entertainment everywhere for cut-through and authenticity. The number of brands advertising during the Euros has doubled since the last tournament, which means the need for creative that resonates with fans and audiences is stronger than ever.“

You have to have a good reason to show up,” Martin explains. “Slapping a brand on and saying something like ‘go football’ isn’t going to cut through.”This politely summarises the baffling pitchside slogans or messaging of brands like #Anton (who, what?), #AliExpress (Beckham, why?), #Hisense (TikTok #fail), #Atos (erm, what?), #Doha (“world best airport”!), #WORLDFIRST (“who are you, who are you?”) etc etc. Fans do not care – they know you are here today, gone tomorrow.

We marketers see through your short-term reach KPIs, and say to you that consumers have no reason to believe you give a toss about football. This is clear if you scratch the surface and see no grass roots connection or underlying evidence from reviews, awards, influencers or experiences.The Euro 2024 ad spend surge reflects a larger trend – brands tend to wait for big moments, and we’ve had a lot lately like the Women’s World Cup, the Men’s World Cup, Christmas… but the Euro’s suddenly offer a unique (pre Olympics) opportunity to connect with a nation united behind their team.

At Honey, we try to impress on our clients the power of live sport in today’s marketing landscape. In a gloomy post-election summer, sport is a bigger priority for many. It’s live, it’s emotional, and with social media, you can connect with the audience in real-time.

People want to come together and share the experience, and brands don’t always capitalise on that, preferring their own key messages to what matters to fans. Looking ahead to the England vs Spain final on Sunday, expect a barrage of not-so-creative campaigns as brands fight to stand out and capture the national mood.

This football bonanza underscores the enduring power of major sporting events but disappoints creatively.

#campaignfails #sportsmarketing #sportspr #pr #social #euro2024 #sponsorship