With England making it to the final of Euro 2024, the nation was kept on its toes until the very end. Whilst Spain may have lifted the coveted trophy, not all was lost as the tournament provided some inspiration for some incredible ads this year.
Welcome to the OCOCO Euro 2024 Ad Round-Up, in which we’ll be sharing our favourite marketing campaigns centred around one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Read on to discover which brands scored a winner…
Adidas | Hey Jude
As a sportswear brand, it makes perfect sense for Adidas to go big on the Euros. In this advert, Adidas highlight the journey of a nation’s hope while past England players David Beckham and Frank Lampard reflect on their own tournament history. As Jude Bellingham embraces the support of fans and overcomes the pressures of past disappointments, the Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ appropriately plays alongside. It’s an uplifting campaign that truly encapsulates the emotions of supporting your national team through a major tournament.
Paddy Power | Europe’s Favourites
Irish gambling company Paddy Power do a brilliant job of using the England team’s status as tournament favourites, to produce an advert that’s both funny and memorable. Featuring Danny Dyer and Peter Crouch, the ad makes references to contentious behaviour abroad, Brexit and British style. With perfect casting and brilliant humour, this advert matches up perfectly with the typical Paddy Power tone.
Budweiser | Bring It Home
By linking up with the last living legend of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team, Geoff Hurst, Budweiser were aiming to inspire the Three Lions to achieve greatness at Euro 2024. The advert highlights the iconic Budweiser can, revamped to feature the words “Let’s bring it Home”, along with the Three Lions crest and Hurst’s signature. By including a nod to the past, and their uniquely custom product, Budweiser will certainly have achieved their goal of appealing to the Euro 2024 audience.
Specsavers | Should’ve Translations
For Specsavers’ Euro 24 ad, the eye care specialists translated their iconic slogan into 24 languages. Featured on billboards and in newspapers, the playful campaign poked fun at the inevitable “dodgy refereeing” decisions that would be made throughout the tournament, ensuring each nation would be able to shout the iconic ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ phrase to express their frustration. Fun, relevant and entirely on brand, the ad demonstrates the power of a clever slogan.
British Heart Foundation | ’Til I Died
The British Heart Foundation’s ’Til I Died campaign was one of the most poignant and striking ads inspired by Euro 24, commemorating 12 young football fans whose lives were tragically ended by heart disease. Delivered in a set of murals that made a strong visual statement, the campaign celebrated the passions of each individual child whilst emphasising the urgent need for funding to combat heart disease among younger generations. Bold and deeply personal, it delivered an incredibly emotive message.
Learn more about the campaign here: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/support-our-campaigns/until-i-died
Irn-Bru | Doctor’s
When Scotland qualified for Euro 24 in November, there was a growing sense of optimism in the country over their team’s chances of finally lifting the trophy. Irn-Bru’s tongue-in-cheek ad plays into those emotions, featuring a doctor (played by Scottish actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli) diagnosing some rarely seen symptoms in a Scottish fan. Uncontrollable smiling and waving arms? It must be optimism and there there is only one cure… tickets to Germany and a can of Irn-Bru! The fizzy drink brand is famous for its hilarious ads, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Accompanied with the hashtag #OptimismBackInScotland, it’s fun, surprising and a joy to watch (even for an England fan).
Cue the final whistle, that’s a wrap! Bring on the next big sporting event of 2024, we can't wait to see what exciting marketing campaigns brands create next.
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