Women’s Euro 2025 ads: Why ITV scores but BBC, Visa and Sports Direct miss Sport Business It feels like there’s an unnecessary crux in women’s football as the Lionesses begin their title defence at the Euros. After the success of the last edition, the domestic game has gone gangbusters, with Arsenal selling out the Emirates for regular league games, an independent body being set up to run the WSL, and many [...]
Super Bowl LIX: The adverts that cost $7m for 30 seconds Sport Business Steve Howell of sports marketing agency Dark Horses takes us through this year’s Super Bowl LIX ads, featuring Beckham, Keoghan and Meg Ryan It’s a strange time for brands wishing to advertise. Technology designed to help consumers avoid commercials has never been more pervasive, whatever medium you choose. There are adblocker apps, browser extensions, unsubscribing [...]
Hit or miss? The best and worst football club Christmas adverts Sport Business Creative type Steve Howell casts his critical eye over Christmas adverts produced by Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham and Celtic. Think of a Christmas advert and your mind may conjure memories of “A dog is for life…” or any number of classic John Lewis commercials that have become synonymous with this time of year. Whatever brand [...]
Sport isn’t as inclusive as it thinks it is – but brands can make it right December 3, 2024 From events giving less than one per cent of places to disabled participants to getting braille wrong on the medals, sport still has a long way to go on inclusion. But that’s where brands can help, says Steve Howell. Everyone knows that sport is an incredible force for good. Bringing a nation together, giving people [...]
Euro 2024 adverts review: Adidas, Coca-Cola, Sports Direct, BBC and Paddy Power June 13, 2024 Who are the Jude Bellinghams and Jack Grealishes of the advertising world?
Super Bowl LVIII ad review: BMW, Uber Eats, Kris Jenner and Lionel Messi February 11, 2024 Super Bowl commercials have, for some time now, been on a trend of featuring more and more celebrities, in ever intriguing and beguiling ways. Indeed, the NFL has had its very own celebrity endorsement this season, with the Grammy award winning singer, Taylor Swift, dating the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce. Her sheer [...]
Super Bowl ad review: T-Mobile, Squarespace, Popcorner, Workday, Paramount Plus – read who we think did it best and then watch them for yourself February 12, 2023 Once upon a time, the Super Bowl ads were just that: adverts that aired during the intervals of the most-watched sports event in North America. They ran once, with audiences across the country waiting in anticipation for the best work the advertising industry could muster. Today, Super Bowl ads are trailed by their own teaser [...]
World Cup advert review: Pepsi beats Coke as brands grapple with Qatar controversy November 8, 2022 Steve Howell of creative agency Dark Horses picks the best and worst World Cup adverts ahead of the month’s tournament in Qatar. ‘Tis the season with a World Cup unceremoniously stuffed in the middle like the turkey in a Pret Christmas sandwich. The 12 years since Qatar were awarded the tournament have been full of [...]
Women’s Euro 2022 ads: Which campaigns are the best… and worst? July 11, 2022 One of the biggest propellants of any sport is when major brands begin sponsoring events, such as Women’s Euro 2022. Not only does the additional revenue help grow the game, but the extra eyeballs that a big brand campaign can bring help to cement the sport in the public consciousness. But with great publicity comes [...]
Super Bowl ads: Which showpiece commercials were the best? February 14, 2022 There’s nothing remotely like the Super Bowl in the UK – and the commercials aired during the game are unlike any commercials on the planet. With an audience of more than 100m watching from home, the Super Bowl ads are a big deal. They cost a lot to make and even more to air – [...]
