Hails & Fails – August 5th 2022
This week was all about basking in the glory of the Lionesses’ Euros victory…and there have been some trophy-worthy Football PR stories to herald the big news. Royal Mail got creative with their congratulations to England’s victorious team, Adidas made a pair of football boots a national treasure and Brazen client SEA LIFE named an octopus after a Lioness. Elsewhere in football, it wasn’t a great week for Southend United, as the renaming of their West stand went spectacularly wrong.
HAILS
Royal Mail welcomes football ‘Home’
A picture says a thousand words, they say. And Royal Mail got it spot on with their social post following the Lionesses Euros victory this week.
The simple post had a photo of a football wrapped in brown parcel paper with a couple of postage stamps and the word ‘Home’ as the address hand-written on it (it’s coming home…in case you hadn’t already guessed).
Simple but brilliant – and won loads of engagement online, as well as critical acclaim, this week.
Adidas display Lioness boots at Tower of London
England’s Lionesses cemented their status as national treasures following their monumental Euros victory over Germany.
And legendary sportswear manufacturer Adidas was quick to jump on that notion – by getting a pair of the football boots worn in the final displayed among other national treasures at the Tower of London.
Alessia Russo, 23, had quickly emerged as a fan favourite during the tournament as a result of her on and off-pitch antics. And her iconic green Adidas boots are now being displayed among other national treasures at The Tower.
They were handed over by the 23-year-old to Yeoman Warder AJ Clark, who herself made history as the second ever female ‘Beefeater’.
Octopus named after Lionesses star
To celebrate England’s Lionesses beating Germany in the final on Sunday, Brazen client SEA LIFE Scarborough honoured star player, and Yorkshire native, Beth Mead, by naming its football loving octopus after the star of the tournament.
Mead not only took home the 2022 Women’s Euros Golden Boot award, but also the Player of the Tournament too.
The 27-year-old inspired England to European glory, but also matched Germany striker Alexandra Popp’s record for the most goals ever scored in a Euro Championship. They’ll need a good few football boots for all those octopus legs though…
FAILS
Football bosses red-faced after stand renaming fiasco
Southend United will change the name of one of its stands after a new sponsorship deal saw it rebranded “the Gilbert & Rose West Stand”, thus triggering a massive reaction on social media over the association with one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.
Southend United, which plays in the National League, signed a commercial partnership to rename the stand with Gilbert & Rose estate agency in Leigh-on-Sea.
But the juxtaposition of “Gilbert & Rose” with “West Stand” inadvertently saw ‘The Gilbert & Rose West Stand’ appear on season ticket cards and the club’s website.
The club has promised to change the wording to make the new sponsorship deal (and the name of the stand) somewhat more palatable.
Ouch!
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