Chacun son goût, but this footy competition is the single event of this season of international sport that holds any interest for me.
So as a fan and an adlander, I’ve a dual interest in those brands that seek to exploit their bought relationship with the Euros. Carlsberg is a case in point.
Cooking lager. Yup, that is a fine fit with many of the reprobates into the round-ball game. (Personally, I prefer real ales, but that’s another review.)
Question is: When the punters are drinking the advertising, how does the advertiser capture the spirit of the event without scoring a strategic or creative own goal? (Please note, gentle reader, that I’ve resisted football puns/references for a good few paragraphs; no promises from here on in...)
Here we go, here we go, here we go...
In this TV commercial, we’re invited to follow three initiates into a mythical ‘Fan Academy’. A place where the average follower of association football can be trained to become the ultimate supporter.
Any ad with a cameo from Brian Blessed can’t be all bad. And Carlsberg’s effort does not flatter to deceive.
There’s much humour, including a sideswipe at Argentina/Maradona (did you spot it?). But there’s also a degree of faux-gravitas – with an appearance by Sir Bobby Charlton at the fans’ graduand ceremony, which is heavily garlanded with the cross of St. George.
‘Fan Academy’ may not reach the comic heights of Carlsberg’s ‘Old Lions’ film, but as a package, it’s much less disappointing than many performances by our national team.
Simon S Kershaw is a creative consultant and a former creative director at Craik Jones