Covid continues to wreak havoc amid the best laid plans: if there’s no or little football this Boxing Day (December 26) in the UK because many footballers refuse to be vaccinated, then a Shelter promotion with agency Dark Horses will founder. Shelter is a venerable charity for the homeless and the campaign is a spin on the notion of ‘home.’
100 clubs across the English and Welsh leagues are swapping their home shirts for Boxing Day matches for their away or third kits to promote a Shelter appeal. Brands including Puma and Mitre are supporting the appeal, along with Sky Sports pundits (usually found plugging betting sites.)
Dark Horses CEO Melissa Robertson says: “There is a beautiful simplicity in this idea about the mutual importance of ‘home’ for both football and Shelter. It’s been an incredible initiative to be involved in, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and support we’ve had from clubs, brands and influencers alike.
“To see clubs like Preston and Portsmouth being cheered on at home whilst wearing away colours? It’s just never happened before in the history of football, and is properly momentous. We hope the film does justice to this historic occasion. This is a cause that could affect anybody, so it’s on all of us, whoever we support, to help fight it.”
Dark Horses, originally a spin-off from Lucky Generals, has taken sports marketing in the UK a stage further and added more to its palette with other clients.
MAA creative scale: 8.
