A promotional campaign for ITV's coverage of the 2022 World Cup celebrated ITV's past and present involvement with the World Cup, with a focus on the strength of the broadcasters offering over the BBC: the pundits.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fans.
Challenge
ITV faced the uphill task of standing out against the BBC, the long-time heavyweight of free-to-air football coverage. To compete we needed to carve out a distinctly different voice and one that felt closer to the fan.
Opportunity
ITV’s warm, down-to-earth tone of voice gave it permission to tell football stories from the fans’ perspective: the 'everyfan.' With access to top-tier pundits and a huge cultural moment in play, ITV had the chance to connect emotionally, not just inform.
Insight
Focus groups revealed a deep well of emotional nostalgia around the World Cup from first matches and iconic shirts to unforgettable goals and childhood memories. The tournament isn’t just a sporting event; it’s a time capsule of identity and belonging.
Solution
We made ITV feel like the emotional home of football. A story-driven TVC, directed by Glenn Kitson, featuring pundits sharing their own World Cup memories from first caps to first kickabouts. The same emotional language carried across content, commercial and branding, all unified by a distinctive, football-inspired design system.
Results
The campaign helped ITV hit 13% World Cup ad revenue growth target.