Barclays Celebrates ‘20 Years Committed To Football’ Via James Sibling Centered Campaign

On 13 August Barclays launched an integrated UK campaign celebrating the 20th anniversary of association with British football.

Titled ‘20 Years Committed to Football’ and created by agency Iris, the marketing push marks 20 years of backing the Premier League as well as its title sponsorship of Barclays FA Women’s Super League and its ongoing involvement in grassroots initiatives nationwide.

The lead spot centres around a documentary style story of siblings Reece and Lauren James: both of whom play for Chelsea FC, both of whom have already earned caps for England and both of whom are themselves close to being 20 years old.

The creative idea is that the brother/sister story neatly encapsulates the bank’s 20-year commitment to the game.

The multi-channel campaign is spearheaded by a 30-second hero TV ad, plus a three-minute film and it also includes social, online and radio advertising.

In the long-form version of the film, the James’ father takes viewers through his children’s football journey: from recalling how the watched the Barclays Premier League as kids and were inspired by former Chelsea by legends like Didier Drogba. The film’s narrative arc continues by showing the pair being signed professionally by the club and closes with the message “For 20 years Barclays has been committed to football and it’s still, all to play for.”

The hero ad runs on TV both in the UK (on channels including Sky Sports and BT Sports) and in the USA on NBC.

The campaign was created by agency Iris and directed by Charlie Watts at Rogue films.

“Growing up, Lauren and Reece James have only ever known Barclays football,” commented Iris Creative Director Ross Taylor. “They’re the perfect siblings to share the Barclays 20-year commitment story across both the Premier League and now the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. It’s an exciting time for the game with a brilliant inclusivity message too.”

Comment:

The campaign is notable not just for its compelling sibling soccer story, but also for championing the women’s game as much as the men’s.