David Beckham fronts Sky Sports’ promotional advert for the new Premier League season
The 60-second commercial video starts with Beckham setting out on a morning jog only to find himself running through scenes from 10 months of football: visiting pubs, homes, streets and park pitches en route.
The ex-Manchester United player and former England captain runs through changing weather conditions, celebrates with fans and is even chased by a dog as he promotes Sky’s coverage of the new Premiership season which kicks off on Saturday, 13 August.
First posted on the brand’s YouTube channel on 20 July,
amplified across the its digital and social platforms using the campaign hastag #ItCouldHappen
WATCH: David Beckham stars in Sky Sports' new Premier League advert. https://t.co/VnWfVcpbny pic.twitter.com/BhDQplVww0
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 20, 2016
and then airs on Sky Sports’ and TV from 22 July.
The commercial, directed by award-winning Frederic Planchon, aims to celebrate the unpredictability of the Premier League.
It was filmed across London, Derbyshire, Manchester/Stockport and at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
The campaign was developed with advertising agency Brothers and Sisters and involved a production crew of over 80 and featured 500 extras, as well as a special rollerblading camera operator called Myron Mance to keep up with Beckham on the run.
Teams featured in the advert include Middlesbrough, Leicester, QPR, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.
‘David does a brilliant job of encapsulating in one minute what football fans experience in an entire season and I’m sure people will enjoy it when it’s released,”’ comments Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis.
‘Never has the Premier League been so unpredictable, and with more matches than ever before, Sky Sports viewers can enjoy unrivalled coverage as the drama unfolds.’
‘Anything can happen in the Premier League and this ad by Sky is a really fun way of showing that,’ says Beckham of the new spot.
‘Filming the ad was great and the finished piece is a really clever way of showing that you never know what might happen in football. I always enjoy working with Sky Sports and I’m proud to be associated with their football coverage.’’
Comment
Sky Sports’ is pitching the next Premier League competition as ‘the biggest season ever’ and will air 126 live.
The idea of the league’s ‘unpredictability’ is built on the back of last season’s incredible triumph for Leicester City (see case study) and positions the property in stark contrast to the predictability of rival leagues like Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 and Spain’s La Liga.
Beckham has worked with Sky since 2013 and his previous ads include 2013’s ‘meet The Beckhams’
and 2014’s ‘Drone Cam’.
For our round-up on last season’s broadcast promotional campaigns see our 2015 case study.
Links
Sky Sports YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTU_wC79Dgi9rh4e9-baTqA
Sky Sports Twitter:
Sky Sports Web:
Sky Sports facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SkySports
Sky Sports Google+:
https://plus.google.com/+SoccerAMOfficial
Brothers and Sisters:
http://www.brothersandsisters.co.uk/
The Premier League:
