July saw UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 partner Just Eat launch ‘101’: a grassroots initiative designed to encourage and support more girls and women across the UK to pull on their boots and play by providing 101 amateur teams with a branded starter pack, kits and expert advice.
The project’s name, 101, comes 101 years since women’s football was banned in the UK. A shameful day, but one the stands in stark contrast to the situation today where the sport going from strength to strength with record participating numbers, ticket sales, TV viewers and attendances.
The food delivery app initiative, developed in harness with agency Dark Horses, was fronted by Lioness star and Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs and spearheaded by a 30-second launch film.
The hero spot, which was helmed by female directing duo Pip & Lib at Untold Studios, sees Nobbs declare that women’s football is ‘bigger and better than ever’ as a lively grassroots game kicks-off. The playful film stars six of the 101 women’s amateur teams kitted out in the Just Eat strip. The video showcases their skills, energy and infectious team spirit as it seeks to inspire, deliver joy and encompass the feelings of camaraderie that many women seek when joining a football club.
A ‘Be Part Of The 1010’ launch spot dropped across the brand’s channels from 15 June backed by cut-downs and supporting content linked through the initiative’s #JustEat101 hashtag incorporating a content partnership with SPORTbible and sister site Tyla, plus a social strategy delivered by Byte and PR by Mischief.
Alongside the 101 initiative, Just Eat also launched a podcast leveraging Euro 2022 called ‘Hot Takes’: a new series hosted by presenter and journalist Kelly Somers and DJ Monki (who plays for Dulwich Hamlet) which each week tackles different football topics and issues and interviews inspirational women across the sport – from players, referees, coaches, to fitness and medical teams and women in the boardroom. The aims is to spotlight role models and mentors across the women’s game, aligning the podcast with the much-anticipated Euro 2022.
The campaign was informed by Just Eat research which found that 20% of women aged 16-to-65 want to get involved in the sport, but do not know where to start or how to go about joining a side. Plus, an astonishing 90% are unaware if there even is a local women’s grassroots team in their area.
Plus, another strand of the campaign saw Just Eat whet fans’ appetites throughout the tournament with exclusive deals from some of the biggest brands and independent restaurant partners on the food delivery app.
Just Eats UK marketing Director commented: ‘’While the success of the Lionesses will no doubt inspire thousands of girls and women, more support is needed to help aspiring players thrive. Grassroots is the undisputed foundation of football in the UK and our hope is that the Just Eat 101 initiative makes this foundation stronger.”
‘’I’m really excited to be a part of Just Eat’s 101 initiative,” added Jordan Nobbs. “The women’s game has come so far in 101 years but there is still some work to do to break the stigma and provide the next generation with the tools to get involved and thrive in the sport. Grassroots football is where many girls start their football journey, so making sure they have access to opportunities is so important. Just Eat’s 101 initiative is great as it’s helping to make this possible and most importantly, it’s showing girls and women that they don’t have to be a Lioness to roar on the pitch.’’
“Inspiration and opportunity are two of the biggest contributing factors in the future of any sport, so being able to do both in one campaign is always an exciting opportunity,” outlined Dark Horses ECD Steve Howell. “And with the England team doing so well at the moment, hopefully the Hot Takes podcast and 101 initiative will be able to build off their success and enable even more young fans to get involved in the beautiful game.”
The campaign was created for client Just Eat UK Head Of Marketing Communications Victoria Gold, National Marketing Manager Alice Saleh, Senior Marketing Executive Vinay Patel and Project Manager Ellie Stone by a team at agency Dark Horses which included ECD Steve Howell, Creative Directors Sean Johnson and Josh Pearce, Creative Eve De Haan, Strategy Director Mark Lloyd, Agency Producer Andy Walsh, Business Director Harry Gayner, Senior Account Manager Tia Sackett and Account Executive Amir Darakhshan-Horeh.
The social agency was Byte, the PR agency was Mischief and the production company was Untold Studios with Director Pip & Lib and Producer Aaron Aziz. Post production was handled by Untold Studios, the editor was Pete Fullarton of Search Party, with Colourist Jax Harney and Sound Engineer Guy Chase.
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The initiative has already proved to be popular and led to more than 300 applications for the 101 in the first week alone.
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