PR Stunt Watch: Adidas Hey Jude, Premier Inn Du-VAR, UV-blocking football shirts and Federer plays Tower Bridge

Footballs coming home – it’s cooooming home.

Or we hope it is as we spend the next few weeks being full English patriots, praying that the boys bring it home. And if they don’t - of course we’ll throw our toys out of the pram…

So, this week's stunt watch will examine some of the football-themed stunts and campaigns that brands have aptly pulled out of the bag.

Adidas Hey Jude

Don’t make it bad.

It almost just rolls off the tongue as soon as you say the first two words. Adidas has launched its latest campaign, cheering on its star boy ambassador Jude Bellingham.

Showcasing the lows, the tears and the tantrums that have come with the losses of the Lions on an international stage – and slowly growing to a rapturous supportive anthem for Jude.

Featuring Lampard, Beckham and even Wrighty boy – placing their faith into the next generation, whilst Stormzy celebrates at Merky HQ with a group of young kids in their football kits. A celebration of the past, current and future footballers of our time.

The ad gives me chills each time I see it. It perfectly captures that feeling we’ve all experienced when we’ve not quite gone the distance and what it could look like if we do! Goosebumps? Me too.

Why is it so good? Firstly Bellingham has scored the first goal for England so far, ensuring us a win and a place at the top of our qualifying group. It’s kismet and beautifully so.

Secondly, the song of the summer now has to be Hey Jude – with England fans adopting it as their anthem and streams of the classic jumping by 19% overnight following Jude’s belter of a goal.

I mean, politicians are even getting in on it, with Rishi and Keir encouraging fans to sing it after the game.

Needless to say, England's stadiums are due to be filled with the Beetles hit as we continue to cheer our boys on.

Premier Inn Du-VAR

A slightly different yet still football-themed stunt launched by Premier Inn, and I’m kind of digging it.

Premier Inn has tapped into the ongoing conversation around sharing the covers and all-round bed etiquette that plagues many couples across the country; finding that 56% of Brits consider poor bedroom habits a relationship dealbreaker with 29% of them arguing with their partner over duvet-hogging.

I must admit I’m part of the 59%. As a blanket user all year, I would be livid if my partner hogged the covers and left me free for the monsters at night (because that’s why we all love a blanket, right?).

Well, Premier Inn has the solution!

Inspired by football’s beloved VAR technology, Premier Inn has introduced its very own tech duvet dubbed DU-VAR, which alerts duvet-hoggers in real time. Using advanced sensors, it detects when the duvet crosses the halfway line and prompts the culprit to share fairly.

I just want to know who I need to talk with to get my hands on this.

What are the washing instructions for one of these?

And do they come in varying colours?

Editors note: There's a nice campaign video for Du-VAR, but for some bizarre reason Premier Inn social team has ticked the box on YouTube so no one can embed the video onto another site, which seems an odd way to encourage engagement... But this is a nice creative execution all the same! Here's a link to the campaign video.

PR Stunt Watch: Adidas Hey Jude, Premier Inn Du-VAR, UV-blocking football shirts and Federer plays Tower Bridge

Kopparberg UPF-40 Shirts

Our last, and certainly not least, football campaign this Stunt watch has to go to Kopperberg on creating and launching its very own UV-blocking football shirts. The shirts have been designed to block 97.5% of ultraviolet rays and will be handed out to football fans, at select pubs across England and Scotland, to help protect them from skin cancer.

And this year is probably as important as ever, with such an overcast summer so far (when will summer finally come?), fans are expected to pour into pub gardens and fan zones to watch England and Scotland’s matches and avoid using sunscreen – even though you can still get sun burnt through the clouds.

The stats show it: nearly a third of Brits (29%) admit to experiencing sunburn while either actively participating in or spectating football matches, and 6 out of 10 confess to sometimes skipping sunscreen when they attend a live football match or visit a pub garden to watch the game.

A clever and purposeful initiative that hopefully will save some skins this summer.

Bonus Stunt – Federer vs Federer

Now I know I said that this Stunt Watch is football-themed…, but I had to add this tennis belter of a stunt at Tower Bridge. Federer going against his younger self. Epic.