Burberry Captures the Culture of Football

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World Cup fever is still rising, but football will carry on whoever lifts the trophy next month, and here’s a brand that’s focused on the less global (but no less meaningful) games to come. Fashion brand Burberry have opted to mix sports and style in their Autumn campaign, recruiting a formidable cast of athletes, actors and influencers for “A Good Sport”.

There’s Romeo Beckham alongside England’s Declan Rice. There’s Adolescence star Stephen Graham as a gruff youth coach alongside Thai actor Bright and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. And who’s that in the stands but Ted Lasso himself, actor Jason Sudeikis. They all have a part to play in an ad which draws inspiration not from the play itself but from the spirit and culture around football.

From matchday burgers to team talks to the roar of the crowd at an injury-time goal, Burberry’s ad captures what makes a football matchday special, at every level from a Sunday morning kids’ match to the Premier League. The ad conjures up the sights, the sounds and even the smells of football. And it’s all presented with plenty of space given to Burberry’s Autumn collection, from the signature check bags to coats and casual wear. Burberry has a long relationship with sport, and sits at the intersection of British style and British football.

What it all adds up to is an unusually potent ad for a fashion brand – its Star Rating of 4.3-Stars puts it in the top 3% of all UK fashion ads for long-term brand building impact. That comes down to its exceptional score for Emotional Intensity – again, way over the category average.

What’s driving this high score for “A Good Sport”? It may not be the star-studded cast (though the feelgood factor they bring won’t hurt). Instead it’s the solid cultural relevance and grounding that Burberry is bringing to the topic, with plenty of scenes that capture the human connections in football – the banter, the meaningful glances, the personal touches that make the sport so emotional for fans. This kind of “between-ness” as we call it is a key part of showmanship in ads, the art of creating an ad that attracts attention, sparks emotion and builds a brand long-term.

Where Burberry does need more focus is in the branding. For those in the know, the products do the talking. But broad-reach advertising is about communicating to everyone, and for edits and further executions Burberry should look to target Brand Fluency as well as keeping that high Star Rating.

Overall, though, this is a powerful and unusual fashion ad. Most fashion brands make work that’s ultimately all about themselves. Burberry has made an ad that’s about the culture and its role within that culture. And that’s a far more powerful way of doing things.