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Game On: How the Smartest Sports Ads Made Their Mark (and How You Can Too)
Wander | July ’25
The summer of sport is officially here! ⚽🔥
Wimbledon is in full swing, the Women’s Euros are kicking off and there’s a golden window for brands to make moves that matter.
To celebrate, we’re serving up a hit list of the sports campaigns that genuinely got it right and chatting about how you can take some major inspo 👇
Lionesses Go Back to Where It All Started
Ahead of UEFA Women’s Euros 2025, the Lionesses did something pretty special.
Each player rocked the shirt of the very first club they played for during training at St George’s Park, repping 26 grassroots and youth clubs across the country.
We’re talking everything from Alnwick Town FC to Queens Park Rangers.
Even better? Representatives from each club were invited to send personal messages to their former players before they head off for their Euros campaign.
It was a powerful nod to where they came from and a full-on celebration of grassroots football and the communities that shaped these players. Humble, heart-warming and 100% feel-good.
Celebrate the people who helped get you where you are today, whether that be customers, creators or early supporters.
That kind of authenticity always lands and majorly drives brand loyalty.
The lasting power of Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign
This long-running campaign from Sport England was launched to tackle gender inequality in sport.
It flipped the script on who looks like an athlete. Real women. Real sweat. Real stories. No filters, no pressure.
Since its inception, it sparked a movement encouraging over 2.8 million women to start exercising who weren’t before.
And they haven’t stopped pushing boundaries since.
The latest instalment, Let’s Lift the Curfew, shines a light on something many women silently deal with… feeling unsafe exercising after dark.
They hosted a 5km run through Westminster as part of the campaign, featuring local clubs and digital screens broadcasting women’s feelings.
Runs were held across the country to mark the official end of summertime, pushing NATIONWIDE involvement. Crafting a feeling, shaping a movement that people wanted to be part of.
Marketing has the power to spark action. This Girl Can took part in a parliamentary roundtable involving MPs to push for safer public spaces. A campaign with substance and real meaning behind it.
Instead of featuring athletes at the top of their game, they choose to shine a spotlight on everyday women getting active on their own terms.
Representing real people means representing your audience.
Don’t make it one-and-done, though. As the world shifts, so should your message. Evolve, respond, grow.
Red Bulls Marketing Gives You Wings
Red Bull’s marketing game is HIGH ENERGY and goes to some huge lengths to get people talking.
They’ve built a global brand by creating a culture and nowhere is that more obvious than on their socials.
From jaw-dropping stunts to crowd-powered campaigns, their feeds appeal to a diverse audience.
Possibly one of their most daring marketing stunts was the Stratos Space Jump.
It saw daredevil Felix Baumgartner go to the edge of space and live-stream his 24-mile freefall back to Earth. Over 8 million people watched the YouTube livestream, breaking records and setting a new bar for branded content.
It clocked over 52 million views on YouTube in just 40 hours and sparked thousands of headlines, memes and rewatches.
Red Bull’s social media engagement exploded.
The campaign generated 820,000+ pieces of content, saw over 50,000 unique links back to their platforms and gave them complete control of the narrative.
Oh, and they didn’t even need their product in the shot. Red Bull isn’t directly selling a drink, they’re selling a feeling. They understand their audience craves thrill, edge and a bit of chaos, the Stratos jump pulled people in and made them FEEL something together, in real time.
Whether it’s snowboarding down skyscrapers, soapbox races through city streets or showcasing athletes who defy gravity, every post fuels the story that Red Bull gives you wings without being uber sales-driven.
You don’t need space suits, but you do need some bold, outside-the-box thinking, an inspiring story and a strong strategy to back it all up for marketing that hits different.
P&G Giving Love To All The Mums
Launched during the Olympics, this campaign honoured the unsung heroes behind every athlete… their mums.
P&G didn’t have an obvious sporting connection, so they looked to something that every athlete has in common and ran with it.
The focus was on the mums, not the athletes, completely turning the campaign on its head.
Short films by well-known directors followed mothers from four continents supporting their children through dark circles, laundry piles and missed milestones, all rounded off with a super emotional Olympic podium moment
But it didn’t stop at TV. P&G built a home-away-from-home for Olympians and their mums and flew over 250 Team USA mums to Vancouver.
They also launched a digital hub and social campaigns inviting consumers to share stories and personalised gratitude messages.
This appealed to their audience whilst linking it to one of the BIGGEST global sporting events.
Heartstring-pulling storytelling + Olympic-level production = over 74 million views in its first month (and over 500 million in revenue!)
Thinking deeper about your audience means campaigns resonate more.
Norwich City’s #YouAreNotAlone Film for World Mental Health Day
A far cry from the usual hype videos we see from football teams, Norwich City decided to highlight a too often unspoken issue and encourage awareness in their 2023 You Are Not Alone campaign.
The result was a powerful short film that tackled men’s mental health head-on.
Built around a twist that catches viewers off guard and a gut-punching ending that reveals it’s not always obvious when people are struggling, the ad instantly made an impact.
It has since been viewed over 55 million times and saw the Samaritans receive over 7,500 social messages within a week.
The campaign went fully global and helped bring awareness and long-lasting effects as it continues to appear in our feeds years later.
It felt relatable and urgent, touching on a very real community issue that male fans aged 45-49 are in the highest-risk bracket for suicide, exactly the demographic the club serves.
Lean into moments that matter, but only if they truly matter to you. Authenticity and transparency are more important than ever.
Building Marketing Brick By Brick
In a moment we’re totally NOT jealous of, F1 podium finishers were given LEGO TROPHIES at this year’s Silverstone race.
A nod to F1’s 75th anniversary and the first World Championship race held at Silverstone in 1950, they’re built from 2,717 LEGO pieces and took 210 hours to complete.
The trophies generated widespread buzz and driver podium celebrations were instantly replayed with these LEGO pieces front and centre.
This stunt builds on an ongoing multi-year collaboration that includes a new range of LEGO F1 sets, connecting the sport with younger, broader audiences.
This was a blend of nostalgia, creativity and sheer joy, showing that even some of the world’s best athletes enjoy a bit of LEGO.
Don’t be afraid to have a bit of FUN with your marketing campaigns, even the most out there collabs make sense when they’re built on an authentic vision.
Wander x Thornaby FC
Closer to home, we’ve been backing Thornaby FC as their media sponsor, helping them shape their brand identity, build out slick news pieces and roll out their latest sponsorship pack.
We were right there when they celebrated a double promotion success, and watched their women’s team thrive after unfairly being axed last year.
Why do we love it? Because it’s real. It shows how grassroots football can drive change from the ground up.
Community-first. Inclusive. Rooted in purpose.
Making a mark means having a clear voice and a brand people can rally behind, all beginning with strong community and pride.
Final Whistle: What Makes a Winner?
The best sports campaigns CONNECT with people. Sport is all about coming together, whether you’re part of a team or in the stands with other supporters. The best marketing taps into culture, ditching the corporate to appeal to the human.
Whether it’s a grassroots comeback, an out-of-this-world stunt or a rallying cry for equality, the real win lies in showing up with purpose.
Be bold. Be real. And don’t be afraid to play outside the lines. (unless you’re actually playing a sport, then maaaaaybe follow the rules…)
What’s next?!
If you haven’t already heard (where have you been?!) our latest BBC doc is about to drop! Our Lives: The Ultimate Wingwalker airs live on the 18th July, BBC One at 7pm!!!
We’re suuuuper proud of this, you don’t wanna miss it. The story is impactful, the people are MINT and we’ve captured breath-taking views with 360 cameras.
Alsooooo… we’re about to launch something MASSIVE for brand marketing, watch this space if you wanna learn more about amplifying your personality, getting to its heart and crafting authentic storytelling.
Want to learn more ways to tell your brand story?
Let’s talk → welovewander.com/contact
TL;DR: The smartest ads connect with the human side of sport. Think big, stay real and lead with purpose. Whether you’re shouting about your roots or building brand loyalty through a savvy social stunt, emotion and authenticity always win.
