PR Stunt Watch: The football takeover

Football. Bloody football.

With the English football season drawing to a close, and the World Cup kicking off across America, it felt only right that this week's Stunt Watch got a football takeover.

Because whether you're a football fan or not – football remains one of the last places where culture genuinely happens in real time. The kind where somebody does something mildly unhinged and six minutes later it's dominating group chats, TikTok and your mum's Facebook.

And whilst there have been some cracking brand moments this week, football continues to be a masterclass in community, culture and collective obsession.

Which, let's be honest, is exactly why our industry loves it so much.

KFC's new colonel

Firstly – KFC. I saw this one in person, and immediately knew it was making Stunt Watch.

Ahead of Arsenal's trophy parade, KFC swapped out the Colonel for Mikel Arteta at stores positioned along the parade route. Simple. Effective. Smart.

But honestly what I loved wasn't necessarily the creative itself. It was the reaction. Everyone noticed. Not just PR people. I saw so many people (not just nerdy PR me) pointing, laughing, taking photos.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in measuring success that we forget some of the best work is the stuff ordinary people physically stop and engage with. This felt like one of those moments.

It was rooted in the community, rooted in the occasion and understood exactly who it was talking to. Even if that audience was over a million Arsenal fans, who had started celebrating approximately four hours before the bus actually arrived.

Campaign: Arteta as KFC's new victory parade Colonel
Client: KFC
Agency: Here Be Dragons

Ben White & the burger heard around North London

Now I genuinely don't know whether this was reactive marketing brilliance or simply football being football. And honestly I don't care – because it was brilliant.

Ben White somehow emerged as the undisputed star of Arsenal's parade.

There was him singing "Hincapié get your bum out." There was him launching Martin Ødegaard's glasses into the crowd, which he visibly looked fuming about. There was him forcing Declan Rice into a rendition of Ice Ice Baby.

But then came the burger.

A local burger shop called Big Juicy Burger threw a burger towards the bus. Ben caught it, ate it, and carried on having what can only be described as the greatest day at work anyone has ever had.

The content immediately went everywhere. The footage of him eating it. The videos from the shop owners celebrating that he'd caught it. Then the follow-up when Ben sent them a signed shirt afterwards.

And suddenly a local independent burger shop found itself imbedded in of one of the most talked-about moments from the weekend.

No brief. No media spend. Just football, community and pure vibes. Which, increasingly, feels like a winning formula.

Brazil bless their World Cup plane

Now, in true football fashion, we head to the World Cup. And honestly, only Brazil could pull this off.

Ahead of departure, the national team held a blessing and baptism moment for the plane taking them to the tournament. If there is one country where football and faith naturally occupy the same conversation, it's Brazil. A country where Jesus literally overlooks the city. Where footballers point skyward after scoring. A country where football often feels less like a sport and more like a religion.

So, whilst this could feel gimmicky elsewhere, here it felt authentic. Football and faith. All boarding the same flight.

And it has come at such an interesting time where faith is becoming more notable in the sport – with Arsenal footballers even being dubbed the “Bible Boys” due to their celebrations revolving around thanking God.

And frankly, if I were responsible for carrying the hopes and dreams of an entire football-obsessed nation across the Atlantic, I'd probably want all the blessings available too.

Irn-Bru's Tartan Army anthem

On to what might genuinely be my favourite bit of football creative this year.

Irn-Bru has resurrected its iconic Made In Scotland From Girders platform and transformed it into a full-blown anthem for the Tartan Army.

And it is funny as hell.

Featuring Susan Boyle, Scotland captain John McGinn, Franz Ferdinand front man Alex Kapranos, comedian Paul Black and a cast of actual supporters – the film follows Scots arriving in America ahead of the tournament.

The cultural clashes are magnificent. The stereotypes are spot on ridiculous. And the entire thing feels like it was made by people who actually understand football fans. Because football fandom isn't polished. It's thousands of people flying across the world to spend a small fortune, whilst singing songs about a left-back from 2007 and getting caught doing some of the most ridiculous things along the way. And the best football creative doesn't try to sanitise that. It celebrates it.

I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if this gets adopted in fan zones and terraces across America over the next few weeks,. which is probably the biggest compliment you can give a football campaign. Because once fans take ownership of something, it stops being advertising. It becomes culture.

Campaign: Made In Scotland for the Tartan Army
Client: Irn Bru
Agency: John Doe and Lucky Generals

And Finally... Susan Boyle's baddie era

Whilst we are on the subject of Susan Boyle – I really couldn’t forget this.

Now I appreciate this isn't football. But equally it's my Stunt Watch and I make the rules. And if Susan Boyle breaks the internet, then we're talking about Susan Boyle.

My friends over at Golin have somehow managed to bring Subo back for Cornetto's latest campaign, and the internet has absolutely lost its mind. Mainly because this isn't the Susan Boyle people remember.

Depending on which side of social media you're on, she's apparently had an Adele transformation, evoking her inner Anna Wintour or is embracing what the youth are calling her “baddie era.”

Personally, it’s giving the rich auntie who's just divorced her husband, taken the villa in the settlement and spends six months a year in the South of France. And honestly? Good for her. The reaction has been fascinating because Susan Boyle occupies such a unique place in British culture. We all feel like we know her. So when she suddenly reappears looking completely different, whilst casually dropping a new track for Cornetto, everyone has an opinion. The comments alone have become their own entertainment category.

Football may have dominated the headlines this week.

But somehow Susan Boyle still managed to win the transfer window and I respect that immensely.

Campaign: New era starts tomorrow
Client: Cornetto
Agency: Golin