Winner – Fabric of the Community, W Communications and Brothers & Sisters for Grenfell Athletic FC
Born from tragedy, Sunday league football club Grenfell Athletic FC includes survivors from the deadly West London fire and plays a vital role in the community. But it faced an uncertain future.
W, in partnership with Brothers & Sisters – whose founder, Andy Fowler, has close ties to Grenfell – decided to help try to turn the club’s fortunes around on zero budget. The agency took inspiration from the hugely successful Nigeria x Nike kit launch in 2018, realising that a new kit could offer both identity for the team and the opportunity for the public to show their solidarity.
Grenfell residents helped shape the kit’s logo, and a smart partnership with Kitlocker.com meant that profits from the sale of each shirt go back to the club. In an effort to connect the kit with the moving story behind the team, ‘The Squad of 72’ recognised the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire by seeding the shirt to 72 influential figures. The likes of footballer Harry Kane, rapper Wretch 32 and musician Noel Gallagher were brought on board, showing support for the Kitlocker.com launch and using the hashtag #fabricofthecommunity. Even Tom Cruise, in the UK to shoot the next Mission Impossible movie, got involved.
The kit proved to be the site’s most successful product launch yet. There was huge media interest in the story, and Soccer AM recorded a video about the club’s history for its social media channels. With £30,000 raised in 24 hours, the club’s future was secured for three more years, enabling it to launch its first women’s team.
The judges said
Simple, strong and effective. An amazing creative campaign that got great results not just in terms of awareness, but also money raised.
Highly Commended – 'Weetabix 'n' Beanz', Frank PR for Weetabix
Weetabix’s provocative tweet suggesting it ought to be paired with Heinz Baked Beanz did exactly as planned, causing a social media frenzy that even reached a House of Commons debate and primetime TV. The maelstrom led to a 15 per cent spike in Weetabix sales and rapid accumulation of more than 20,000 new social fans.
Shortlisted
'BeanOLD' by Taylor Herring for Beano Studios
'#CloseTheLid' by One Green Bean for Harpic
'Lündon pad – how the mystery Scandi brand was revealed as Poundland' by Arena PR for Poundland
'Shutdown! Remixing music education during a pandemic' by Kingdom Collective for Future DJs
