Making more than just football content 

In the non-stop world of online branded football content, films can have a short lifespan. In such a fast-moving sector of the industry, it is easy for sports content to get lost. That’s why we always challenge ourselves. We think about how we can elevate our films further, and if they can be part of a wider conversation. We have been collaborating with Chelsea FC and Three on their Connect With series for a couple of years now. This was the first episode where we used the film as a platform for a wider PR stunt. 

Three were keen to base their latest episode around the seasonal theme of grilling. Sports stars engage best when they challenge and compete against one another. So we engineered a format for two players to face off in a cooking competition. To push the film into public view, we decided to make the fans judge the players’ dishes, and what better location to use than Stamford Bridge on match day? Each of the recipes that the players conjured up during the episode would then be served as a menu special, with the fans deciding who was the top BBQing blue.  

Talent

To bring the film further to life, we used First Dates’ Fred Sirieix. Straight out of the jungle, Fred gave the social campaign a wider reach and helped provide the link between England and France, with Three wanting a strong lean into Euro 24-related debates. Using Axel Disasi of France and Levi Colwill of England meant Fred provided the perfect link. Being a native French speaker but having lived in England for 32 years, Fred understands the British sense of humour that the series requires.

In the space of two years, since we started producing the series, it’s amazing to see how social media trends have changed. It wasn’t so long ago that the same content would be cut down in length for different platforms. Now the audience demands more from their social media and we create bespoke branded content for each channel. In this episode of Connect With Grilling, none of our supporting social assets were cut-downs of the main hero film. 

Instagram

To complement the main cooking competition, we challenged the boys to a game of Wing Roulette. Seeing the lads try and cope with the UK’s hottest sauce was an easy win for everyone other than the players themselves. 

TikTok

We played a game of BBQ blue, where the boys had to rate Chelsea players’ names that were turned into menu suggestions. Little did we know that the dad humour that unfolded would tickle Levi quite so much. There was a great atmosphere on set and Levi literally couldn’t contain his laughter. 

As the end of the season comes to a close, there is only one big football matter still to settle – Levi’s Tropical Wings or the Axel Blue Cheeseburger. No offence Axel, but our Money is on Levi in the kitchen and at the Euros.