Ad Matters 25.07.25

It’s been another thrilling display by England in the Euros, with plenty of nail-biting tension to keep us all glued to the screens and it looks there’ll be record viewing figures for the final this Sunday, so a great content investment decision by ITV and a boost for its advertisers. Many brands have been supporting the Lionesses, and women’s football and sport more widely for some time now in the UK and we’ve pulled together a range of examples below in our special Euros update. Whatever happens on Sunday evening, it’s been another amazing effort by the team and we’ll be giving them our full support to bring football home again.

Our pick of Euro-themed ads: 

• Our Ad in the A is Allwyn and ITV Creative’s ‘The National Lottery – women’s football 2025’ featuring Lioness Jill Scott to highlight that over £6 billion has been raised by National Lottery players for grassroots sports to allow more women and girls to enjoy football.
• To launch EE’s ‘Everyone Needs a Squad’, Saatchi & Saatchi spotlighted a young girl as she showcases how football has given her a sense of community.
• BBH London has created ‘Receipts’ for Tesco, featuring secret messages in receipts to show its support for the England and Wales teams.
• Publicis Conseil has highlighted Axa as a sponsor of Euro 2025 with their ‘Keep on kicking’ campaign to show the importance of sports activities in taking care of women’s health and wellbeing.

Our must reads:

• Our Chair, Dame Annette King, reflected on her career following the decision to step back from frontline agency life. (Creative Salon)
• The winners of the Sky Zero Footprint Fund have been revealed, receiving £2 million in funding and the opportunity to produce a high-impact TV campaign using sustainable production guidance from AdGreen. (LBB)
• The IPA has released ‘The 2025 Christmas Consumer’ report, which found that almost half of UK adults plan to reduce their screen time over the festive period. (The Media Leader)
• ISBA President and our Front Foot Chair, Pete Markey, looks back on what the past few years have taught him about marketing. (Creative Salon)

A key date for your diary:

• The final deadline is approaching for the Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards! The awards aim to celebrate the industry’s very best examples of work in support of sustainable behaviours and better business outcomes. Submit your entries by 7 August here.

And finally, it’s a sad week for fans of heavy metal with the passing of Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath fame. An incredible pop culture icon, Ozzy appeared in many ads over the years so here’s a compilation to watch back of Ozzy at his finest.