Screwfix Shows Families How to Enjoy Football from Home in New Sky Sports and ITV Idents
As Coronavirus continues to impact the way we consume the things we love, football fans across the UK have been forced to rethink how they enjoy the beautiful game. From empty stadiums to restrictions on gatherings, families have been turning to their own homes as the place to both watch and practice sport. To help empower households to make the most of this difficult situation, Screwfix has debuted a series of idents that celebrate what can be achieved by shopping at Screwfix. The idents form part of the exclusive sponsorship (managed by Wavemaker) of Sky Sports’ broadcast and digital coverage of the English Football League (EFL), Scottish Professional League (SPFL) and Carabao Cup as well as sponsorship of ITV’s England Football coverage.
In order to create the 10 different idents that will be broadcast across Sky Sports, ITV, STV, Quest and S4C, Screwfix turned to independent creative agency Five by Five. Having worked closely with the brand for over two years, Five by Five were the natural choice to spearhead the executions. Featuring a family of football fans, the cheerful spots blend product imagery with scenes of the family enjoying the sport in their home and garden. We watch as the family sets up their ‘stadium’, putting up ‘floodlights’ for their home pitch, creating makeshift goal posts, and even setting up the ever-controversial ‘VAR’.
Whilst the original ambition was to shoot multiple families and households across the country, Five by Five proposed that focusing on one single family would establish a greater emotional affinity between the viewers and those on screen. As the seasons change in each story, we watch the family grow and develop, each character becoming more fully-formed as they continue to complete projects in the garden and enjoy football from home - no matter the weather.
Although Coronavirus restrictions threatened to disrupt the creation of the idents, Five by Five were able to align multiple aspects of production to ensure a smooth completion of the project. Both casting and shooting took place in Manchester, with the agency working alongside production company Chief and director Ben Tonge to establish the authentic performances seen in the spots and, all-importantly, a safe shoot. Voice overs for the spots, provided by Clearcut Sound, were also completed remotely.
Ravi Beeharry and Andy Mancuso, creative directors at Five by Five, comment: “We really wanted these idents to resonate with families up and down the country - whether you were still getting used to the new ways of watching football, or looking for a new home improvement project to see you through the autumn. The key to this was balancing the imagery of Screwfix’s products with a really authentic, aspirational vision of what families have been getting up to - capturing the really simple things that can bring a lot of joy to football fans. Screwfix is an iconic brand when it comes to those in the trade industry, but we really wanted to show wider audiences - all the people now watching sport indoors - what they can achieve when it comes to enjoying football from the comfort of your home.”
Alan Trice, senior marketing manager at Screwfix, adds: “With fans facing a totally unique season of football, what better way to stay in touch with the sport than bringing the game home to you. With this year’s Sky Sports and ITV idents, our aim was to prove that you don’t need to be in the stadium to be part of the action - and a little bit of DIY can go a long way in keeping the game alive. Five by Five’s stories of one football-loving family perfectly showcases the endless opportunities available when you’ve got a passion for the sport - and the right tools.”
The 10 idents will be broadcast in 15, 10 and five second cut-downs and debut on Saturday 17th October 2020.
