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Sports Direct unveils first-ever Christmas advert

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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Retail

Sports Direct has launched its first-ever Christmas advert in a bid to showcase what it calls its new and fresh, elevated brand positioning and rebrand for 2021.

The UK’s biggest sports and fitness retailer has invested 5 million pounds into its ‘Sports Starts Here’ Christmas campaign, as it looks to demonstrate its “unique high street and online proposition, that caters for all sports and offers a dynamic range of iconic brands”.

The advert, directed by award-winning director Henry Schofield, best known for directing Stormzy’s Vossi Bop music video, follows a girl who is asked by her mum what she wants for Christmas, which leads to an exploration of different sports choreographed to a musical mash-up.

The film features a cameo from Liverpool Football Club’s captain Jordan Henderson, who is seen being tackled by the female football player, as well as more than 100 “everyday athletes”.

The campaign the retailer states marks a “new era” for the company and feeds into the brand’s new purpose of “using the power of sport to champion the legend in everyone”.

Sports Direct highlight new brand positioning with debut Christmas ad

Michael Murray, Sports Direct head of elevation, said in a statement: “The evolution of our brand is the final piece of our elevation strategy. This is just the start of things to come for the new look Sports Direct.”

Beckie Stanion, Sports Direct chief marketing officer, added: “This is a hugely exciting time for the brand as it marks the first time consumers will be seeing our fresh new outlook via the TV and on social. We wanted to create something that truly captures our new strategy and purpose; championing the legend in everyone, no matter how skilled you are. This campaign does exactly that, which is why we wanted to bring on the UK’s most creative minds and source real sport and fitness talent to bring our new narrative to life.”

The TV ad will be aired in the UEFA Nations League, England vs Iceland game, I’m A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here! and Gogglebox via a series of 60, 30 and 10-second adverts. The retailer states that the campaign will reach more than 40 million people across the UK in the next month.

Sports Direct, owned by Mike Ashley, employs more than 20,000 staff and operates nearly 700 stores and 68 gyms.

Images: courtesy of Sports Direct

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Mike Ashley
Sports Direct