Iconic Unilever brand, Bovril, has partnered with legendary former England footballer and Bovril superfan, Peter Crouch, to establish an exciting, high-profile sponsorship with Sky Bet League One club, Burton Albion otherwise known as ‘The Brewers’. The collaboration will see Bovril become the Official Hydration Partner to ‘The Brewers’, the team local to Unilever’s Burton-Upon-Trent factory, where Bovril has been produced for more than 55 years.
The sponsorship launched on 9 October as the Burton Albion vs Cambridge United football match was aired live on Sky Sports at 8pm.
The investment is designed to raise brand awareness and drive trial in a setting where Bovril is well-loved and has a cult following—the football stadium—and will serve as a launch pad for ongoing activity over the coming year, including further football focused campaigns, and in-store activations to remind consumers to pick up a jar of Bovril and show them how to best use it.
In efforts to re-introduce Bovril to a target audience of football fans aged 30-65 and recruit younger adults, the brand is investing in a new campaign, Warming the Terraces, featuring the humorous Peter Crouch. The campaign nods to Bovril’s brand heritage whilst putting a twist on sports hydration by turning back the clock to remind consumers that the brand was founded on giving people the strength to go on.
In the launch video, which will go live online at noon on game day, Peter Crouch takes four Burton players through the historical and inspiring story that led to the creation of Bovril, while convincing them to try the flavourful beef variant as a hot drink – his favourite.
In the next 12 months, videos of Peter Crouch sharing the brand’s history and heritage and how to make the perfect ‘brew’ will be revealed and uploaded to YouTube and shared on social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Each video highlights Bovril’s historic connection to the British football community, having warmed the UK’s football terraces since 1886 as well as making the most of Peter Crouch’s genuine love of Bovril and his warming sense of humour.
Georgina Bradford, marketing director nutrition at Unilever UK&I, said: “With this Bovril twist on a sports hydration sponsorship and our partnership with football legend Peter Crouch, we are reminding people about Bovril and recruiting new, young adult beef drinkers in the process.
“When consumers are turning to coffee and tea to keep them warm in the depths of winter football, we are taking this opportunity to remind fans that Bovril has been at the heart of football since the start. Bovril has a deep history with football fans, and this collaboration allows us to engage with them in a unique way, while bringing the story of the brand to life through Peter, arguably the brand’s biggest fan.”
Peter Crouch, an avid Bovril enthusiast, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “This is the one I wanted. Followers of my podcast will know how much a fan of Bovril I am, I used to enjoy a cup with my dad on the terraces when growing up, and Bovril holds a special place in British culture. I’m looking forward to taking football fans on an entertaining journey through its rich history.”
In a visible testament to the sponsorship, the iconic Bovril logo will prominently adorn Burton Albion’s home and away kits for the remainder of the England Football League season.
