How Specsavers reached 32 million people by embracing football culture

Specsavers had a problem. While its ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ tagline had become a national catchphrase, the brand’s heritage wasn’t connecting with younger consumers.

The business was struggling to reach Gen Z via broadcast channels and was witnessing a decline in engagement. The dilemma was how to win over this younger audience without eroding equity with older customers.

One cultural connection that appeals across the generations is football, a sport where the phrase ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ is regularly applied to on-field gaffs. Teaming up with agency Tangerine, Specsavers decided to position itself as a force for good in football by championing ‘Britain’s Best Worst Team’.

After receiving more than 1,500 nominations from amateur football teams in need of serious help, Specsavers settled on Swansea-based Cwm Albion. The team got to work on an eight-episode ‘rags to riches’ YouTube documentary series narrated by Lionesses legend Jill Scott.

Episode two alone – revealing star manager Harry Redknapp as the club’s new coach – received 7 million impressions and coverage on ITV’s This Morning.

Wales Online documented the campaign from start to finish, while episodes were seeded on the Copa90 Football YouTube channel, reaching an additional 1.4 million people. Digital screens, murals, video projections and ad vans were positioned in key locations to build awareness.

The series was viewed by over 32 million people during the campaign. The content drove 105,000 appointments and a 17-percentage point increase in consideration versus competitors. Top of mind awareness among 16- to 34-year-olds rose 10 percentage points. Indeed, brand likeability scores among Gen Z audiences were comparable with Netflix.

Winner of the 2025 Marketing Week Award for Best Use of Content, Specsavers reached over 160 million people via PR and social, notching up 36 pieces of national coverage – three times its KPI.