"Lionesses from the Tall Grass"
Following on from July 2022’s emotional scenes at Wembley Stadium, as the England Women’s Football side surpassed their male counterparts by securing an historic European Finals victory over a formidable German line-up, Barclays bank cleverly capitalizes on the moment. While it’s no secret that the beautiful game is an important part of U.K history and culture, far less publicly scrutinized was that for too long a great majority of the focus, funding, and pomp was laid on the altar of the male dominated game. A notion that has been widely dragged into the light over the last decade.
Since knowing your audience is one of the most significant pillars upon which almost all filmmaking stands, brand film can be no exception. However, less like its cinematic sister, brand output can transform into something more powerful than its remit if those ‘unknown’ audiences who stumble across it might be captivated enough, either for personal or emotional reasons, to remain for the duration of its run-time. At more 1.6K reactions on LinkedIn in a little over a few days, and consistent form in terms of our research into total reactions vs reactions per thousand followers, Barclays Lionesses video is doing just that.
Footage of the England national team’s maiden win is spliced together with handheld clips of female youngsters taking part in grassroots football programmes, stirringly soundtracked by a sample of Ian Wright’s impassioned speech on that night that demanded an equal stake and legacy for the women’s game moving forward.
While production values may not be particularly lofty, and the mix of graphics and footage sway precariously between brand film and advertising, what sets this apart as a skilful example worth of our Showcase is its simplicity. In the space of thirty seconds, we appreciate the magnitude of the achievement, the sketchy history of support overcome to get here, and the significance of how this is tied up with our own society. All thanks to Barclays, who have extensively supported the women’s game as the Premier Leagues sponsoring bank.
Media departments of smaller competitor businesses, who might feel outgunned by the big budgets of powerhouses such as Barclays, should view this as an important case study: effective brand film isn’t always dictated by size and scope, but sometimes by heart and message.