When Chelsea set out to launch their 25/26 kit, they didn’t want another hype reel or just another football ad. They wanted to own London. Enter ICONIC and TILL DAWN—two creative forces who flipped the script on how football culture is portrayed. Ditching the usual grit and grime, they built a campaign rooted in joy, music, and authenticity.
Anchored by the iconic Madness anthem “Our House” and powered by an all-star cast of fans, players, and Suggs himself, the result is a bold, unexpected love letter to Chelsea and the city it calls home.
We caught up with ICONIC Founder James Kirkham and Till Dawn Founder Craig Stronach to learn more.
What was the brief?
To launch the new Chelsea kit for the 25/26 football season. To represent London through Chelsea, exporting their unique blend to a global audience. And to land with legitimacy and authenticity to their core fan base.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
ICONIC and TILL DAWN teams got together, aligned around a strategy of audaciously wanting all fans to wish they were Chelsea too.
We were set on doing culture differently, trying to zero in on big, joyful, positive, culture not the one full of edge and grime so often seen in so many recent films with London at the heart. Music was also a huge driving force from the start, we knew we wanted to build ideas predicated on music at the centre of the storytelling
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
Ensuring kept carefully aligned to the strategy and knowing what other would pitch. Right now, there’s been a plethora of London culture films which are darker, edgier, very much the urban grime and we wanted to be the antithesis of this. We also wanted music to be central to this, helping us transcended boundaries and move through culture and appeal to all ages of fans.
What was the production process like?
Ellie Farrer worked brilliant between ICONIC strategy, client facing relationships, TILL DAWN creative & design, and production company Park Pictures. The entire shoot was just a couple of days in a huge sprint, back to back sets, multiple crews, stills photography concurrently being talent with film direction and athletes and talents moving between stations and sets.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it
Naturally working with footballers, there’s an extremely tight window of opportunity and with our concept weaving the lyrics of the Madness track ‘Our House’ into the fabric of Chelsea culture - each scene was integral to make the sequence flow.
So logistically this provided its challenges throughout, but through being reactive with planning, problem solving and being versatile across multiple units we were able to efficiently execute the treatment.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
Alexa 35
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
Suggs hopping on the cart and driving it around Stamford bridge singing Our house. We have this behind the scenes video, that I hope we can get out at some point...!
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
Chelsea’s London, to the world. The cosmopolitan, multi-faceted and diverse roots ingrained into the fabric of London.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
3 months
Can you describe the creative spark or inspiration behind the initial concept? Was there a specific moment or insight that ignited the idea?
Initially the ‘House’ lived in another idea, but as the concepts developed layers, the undeniable melody of the Madness track started to echo in our studio and ultimately created an entirely new route, which led to London, It’s Our House. With Suggs being such a Chelsea icon, the more we developed each scene from the lyrics the more it just evermore notoriously Chelsea.
How did you ensure that the concept aligned with the brand's values, goals, and target audience?
The core of our objective was to export Chelsea being the fabric of London and positioning the campaign to the global Chelsea fanbase. Within this creating an authentic sense of unity and energy between players, celebrities and fans being at the core of our tone when approaching each scene and still.
Then beyond the hero content, we developed a real focus into the retail element, engineering our content to work in unity for the full 360 campaign, retaining a consistent messaging thread throughout from awareness to conversion.
Were there any alternative concepts or ideas considered during the ideation phase? If so, what led to the selection of the final concept?
We initially went in with 5 concepts into the tissue, refining 2 ideas for the pitch and although they felt inherently different in their direction and narrative, they all played into the key core objectives of the campaign.
London, It’s Our House grew momentum throughout internally on our side as well as at Chelsea, naturally the track plays such an integral part to this, it’s addictive, its captivating and you never get tired of it. But alongside this was the depth of each scene and the detail that we could inject into our narratives, giving us the platform to create something that just felt ‘Proper Chels’.
Can you discuss any collaborative or interdisciplinary aspects of the ideation process, such as working with other departments or external partners?
For us, this collaborative process was how we navigated the campaign from briefing to delivery, between the ICONIC strategy, TILL DAWN creative and production by Park Pictures - this process had to be excellently managed to ensure all parties were aligned throughout and key objectives we at the heart of everything we did.
What kept this process so strong yet fluid at the same time was having transparent communication and an ultra-level of detail applied to the project management.
What role did consumer research or market analysis play in shaping the concept and its execution?
Market analysis was a vital factor from our initial ideation phase through to refining scripts and storyboards, with London being the most competitive city in the world when it comes to football clubs marketing kit launches it was essential we defined a unique perspective for Chelsea fans and championed their voices and no one else's.
Can you discuss any unique or unconventional production techniques or approaches used to bring the idea to life?
Because of the logistical complexities of this project, we stripped back our production techniques to simplify our creative process and really emphasised our energy through the tone and dynamic between talent on set.
Beyond this in post-production, we did integrate AI through certain sound and visual elements, but with it needing to connect with Chelsea fans of all ages, we kept this minimal to really hero our narrative and our talent.
How did you ensure that the concept remained innovative and stood out in a crowded marketplace?
With ‘Our House’ released in 1982, landing this track with a younger consumer in 2025 was the creative challenge but also the key ingredient to make this campaign land impactfully. It was this bravery and trust from the team at Chelsea that gave us the creative freedom to deliver on this and create something iconic in the saturated marketplace.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
From speaking to Chelsea fans, of all ages post launch this campaign has created a real connection and sense of unity from the Chelsea community and for us, this is our ultimate objective, building that deep connection between club and fans is something so important as the season progresses and regular product launches drop.
Credit list for the work?
Director: Jake Erland @jakerland
Production Company: Park Pictures @parkpictures
MD/Executive Producer: Fran Thompson @fran.thompson
Executive Producer: Shelley Jones @shelleybones
Head of Production: Fred Deedes @fdeedes
Creative Agency: Till Dawn @till_____dawn
Creative Agency Founder + ECD: Craig Stronach @_stronach
Creative Agency Producer + Client Director: Ellie Farrer @elliefarrer
Creative Agency CD: Ben Wrigglesworth @benwriggles
Strategic Agency: ICONIC
Strategic Agency Founder: James Kirkham @spoonybear