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Football stars transformed into classic pub signs for BT Sport

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I won't pretend to know a thing about Football, but I know quite a lot about pubs. I've always been adverse to the fancy wine bar or the over-priced nightclub, being more at home in a dusty hovel bearing a name such as the “Bull and Bladder” or the “Dog and Duck” that serves a range of decent cask ales (at reasonable prices) and offers a sanctuary in which you can converse with your friends over a pint without being put off by the latest chart topping abortion or the lusty bragging of the standard meatheads on patrol. It's not just that though.

OgilvyOne has created a series of football-inspired “Pub Signs” to celebrate BT Sport’s exclusive partnership with the UEFA Champions League

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There's something undeniably British about the traditional pub, and a big part of that is to to with the telltale pub signs that hang from every “Dog and Duck” and “Queens Head.” These bold, often hand-painted signs speak to a bygone age that we all secretly wish held some sort of relevance in the 21st century. Reflecting this sentiment, many football fans also complain that the modern game has become too clinical and money-focused, all sponsorship deals and bling. So by combining the two, OgilvyOne has struck upon a rather ingenious concept to celebrate BT Sport becoming the new home of the UEFA Champions League. The series of specially designed and hand painted football-inspired BT Sport “Pub Signs” aim to illustrate the importance of football to the pub industry, and that BT Sport’s exclusive rights to broadcast the Champions League rights means more business for pubs.

The agency collaborated with traditional pub sign artist Andrew Grundon, who specialises in hand-painted bespoke signs

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OgilvyOne collaborated with traditional pub sign artist Andrew Grundon, who specialises in hand-painted bespoke signs. To achieve the authentic, slightly worn style of traditional British pub signs, each sign took two weeks to complete using an oil on wood method. The design concept for each sign is original and the background shots are of real pubs around London. The pub signs feature the world’s top football talent with a twist on traditional pub names to raise awareness of BT Sport’s exclusive partnership with the UEFA Champions League amongst publicans and fans. The signs include: “The Coach and Horses” portraying Jose Mourinho; “The Lahm and Flag” showing the German defender, Philipp Lahm; “The Blue Hart” depicting Jo Hart, Man City keeper; “The Bale and Dragon” referring to Gareth Bale’s Welsh roots and “The Bernabeu Arms” referencing Real Madrid’s world-famous stadium. An additional sign, “The Premier Crown”, was also created to highlight BT Sport’s Barclays Premier League coverage. Each print ad carries the campaign line “Make your pub the home of UEFA Champions League.”

Each unique pub sign features some of the world’s top football talent with a twist on traditional pub names

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Jon Crownshaw, head of commercial marketing at BT Sport, said “For the start of the Champions League we needed something that was really going to get noticed by pub landlords. Now that it’s exclusive to BT Sport, we had to show how important the competition is to pubs’ midweek trade. These signs did that perfectly, and looked fantastic to boot. The Lahm and Flag is a firm favourite in the office.” Emma de la Fosse and Charlie Wilson, joint chief creative officers at OgilvyOne Europe, Africa and the Middle East, added: “We wanted to create a campaign which looked at how integral football is to the pub industry. Signs we have developed join a long tradition of wordplay, folklore and intrigue. Combined with modern footballing references, they automatically become fun and engaging for fans and pub landlords.” Which is great news for me, as I'm often forced to sit through football matches, but if I'm forced to do so in a decent pub, at least I can enjoy a decent beer whilst I'm pretending to care about the on-screen action.

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, struggling musician and a Manchester United supporter by association (it's a family thing) from Kidderminster in the UK.

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