Ladbrokes bangs the drum for the Euros

Ladbrokes has launched a new campaign that celebrates the delayed European Championship 2020 tournament and which captures the joy of live sport and entertainment through drumming on a massive scale.

The campaign leads with a 60-second film celebrating the excitement football brings to fans and casual viewers alike. Alongside the spot are activations across the nation designed to raise awareness for how the live entertainment sector has suffered disproportionately over the last year.

The spot, directed by Sam Brown through Rogue London, is the first work for Ladbrokes by creative agency Neverland London, which won the account in March. Called This Time We Play Together, the spot uses hundreds of drummers to evoke the anticipation and tension that football fans feel during a crucial penalty. As the player backs nervously away from the ball viewers can hear his heart beating in a metronomic rhythm. We then see that this isn’t our penalty taker's heartbeat, but a crowd of drummers surrounding the player. 

The film then cuts to drummers in a variety of situations where fans would typically watch the game, including gathered together in a family’s living room, packed into a pub, clustered around a bus stop and across the rooftops and streets of a city. It then builds to a crescendo with unbearable tension as the player runs towards the penalty spot and, as he makes contact with the ball, the drumming track kicks back in.

Filmed in May this year, the production included employing 190 experienced drummers, with Del Amitri drummer Ash Soan responsible for arranging and composing the drummers in the shoot and the spot set to a thumping soundtrack, Rock & Roll Queen, by The Subways.

"We loved every single minute working with Ladbrokes to make this campaign," said Jon Forsyth, Founding Partner at Neverland. "It’s a kick-ass, blow the roof off, jump on the sofa, bring on the summer extravaganza! Enjoy!”