From croaky interview to national headline: The Jakemans World Cup story

Jakemans is the No.1 UK lozenge brand*, with a heritage dating back more than 100 years. Known for its bold, distinctive flavour range, the brand helps people soothe their throats while championing moments that bring people together, from everyday conversations to major cultural occasions.

So, when England captain Harry Kane lost his voice during the World Cup celebrations, we saw the perfect opportunity for Jakemans to enter the conversation…

THE CHALLENGE

Major sporting moments create huge opportunities for brands, but they also create an incredibly crowded media landscape. During England’s World Cup celebrations, our key national contacts told us they were receiving significantly more PR pitches than usual, making it harder than ever for brands to cut through the noise.

When Harry Kane’s croaky interview went viral after the England vs Mexico win, we recognised a rare opportunity for Jakemans to join the conversation in a way that was both culturally relevant and completely authentic to the brand. The challenge was speed – moving fast enough to own the story before the news cycle moved on.

THE IDEA

Within hours, our team developed a reactive social post, suggesting Harry needed some Jakemans to help him sing the winning anthem. We seeded the story with BBC Lincolnshire – a natural first port of call given Jakeman’s home in Boston – offering to help get Harry Kane an emergency supply of Jakemans lozenges to help get his voice back ahead of the next game. What began as a light-hearted social response quickly evolved into a fully integrated earned media campaign.

We created a bespoke pack of Jakemans’ fan-favourite Cherry lozenges – naturally red, making them a perfect fit for England – with limited-edition ‘ROAR Relief’ branding. This gave a strong visual asset for the campaign, giving journalists a far stronger story to tell.

Working closely with the Jakemans team, we amplified the idea through targeted media outreach, positioning the brand as a timely, thoughtful and playful participant in one of the biggest news stories of the summer – breaking through an exceptionally competitive agenda through speed and strategic fit.

The Results

The campaign secured:

➤ A BBC North TV feature broadcast featuring branded b-roll and Jakemans Sales Director, which ran across three regional channels

➤ A BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview

➤ 27 pieces of online coverage

➤ Three print features

➤ Multiple media-led social posts

Remarkably, the BBC coverage alone delivered 36 brand mentions, an exceptional result for a broadcaster who is known for having strict brand guidelines.

Using our AI-powered media measurement platform, we were able to measure not only the quantity of coverage but its effectiveness. The campaign achieved a 93% brand recall score, while 90% of online articles mentioned Jakemans in either the headline or opening paragraph. Audience analysis also showed readers most strongly associated the brand with qualities including supportive, responsive, thoughtful, caring, and innovative, exactly the attributes Jakemans wanted to reinforce.

The campaign was recognised by PRWeek in their Campaigns Round-up, and also included as a “hit” in their Creative Hits and Misses. A great accolade for the Speed team involved in its creation!

The Results

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