Our thinking

What’s the score?

25 November, 2022

The men’s World Cup is in full swing, albeit with plenty of upset, controversy and protest. Shock wins, Pride merchandise being confiscated, OneLove armbands banned, Iran players refusing to sing their anthem and Germany players covering their mouths in the team photograph to suggest that they had been gagged. What’s the good news?  

Well, England men’s and women’s team sponsors, Lucozade (and, full disclosure, Good Business client), has pulled all of their branding from the event. We won’t see the logo on the team’s water bottles or any branding in press conferences or training sessions during the tournament. This is a brand taking a stand.  

Many have expressed strong concerns about human rights abuses related to migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar. But too few are actioning an adequate response. Lucozade’s support and celebration of diversity, equity and inclusion has been made clear through its choice to not have any brand presence in Qatar.  

To put this into perspective, during the 2010 world cup, Lucozade launched a fifteen-million-pound campaign to encourage consumers to buy Lucozade Sport. This time round, they’re not promoting their brand, and actions are speaking louder – we hope this encourages more brands to stand strong and truly follow a moral compass (or find one).  

We’ll have to wait for the final score, but team Lucozade is currently 1 – 0 up.  

By Bertie Bateman