Micah Richards and Roy Keane travel back in time through the footballing moments that shaped the modern game in Sky Bet’s new ad.
Sky Bet’s latest campaign, ‘Game’s Back’, created by Anomaly, features Micah Richards and Roy Keane in a fun, creative, tongue-in-cheek continuation from the fantastically optimistic ‘World’s gone football’ campaign released earlier this year.
The ad begins with Keane and Richards watching a match in today’s era, only for Keane (unsurprisingly) to grumble: “Five minutes for a decision? Game’s gone.”
Richard then takes Keane on a journey through the ages to illustrate all the times fans have moaned about the state of the game, with the first substitution in 1965 and the introduction of goal nets in 1891.
Harry Phillips, marketing director at Sky Bet, said: “Every football fan has a version of the ‘game’s gone’ argument, whether it’s VAR, ticket prices, or the money in the game. We wanted a campaign that didn’t dodge that conversation but had some fun with it. Roy’s the perfect person to make that argument, and Micah’s the perfect person to shut it down.
“This campaign flips the script in so many ways – transposing a contemporary football meme into past decades, turning a negative into a positive. Despite all the ‘game’s gone’ naysayers, there’s no better time to celebrate football’s positives. Game’s back. Sky Bet’s back.”
Leaders take
This ad is a great play on the frequent cries of ‘game’s gone’ from football when adjustments are made, or when a player or club does something they find distasteful.
Richards and Keane are two of the most entertaining pundits and former footballers around, and they have a knack for poking fun at the industry, the fans, and themselves. They bring a wonderfully playful nature to the ads they feature in, making them a cheeky and enjoyable watch – whether you think the ‘game’s gone’ or not.
