Footballers feature on Lucozade bottles for the first time in World Cup Lionness promo
Lucozade Sport has got behind the Lionesses at the Women's World Cup this summer by releasing 16m special edition bottles featuring England Lionesses defender and captain Steph Houghton and forward Nikita Parris.
Steph Houghton and forward Nikita Parris
The brand notes that this is the first time that footballers have been featured on a Lucozade Sport bottle – with it looking to drive awareness of the women’s game this summer.
Claire Keaveny, head of marketing at Lucozade Sport, said: "We’re delighted to be using [Lucozade Sport] to further increase awareness and interest in the women’s game.
"We’re proud to play our part in helping to make the England Lionesses household names and hope that they continue to inspire a whole generation of people to move.”
Steph Houghton, added: “I’m delighted to feature on Lucozade Sport bottles this summer. It’s a drink I’ve used in preparation for and after matches for a long time. It’s great that they are investing and supporting the women’s game at different levels and it’s an exciting time to be part of women’s football.”
The brand is the "official sports drinks and hydration partner" of the England women's and men's senior teams. It has previously supported captains including Steven Gerrard and Harry Kane but is currently championing boxer Anthony Joshua with a fun campaign in which he launched his own flavour and erected the billboards in his native Watford by himself.
Women's football is undergoing a growth period with an increase in interest from brands. James Anderson, business director at Publicis Sport and Entertainment, last month wrote in The Drum that the sport offers "a refreshing and significantly exciting opportunity for brands in a traditionally cluttered environment as it offers scale, greater value, is more accessible and is hugely untapped when compared to its male counterparts."
Earlier this month, Octagon head of football wrote in The Drum that the "values-based proposition" is more than enough to bait sponsors despite the comparatively lower audiences than the men's game.