A champion-worthy brand activation with Nike and Liverpool FC.
Working with ETTG, Nike’s sports marketing agency, iMP was commissioned to wrap our beautiful vintage ice cream van in some quite unusual branding.
Nike and Liverpool FC wanted to create something special to celebrate Liverpool FC being crowned Premier League champions. The brief was to create visibility and reward fans at the same time. The idea? Bring joy to the people of Liverpool in a way that only they would truly understand. So Ear To The Ground and iMP rolled out a branded “lolly ice” van to serve 5000 free ice lollies. The brief was simple: create a feel-good, high-impact moment that connected Nike, Liverpool FC, and the fans on a cultural level.
So we took our original Whitby Morrison ice cream van (Vanessa) and gave her a full Nike x Liverpool FC body wrap. The design used club colours, the exact Liverpool red, bold Nike branding and had fun with the Liverpool culture. The result was a celebration on wheels. Not only was the van nostalgic, recognisable and impossible to miss but authentic as well. By serving up “lolly ices” (as they’re known locally to Scousers) it instantly resonated with the fans at The Sandon pub and training ground.
Stopping at key cultural locations and backdrops around the city, the ice cream van was used firstly for press and PR. The final stop on the day before the Premier League Champions Parade was the famous Sandon pub in Liverpool. With a DJ, sunshine and 5000 free lolly ices, the atmosphere was electric. We blended football pride with music, ice lollies and our retro ice cream van, taking the celebration out of the stadium and into the streets.
The van became a social media moment in itself. Spotted on the M62, shared on X/ Twitter by fans, picked up by local press, and championed by influencers. We handed out lolly ices, engaged thousands of fans and helped Nike create a powerful emotional connection with Liverpool FC’s local and global audience. Plus we delivered a campaign rooted in local culture, full of energy, and worthy of a championship celebration.
This activation hit differently not just because of the iconic Nike logo. It included a reference to Scouse humour, pride and connection to football and community. By serving up free lolly ices in an iconic red van, Nike and Liverpool FC connected with fans as people. With iMP’s creative production and logistical know-how, the experience was more than a campaign. It was a literal moving tribute to the spirit of the city.
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David and team at iMP are the real deal - kind, personable, dependable, professional, and offer a craftsmanship that rivals any agency I've encountered in my career. We will absolutely be using iMP again for any future UK activations (if they will have us) and highly recommend for any companies seeking an incredible experience - ESPECIALLY if you're a US-based team like us, and need an expert on location.
Brand Director, Life360
Had a wonderful experience working with David and the whole iMP team for an event this summer! David went above and beyond to help wherever possible and the branded ice cream van turned out beautifully. Hope to work with iMP again soon!
Brand Manager, ETTG
We partnered with iMP Sampling & Experiential for a summer campaign with one of our clients, and we couldn't be happier with the results. They executed a total of 42 in-store events nationwide, and their team's expertise in sampling and experiential marketing truly shone through. The staff were great at engaging with customers and helping us to achieve our goal of increasing footfall and participation at each event.
Account Director, CreativeRace
We worked with iMP on stands for two different events and were thrilled with the quality of the items we received. The team executed our brief to a fantastic standard, working to a tight turnaround to deliver all materials required for both events, and were extremely supportive and quick to respond to any questions we had throughout the process. Thank you iMP for your work on this project to ensure we had incredible activations at both of our events!
Brand Manager, BOL Foods
Hiring iMP for an event I was leading on for a new client was a great decision. They turned around a high quality sampling event and promo vehicle with a very short turnaround time, and their staff on the day were incredibly enthusiastic and professional. They made the process easy and the client very happy, we'll definitely be working with them again.
Brand Director, Lee Kum Kee
We worked with iMP for our event stand and staffing of the Ideal Home Show. David and the team were fantastic, our stand was incredible and we had so many compliments on it. The staff were great, they are really high energy and engaged our consumers at the stand. I would highly recommend if you are looking to run any sampling or experiential events for your brand.
Brand Manager, Snuggledown
