JD Sports x Scottish FA From Subs To The Streets OOH Campaign

Intro

For the first time since France ’98, Scotland are heading back to the World Cup.

As the exclusive retail partner of the Scottish FA, JD Sports marked the moment with Street to Subs, a campaign built around Scotland’s return to the world stage and the supporters who have waited nearly three decades to see it happen again.

The first activation went live on Princes Street in Edinburgh, with one of the city’s busiest bus shelters turned into a subs bench style dugout, complete with branded seats, Scotland creative and JD Sports detailing throughout.

The Brief

JD Sports wanted the campaign to feel visible, local and connected to the emotion around Scotland qualifying for the World Cup.

The audience was not hard to define. Scotland fans, JD Sports customers, football followers and everyday city centre audiences across Scotland.

The challenge was making the campaign feel bigger than a standard retail media launch. It needed to carry the feeling around Scotland’s return, while still working as a clear JD Sports campaign in busy retail and commuter locations.

The Approach

The campaign needed to live in places where supporters would naturally see it.

We focused on high footfall city centre locations across Scotland, with Princes Street in Edinburgh leading the first phase of activity. It gave the campaign a strong public-facing moment in one of the country’s most recognisable retail locations.

The dugout format worked because it was simple and easy to understand. A standard bus shelter became familiar to football fans, with branded benches, wrapped glass panels, and Scotland kit creative that turned the space into part of the campaign.

The wider OOH plan then gave the campaign reach across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, helping JD Sports take Street to Subs beyond one location and into key Scottish cities.

What We Delivered

We developed and coordinated the Princes Street activation, working with production partners to bring the dugout concept to life.

The first activation included:

• Seats swapped for branded dugout benches
• Glass panels wrapped in Scotland kit creative
• JD Sports and Scotland colours across the shelter
• Scotland FA campaign creative across the site
• Production coordination and install management
• Media owner liaison
• Campaign delivery and proof of posting

Following the first Princes Street activation, two more bus shelters were turned into football style dugouts as part of the campaign rollout.

The wider OOH campaign also included activity across:

• Glasgow
• Edinburgh
• Aberdeen
• Dundee

Our role covered OOH planning, media buying, production coordination, delivery management and campaign reporting.

Results

The campaign gave JD Sports a visible presence across Scotland at a key moment for the national team.

Key delivery included:

• First activation live on Princes Street, Edinburgh
• One of the city’s busiest bus shelters transformed into a branded football dugout
• Two further bus shelter dugout activations delivered
• Wider OOH rollout across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee
• High footfall locations selected across retail, commuter and supporter environments
• Campaign managed across planning, production, delivery and reporting

The Princes Street activation gave the campaign a strong launch moment, while the wider OOH rollout helped take Street to Subs across Scotland.