The Pools – “The Parents” Rebrand & Campaign
I led the complete rebrand and creative campaign for The Pools — the iconic British football betting brand originally known as The Football Pools. To mark its 100th anniversary, the brand needed a bold relaunch that celebrated its heritage while making it relevant to a new generation of players.
Reimagining a British Icon
The Pools has been part of football culture since 1923 — when its coupons were first handed out outside Old Trafford. My task was to modernise the brand without losing what made it special. I designed and created a new visual identity, tone of voice and campaign platform that brought The Pools back into the national spotlight.
At the centre of the relaunch was “The Parents”, a light-hearted, nostalgic campaign that captured the warmth, humour and family connection that defines The Pools’ place in British life.
The Creative
“The Parents” was built around the idea of playing for the love of it — celebrating the generations of fans who grew up filling in their Pools slips every weekend. To give it authenticity, I used real family photography — including photos of my own parents and some of the teams, enabling us to create a campaign that felt genuine, human and emotionally resonant.
Visually, I developed a retro-modern aesthetic that blended nostalgic textures and tones with bold typography and contemporary layout design. The campaign introduced a new logo and brand mark, The Play Maker, which I designed to symbolise both the brand’s sporting heritage and its fresh energy.
The campaign launched nationwide across out-of-home, radio and social, reintroducing The Pools to the public with a confident, witty and inclusive tone — far removed from the laddish or macho tropes often seen in
betting advertising.
Results
“The Parents” was the first step in re-establishing The Pools as a true original — proud of its legacy, but ready for the future. It reconnected with long-time players, introduced the brand to younger audiences, and laid the creative foundation for the next phase of work: “True Originals”, the national TV and VOD campaign
that followed.
