Nicola Orrell takes us behind the scenes of Edison Media’s award-winning “Here to Win” campaign with Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, Under Armour and JD Sports – which generated over 13 million impressions and won best brand activation at the Prolific North Champions Awards 2025.
Planning: More than just another ad
When Under Armour and JD Sports approached us about partnering with Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, I knew immediately this wasn’t going to be your typical athlete endorsement campaign.
Fresh off his signing with Under Armour in November, Paddy represented something different – he wasn’t just another fighter, he was a cultural phenomenon with deep Liverpool roots and an authenticity that couldn’t be manufactured.
The brief was clear: create a moment that felt bigger than an advertisement, something that connected with Paddy’s journey from the streets of Liverpool to the global UFC stage.
Our target was initially modest – 500,000+ impressions and real-world engagement – but as we dug deeper into the strategy, we realised we had the opportunity to do something much more significant.
Understanding our audience was crucial. We were targeting men aged 16-34, spanning UFC fans, fitness enthusiasts, streetwear culture devotees, and JD Sports shoppers.
But here’s what made this campaign different – we weren’t just trying to reach existing fans. We wanted to spark conversations, whether people loved Paddy or not.
The geographical strategy became the backbone of everything. Liverpool and Manchester were non-negotiable – Paddy’s North West roots meant the campaign had to start there.
But we pushed for European expansion, recognising Under Armour and JD’s footprint in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and London.
Our £165,000 budget needed to work harder than most. We allocated £70,000 to Liverpool alone; Manchester got £20,000 for strategic visibility, while our European push took £40,000 across Rotterdam and Amsterdam, with London securing £35,000.
The creative vision came together around one central concept: the execution had to mirror Paddy’s own journey, from the streets to the main stage.
Flyposting and guerrilla placements would reflect his grassroots rise, raw and unfiltered.
High-impact digital takeovers in Manchester and Rotterdam would symbolise his transition to the global UFC spotlight.
And at the heart of it all would be a mural on Skerries Road in the shadow of Liverpool FC’s Anfield home.
Implementation: Building something bigger
Execution day was where months of planning met the reality of multi-city, international logistics.
This wasn’t just about putting up posters – we were orchestrating a synchronised takeover across five cities in three countries.
The creative foundation started with an exclusive purpose-built photoshoot. We weren’t just slapping Paddy’s face on generic Under Armour gear – every piece he wore was available at JD Sports, creating an authentic connection between athlete, brand and retail experience.
The mural at Anfield became our crown jewel, but securing that location was our biggest challenge. You can’t just rock up to one of football’s most iconic stadiums and ask to paint a wall.
Our deep market knowledge and relationships in Liverpool were crucial here. We navigated permissions, timing and location-scouting with military precision. The result? A 40-foot tribute to one of Liverpool’s own, positioned where hundreds of thousands of football fans would see it throughout the season.
Manchester’s execution centered on Market Street, targeting the Arndale with large-format digital while flooding the city centre with flyposting. It wasn’t subtle, but then a campaign for ‘The Baddy’ doesn’t have to be subtle.
Our European rollout was equally ambitious. Rotterdam saw us dominate Lijnbaan and Mall D6 with large-format digital, complemented by roadside placements and proximity flyposting. Amsterdam involved an incredible 12,000 panels across central locations and near JD Sports stores. London got the full treatment with a 30-panel flyposting takeover in high-footfall areas.
The beauty of having experience with brands like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour meant we knew how to handle the logistical complexity. It’s why the big brands trust us: we can deliver multi-location, multi-format and high-pressure campaigns on time and budget.
But the real magic happened when Paddy himself visited the Anfield mural. We had hundreds of fans turning up, creating organic buzz that no amount of paid media could replicate. Social media exploded – fans were tagging friends, taking selfies, sharing stories.
Impact: When numbers tell the story
The results spoke louder than we ever expected. We’d targeted 500,000+ impressions and ended up with over 13 million across OOH and digital combined. The OOH activation alone delivered over 9 million impressions – but numbers only tell part of the story.
Paddy’s Instagram post showcasing the campaign hit 64.2K likes, 290 comments and 280 shares. On X, a viral post reached 119K views. The Liverpool Echo’s TikTok coverage surpassed 153K views and became their most-watched post in six months.
The Anfield mural became a genuine destination. Fans were making pilgrimages, especially with Liverpool’s packed fixture list meaning hundreds of thousands of home and away supporters were seeing it in real-time. We watched people stop, photograph, discuss and share – both loving it and debating it. That’s exactly what we wanted.
From a business perspective, foot traffic to JD Sports stores increased in campaign areas, though sales weren’t our primary KPI. More importantly, we’d successfully launched Paddy’s partnership with Under Armour in a way that felt authentic to his brand and meaningful to his audience.
The press coverage exceeded every expectation, generating free media exposure that extended our reach without touching the budget. Love it or hate it, people were talking about it.
To cap it all, our work was named best brand activation campaign at the Prolific North Champions Awards last month. The judges described it as “a real stand out campaign thanks to its clear targeting, superb media mix and results”.
The “Here to Win” campaign showed what can happen when you combine strategic planning, flawless execution and genuine insight. We didn’t just take part in the conversation; we owned it completely.
