Here at Sport Social, we're not happy to just deliver your bog-standard advertising campaigns.
Last year, we partnered with Invincibles Studio to transform the launch of Soccer Manager 2026 into a multi-channel, personality-led campaign. The goal: reach highly engaged football fans in an authentic environment, drive game downloads and embed the brand directly into trusted football conversations.
Rather than traditional advertising, the campaign placed Soccer Manager 2026 inside football culture - combining podcast storytelling, video, in-game integrations, and grassroots initiatives to create a fully immersive fan experience.
Activity included baked-in host-read ads across episodes of Undr The Cosh, delivered in the show’s trademark style for authenticity and recall. A simulcast episode across audio and YouTube featured in-game player cards, QR codes for download, and branded assets such as logos and title screens.
Hosts also interacted with their own player cards and in-game stats, generating natural humour and highly shareable moments for audiences.
"Integrating the hosts directly into the game created a natural extension of the show and made the campaign genuinely entertaining for listeners. It felt authentic to the Undr The Cosh audience while bringing Soccer Manager into the heart of the football conversation.”
George Power, Content Producer at Undr The Cosh
Beyond content integrations, Sport Social and Undr The Cosh were featured as in-game sponsors within Create a Club mode, ensuring visibility directly in gameplay. Offline, a nationwide grassroots kit competition connected the digital launch back to real football communities, with amateur teams across the UK invited to participate.
Bure Valley FC’s U12 Girls team from Coltishall in Norfolk, were randomly selected as winners, receiving a fully funded kit featuring both Sport Social and Soccer Manager 2026 logos - bringing the campaign full circle from digital sponsorship to the grassroots pitch.
“This partnership shows how podcast-led branded content can go far beyond audio. By combining trusted voices, in-game integration and real-world community impact, we helped Soccer Manager 2026 connect with football fans in a way that felt natural, entertaining and meaningful.”
Sophie Hind, Managing Director of Sport Social Podcast Network
The campaign delivered strong engagement, generating:
- 4 million total game users
- 220 million matches played
- 65 million matches played with Sport Social selected as sponsor
- 186 million in-game Sport Social impressions
By blending podcasts, gameplay, video and grassroots initiatives, the campaign demonstrates how brands can deliver authentic, multi-channel fan experiences that extend far beyond traditional advertising, embedding themselves into the culture of the sport.
“It has been great having Sport Social as a partner for Soccer Manager 2026. Their reputation in sports media makes them a natural, authentic in-game sponsor, and having a real, relatable sports entertainment brand clearly resonates with our players. Sport Social is a popular choice for club kits and has strong visibility in-game. We’re also grateful to work closely together on initiatives such as giving our players and Sport Social listeners the chance to win a football kit, a fun concept that reflects the values we share.”
Kym Ratcliffe, Marketing Operations, Invincibles Studio
For commercial enquiries, email sales@sport-social.co.uk