SPAR UK Sports Day Giveaway with GB Athlete Marli Jessop
We partnered with Genesis and SPAR UK to bring Olympic hopeful Marli Jessop back to her school – capturing a powerful video campaign full of storytelling, sports, and purpose. From creative direction through to final edits and campaign assets, this project shows how we turn brand values into authentic content that lasts.
Case Study

Back to School with GB Hurdler Marli Jessop

When the team at Genesis Marketing reached out with a brief for SPAR UK’s Sports Day Giveaway campaign, we were brought in to lead the project as creative director, director of photography, and post-production lead – capturing a compelling brand story that would inspire, connect, and convert.

This campaign spotlighted GB Athletics hurdler Marli Jessop, returning to her old school to launch the grant initiative and inspire the next generation.

A frame from the sports day promotional film with SPAR UK - Filmed by campaign producer Emotive Eye

A Day of Storytelling and Sport

At the heart of this shoot was one goal: capture a real story with purpose. Marli’s journey as an athlete became a bridge between brand and audience, giving young students an experience they wouldn’t forget – and giving SPAR a campaign full of meaning.

We began the day at Marli’s former school, capturing interactions with her old PE teacher, personal touches like her artwork still pinned on classroom walls, and a heartfelt Q&A with pupils eager to learn about life as an athlete. The footage was natural, full of warmth, and perfectly aligned with SPAR’s community-led brand message.

From there, we followed the action to the school hall and athletics track, where Marli led a warm-up session and coached the students on sprinting and hurdling techniques – ending with a race against the pupils, all captured on multi-angle video and high-quality audio.

Finally, we moved to a local SPAR store to film the all-important call to action – a clear, confident delivery that encouraged viewers to apply for the school sports day grants.

All hands in the air with Marli Jessop surrounded by students from her high school, ready to take on the challenge of racing GB Hurdler on the track - Corporate brand activation video production by Emotive Eye
A frame from the video produced by Emotive Eye as Marli looks at the art work hanging in her old school classroom
Marli leading the students through a warm up ahead of a hym session outside

Content That Delivers Long-Term Value

Our role didn’t end with the camera. We handled the full post-production, crafting a cinematic hero film and a suite of short-form videos optimised for use across multiple platforms. The content was so successful that SPAR and Genesis returned to us in 2024 to re-edit the original footage into new formats for the campaign’s return – a perfect example of maximising your content investment.

This campaign is a standout example of how Emotive Eye brings together:

  • Creative direction rooted in brand purpose.
  • Cinematic video production with strategic storytelling.
  • Content strategy that ensures long-term value, not just one-off posts.

Explore More

This project is a perfect example of our Brand Campaign Content Services – bringing together high-end video production, purposeful storytelling, and marketing know-how.

If you’re planning a brand activation, advertising campaign, or community-driven content, we’ll help you create film and photography that feels real, connects with your audience, and delivers across channels.

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