The Jester’s Advantage. How Comedy Gives Brands Permission to Tell the Truth About Football

The court jester held a unique power in medieval courts. With no stake in the hierarchy, they were given license to say what everyone else was thinking but couldn't voice. They poked fun at kings, queens and the establishment, using comedy to tell deeper truths that those on the inner circle couldn’t.

In 2026, the same dynamic is playing out in football marketing, with more force than ever before. At this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the court was occupied by the organising body, FIFA, 48 teams and its 31 brand sponsors. Each partner bound to strict brand guidelines and activation rules designed to protect the establishment.

While many fans found themselves unable to afford the tournament’s ticket fees, FIFA generated a record-breaking $2.8 billion in sponsorship for the expanded tournament, contributing to an estimated total revenue of $15 billion. In return, official partners were promised exclusive access to the tournament and its coveted IP.

But despite the huge sums of investment, and commercial restrictions, outsider brands became the winners of the battle for eyeballs and fan engagement. According to Nectar Social, 4 of the tournament’s top performing brands were non-sponsors, including Levi’s, who unquestionably embodied the tournament’s court jester.

With FIFA’s commercial regulations prohibiting their presence, Levi’s decided to cover the stadium name with a sheet in the shape of their “Batwing” logo. Heinz, Gillette and Beats by Dre jumped on the jester bandwagon, with tongue-in-cheek coverings of their respective logos. The comedic acts of defiance went viral across the world and struck a chord with fans, who have become increasingly frustrated with FIFA and its prioritisation of profit at the expense of the fan experience.

Levi’s tongue-in-cheek response to being asked to hide their logo at the Levi’s stadium in California

Brands taking an anti-establishment position in football isn’t entirely new. Paddy Power have created some of football’s most iconic campaigns with a mischievous approach that often takes comedic aim at the establishment. Even when the bookmaker became official sponsors of Huddersfield Town AFC, they did so with an award-winning stunt that spoke to the overt commercialisation of football kits, by “un-sponsoring” the club and providing fans with an unbranded kit.  

Paddy Power Save Our Shirt, 2019 won numerous awards including Sponsorship of the year at the UK Sponsorship awards

What felt different about this summer, was that the brands with less heritage within football culture, or without a track record for provocation, were willing to take such a strong position. As the World Cup gives way to another Premier League season (and domestic football across the globe), there’s an opportunity for outsider brands to harness the power of anti-establishment comedy to cut through the noise.

Profit-hungry owners, the need for multiple subscription services, and extortionate ticket prices in an increasingly challenging economic environment provide immediately rich material to connect with fans through the medium of comedy.

The data also suggests that a comedic approach to advertising is a recipe for ROI. Brands who create comedic campaigns are 90% more likely to be remembered according to a report from Oracle. The power of comedy also trickles down the marketing funnel according to Adobe’s Levity and Laughter report, with humorous content considered as a top motivator for purchase intent amongst 30% of TikTok users, and the reason why 72% of consumers will choose one brand over a competitor.

The big challenge of course is that comedy is highly subjective, and traditional football fans (those with a long-standing connection to a team, often built through generations) are notoriously tribal and protective of the sanctity of the beautiful game. Interestingly, in our own sports fandom report, Game On, we found casual fans (those with a lighter and more flexible connection, often driven by big sporting events) were far more receptive than traditional fans to the number of initiatives from brands in sporting environments (4.18 vs. 3.91).

The Mix Global’s report, Game On, examines the opportunity to engage with casual, underrepresented and emergent fans

The biggest opportunity to embody the jester archetype lies with outsider brands looking to engage with football fans who have traditionally found themselves on the outside of football culture. Our report also revealed that underrepresented fans (those from minority and marginalised groups) were also significantly more interested in co-creating initiatives alongside brands compared to traditional fans (18% vs 11%).

This provides a unique opportunity to work alongside fans to understand their relationship with football, and create campaigns that connect through humour. Outsider brands can position themselves as the modern-day jesters, reflecting the truths that define the fan experience, and carve out a distinct and meaningful role in an increasingly competitive space.

Official sponsors, of course, benefit from the access to players, iconic IP, and the action on the field. But the guardrails, brand guidelines and complex stakeholder sign-off process encourage far safer activations and engagement strategies. 

As supporters are forced to pay more on streaming services, season tickets and replica shirts, the distance between fans and the business of football will continue to grow wider. This summer’s international tournament showed us that outsider brands have the right to punch up, challenge the establishment, and create solutions, services and stories that address tensions and barriers to engagement.

And for those brave enough to embody the jester, there’s a seriously funny opportunity to shake things up, cut through the noise and create meaningful connections with fans.

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Christian Hurley is Head of Cultural Intelligence at The Mix Global, the research and strategy agency who help organisations find their place in culture by building meaningful brands, products and storytelling.

Game On unearths the breakthrough fans redefining the rules of engagement with sport. By blending quantitative and ethnographic research across the US and UK, the report explores the emergent teams, leagues and campaigns resonating with the next generation of sports fans, and provides marketers with an engagement framework to help brands connect with them in more meaningful ways. Click here to download the report.