Boats.co.uk
Creating a storm
sock it to ‘em
- Digital
- Social
- Video
At the heart of every great campaign is a simple idea, carried through with consistency. For Boats.co.uk, it began with James’ bold socks – a small but memorable feature of his YouTube boat reviews. We saw its potential as a running theme and made sure it always stayed in the cut.
For the Southampton International Boat Show, we built that spark into a complete campaign. James filmed his family boating holiday, which became part of the concept “The Dream Starts Here” – a film capturing the ups, downs, and sheer joy of life on the water with family. We designed a glossy formal invite to the stand, with all the key details, a playful cinema-style ticket that linked directly to the film, and designed and commissioned a special pair of James’ trademark socks embroidered with his classic call, “get the fenders in”.
For the Southampton International Boat Show, we built that spark into a complete campaign. James filmed his family boating holiday, which became part of the concept “The Dream Starts Here” – a film capturing the ups, downs, and sheer joy of life on the water with family. We designed a glossy formal invite to the stand, with all the key details, a playful cinema-style ticket that linked directly to the film, and designed and commissioned a special pair of James’ trademark socks embroidered with his classic call, “get the fenders in”.
The package was sent to customers and James’ target audience to build anticipation and tempt people along to the show — with the promise of a free gin and tonic for anyone who wore their socks to the stand. Visitors arrived engaged, laughing, and already part of the story. The stand was buzzing, conversations flowed, and deals were done. And because the idea was rooted in James’ YouTube presence, the campaign lived on well beyond the event – with followers still asking about the socks long after the show.
At this year’s Boat Show, a fan brought James some Loch Ness socks, while others queued for photos – a playful idea that has grown into true connection and brand recognition.
At this year’s Boat Show, a fan brought James some Loch Ness socks, while others queued for photos – a playful idea that has grown into true connection and brand recognition.
