‘Discovery mission’: One brand on becoming the baby sector’s first football shirt sponsor
A big believer in “unexpected familiarity”, marketing boss James Russell-Watson explains how Nuby became the first baby brand to secure a title sponsorship in English football.
Upon joining baby accessories brand Nuby in 2023, head of marketing James Russell-Watson came to the conclusion the sector all looked and sounded the same.
“There’s a lot of similar products. Everyone says the same things in the same way. I thought: ‘God, everything that I’ve known about marketing is you differentiate yourself in your sector,’” he recalls. “I’d been looking at ways to try and set Nuby apart as a challenger brand.”
Exploring the opportunities presented by sports felt like a good fit for Russell-Watson, whose previous roles included marketing communications manager for sports, sponsorship and partnerships at E.ON and brand director at Umbro. In his E.ON role, he led the brand activation for the company’s The FA Cup title sponsorship and Football League partnership.
He was also keen not to fall into the trap of seeing parents as a “strange segment” of people who don’t care about anything other than the opening times of their nearest soft play and sourcing the best weaning bib.
