The visual assets included a 9 second video showing the England flag in the shape of an audio frequency graph, representing the rise in online hate. The video was shared using the hashtag #SayNoToRacism on social media by both BT and the creative agency behind the video, Saatchi & Saatchi London.

On twitter, BT posted the video with the caption ‘Three players have given everything to play for their country. And what were they given in return last night?’ The visual creative captured the attention of online audiences and worked to clearly position BT and EE as proud partners of England Football and its players.

BT Sport has been a vocal participant in the Black Lives Matter movement this past year and has repeatedly stated that as a broadcaster, it is determined to use its voice and platform to fight racism. Last month BT sport released a video reflecting on the killing of George Floyd, featuring famous faces in sport such as Rio Ferdinand, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling.

While this video was built around the social context of the black lives matter movement, it related the issue of diversity and inclusion back to sport, as the industry where BT can make an impact. It worked to educate viewers about racism using interview clips of influential figures in sport to capture the attention of fans and reach a wider audience.

The video has been viewed more than 10k times on BT Sport YouTube channel. It was also released on BT’s webpage alongside a pledge to review and accelerate its inclusion and diversity strategy.