The Partnership Game

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The show about the brands, people and partnerships shaping sport and culture. Hosted by Co-founder of The Subthread, Rich Hewes.

Episodes

  1. Jul 14

    Why Sound Is Sport's Most Underrated Brand Asset | ft. Massive Music & Tennis Australia

    Roger Sho Gehrmann and Georgia Roberts of MassiveMusic help brands use music and sound strategically – and with Tennis Australia's Roddy Campbell and Britt Wickes, they built one of sport's most recognisable sonic identities: the sound of the Australian Open.In this episode, they talk through how a COVID-era gap in the AO's brand toolkit sparked a market-leading sonic strategy, why sound hits emotion faster than anything visual, and what it takes to get stakeholders aligned when everyone has an opinion on music. They also look at who's getting it right – from the Champions League anthem to Arsenal's North London Forever – where the ROI really shows up, and why AI can't replace a human brand sound.

    Why Sound Is Sport's Most Underrated Brand Asset | ft. Massive Music & Tennis Australia

  2. Jun 30

    How Carlsberg Taught Anfield to Sign "You'll Never Walk Alone" | The Partnership Game

    In this episode, Senior Global Brand Director, Lynsey Wood talks through Carlsberg's relationship with Liverpool – now over thirty years old and, by her account, the longest-running in the Premier League – and how that long-term trust gave the brand room to build Signs of Unity, a campaign that taught sign language to thousands of fans at Anfield so deaf and hard-of-hearing supporters could be part of You'll Never Walk Alone for the first time.She also walks through the Mads Mikkelsen years, why "probably the best" was never really about the beer, and what authenticity actually means when you're choosing who to put your name next to.0:00 Intro2:30 Quick-fire questions7:00 Lindsey's Career Journey to Carlsberg9:30 How the Beer Industry Has Changed in 12 Years15:00 The Mads Mikkelsen Campaign & Danish Provenance18:00 What Makes a Partnership Authentic21:00 30 Years with Liverpool FC25:30 Inside the Signs of Unity Campaign38:00 The Future: Euros 2028, Access & Carlsberg's Next Chapter

    How Carlsberg Taught Anfield to Sign "You'll Never Walk Alone" | The Partnership Game

  3. Jun 16

    Why Sport Is Still the Best Storytelling Platform | ft. Robert Zitzmann, JVM SPORTS

    Robert Zitzmann, Managing Director and Partner at Jung von Matt SPORTS, has spent his career at the intersection of sport and advertising – and he's clear on what separates campaigns that get remembered from ones that just get made. In this episode, he talks through the agency's model, the work he's most proud of, the lessons from campaigns that didn't go according to plan, and what he really thinks brands should be doing with the World Cup this summer. He also looks ahead — at where cultural marketing is heading, why specialism is winning over generalism, and what the agency of the future actually looks like.

    Why Sport Is Still the Best Storytelling Platform | ft. Robert Zitzmann, JVM SPORTS

  4. Jun 10

    The Premier League's First Creative Director on Culture, Sport & Brand | ft. Kenny Annan-Jonathan

    In this episode of The Partnership Game, Rich Hewes sits down with Kenny Annan-Jonathan – the first (and still only) creative director in the Premier League, founder of a talent management and creative agency, and Sport Director at Cannes Lions, where he's building out Lions Sport: a new initiative designed to bring brands, agencies, rights holders and marketeers into one room and fix how the industry talks about sport.Kenny traces a career path that starts in graphic design, moves through fashion, and finds its way into sport via a chance customer relationship with Wilfried Zaha. He makes the case for why the best sports marketing speaks to communities rather than at them, why creativity in sport has to be a long play, and why the Ronaldinho crossbar ad remains the campaign he wishes he'd made. 0:00 Intro1:03 Dinner Party and Quick Fire Q&A8:56 Kenny Annan-Jonathan's career in sport13:37 The first Creative Director in the Premier League19:20 Do rights holders and sports clubs need a Creative Director?23:30 Why do brands sometimes get it wrong and what does good look like?25:02 Nike's latest "Universe of Football" campaign27:08 LIONS Sport at Cannes Lions32:35 What should brands prioritise when getting into the sports market34:52 The one campaign I wish I made

    The Premier League's First Creative Director on Culture, Sport & Brand | ft. Kenny Annan-Jonathan

  5. Jun 2

    Behind the Dirt Is Good x Arsenal Campaigns | ft. Saffron Inkster

    In the first episode of The Partnership Game, Rich Hewes sits down with Saffron Inkster, Global Master Brand Director at Dirt Is Good, the world's largest laundry brand, known as Persil in the UK and OMO in Brazil. She brings that to life through two Arsenal campaigns. Dirt Is Glory – a documentary series built around Brazilian grassroots clubs that had independently named themselves Arsenal since the 1950s – generated over 180,000 hours of watch time. It Starts Outside tackled the decline in girls playing outside, using nostalgic childhood photos from Arsenal Women players to make the message hit home.

    Behind the Dirt Is Good x Arsenal Campaigns | ft. Saffron Inkster
  • 5 Episodes

About

The show about the brands, people and partnerships shaping sport and culture. Hosted by Co-founder of The Subthread, Rich Hewes.

Information

  • Creator
    The Subthread
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Subthread
  • Show Website
    The Partnership Game