The Marketing Genius of Amazon’s All or Nothing
⚽ A Sporting Start to First Touch
When I was 20, I took my first solo trip to London to pitch the idea of First Touch Marketing at Wembley with my university UCFB, as part of my Football Business & Marketing Degree. It was the moment I thought, this could actually be real. Fast-forward to today, I’m running the agency I birthed; thanks to that defining moment.
That same sense of boldness, putting people first, not just polished branding, is exactly what makes Amazon’s All or Nothing football docs so magnetic from a marketing perspective. It’s raw and real.
📚 Storytelling Is King
Football is changing [as referenced and discussed in our Club World Cup blog], and so is the world of marketing.
Amazon’s All or Nothing series (the franchise launched back in 2016 with the Arizona Cardinals) has grown into a global sports-documentary phenomenon, letting fans sit right in the room with players, managers, nutritionists, even the physios. The Arsenal season is especially notable: narrated by lifelong Gunner Daniel Kaluuya, who brings authenticity and local voice to the storytelling.
But the real innovation? It humanises the sporting world, pulling behind the curtain and showing you the day to day. That's what modern marketing needs to mirror: people, not products. Think Mr Beast, Sidemen, Lewis Hamilton, Ronaldo. Personality first, sport or brand second.
📞 Social Media First
Amazon doesn’t just launch All or Nothing: they tease it, through gripping reels and TikToks that pull back the curtain. One viral clip that immediately comes to mind is Jose Mourinho and Dele Alli in the Tottenham doc—Mourinho’s raw emotion and candid discussion with Dele has been circulated across X (formerly Twitter) for years. There's marketing gold in that vulnerability.
In Manchester City’s case, the documentary showed t-shirts that stated “We won it on derby day” that never got used… until Mourinho cheekily referenced them in a United press conference. A moment of humour turned marketing collateral in real time.
🌍 From Local to Global
Amazon rolls these docs out globally, and they land: All or Nothing: Arsenal reached three times the average audience demand in the UK. That’s the power of combining local authenticity (Kaluuya’s voice and background) with global distribution. Arsenal’s rollercoaster 2021–22 season offered the narrative arc audiences crave.
Other clubs like Juventus, Man City, Tottenham also joined the franchise, each treated with respect to regional storytelling - focusing on narratives that resonate locally and scale globally.
🫵 How We Can Do This for You
Storytelling isn’t an optional add-on anymore, it’s the engine of engagement. Instead of polished faceless branding, let’s show the people behind the brand.
We recently began applying this for two clients: ReservAway and Boom Fireworks, weaving founder and staff led videos to humanise their business, and after initial fight back - people eventually see the value through results.
👋 Let’s Get Talking
If you’re ready to improve your marketing with storytelling that resonates, I’d love to chat.
Email me - jacklomax@firsttouchmarketing.co.uk
🫡 Your Brand Deserves Better
First Touch Marketing
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