Lion scores in Euro 2004 cracker

The multi-million pound Euro 2004 soccer tournament turned into a cracking promotion for egg sales...for free.

The marketing bonus worth hundreds of thousands of pounds came about because of some nifty footwork by officials at the British Egg Industry Council.

The Council had asked for approval from the Football Association to join in the massive promotional extravaganza surrounding the event in Portugal by printing three lions on every egg sold during the tournament. The FA turned down the request on the basis that the BEIC was not offering to pay and that the tournament did not need any more promotional help.

In response the BEIC approved a press release under the heading "Egg industry gets the F oeuf from FA" which tapped into media interest in the sponsorship of the tournament which received vast sums from international giants including Coca Cola and McDonald's. The result was widespread coverage in newspapers, radio stations and on television which presented the opportunity to underscore the healthy image of eggs and the success of the industry in promoting sales.

Industry spokesmen were able to say: "The FA has been left with egg on its face." Sadly nobody said "On me egg son".