We were shown the ad just a week before the game. Rooney was bare-chested and daubed with red paint, depicting the English St George’s Cross flag. We knew the media and public would be riveted by it.

Our strategy was to convince editors of three leading newspapers and outdoor and online media that the ad deserved their best space. We had a limited budget but were convinced other newspapers would run it as editorial thereafter.

The international response was unprecedented. Everyone was talking about it! Spoofs even appeared online – a measure of success in itself! Our media strategy achieved 80% coverage of 16-34 men in one day using advertising and unprecedented PR coverage - total value: US$29.5m (£15m), 100 times the actual cost.