A FinTech company has been plugged by legendary director Spike Lee in a film featuring club legends and current players.
In a storied career, Academy Award-winning Lee has explored race relations in his film career spanning the 1980s (Do the Right Thing), 90s (Jungle Fever, Malcolm X), Noughties (Bamboozled) and beyond (Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman).
Now he has used his talents to promote the Gunners鈥� official software partner Airwallex in an advert.
The short film is set in the pub and 鈥榖lends humour, cultural references and sharp dialogue drawn directly from Arsenal culture鈥�.
Rather than discussing football, fans, former and current players speak about Airwallex and its cross-border services.
Among the legends to feature are Thierry Henry, Martin Keown and Rachel Yankey. Current players Kai Havertz, Gabriel and Viktor Gyokeres also make an appearance, as does actor Jasmine Jobson.
鈥淚鈥檝e been riding with Arsenal for years – it started with Thierry,鈥� Lee told Arsenal.com.
鈥淏ut what really stayed with me is what the club stands for, its history, its culture, the way it reflects the world beyond the pitch.
鈥淲颈迟丑 Who Are Ya?, I wanted to capture that real supporter energy鈥攖he passion, the debates, the humour.
“Fans today don鈥檛 just follow the game, they understand everything around it too. Bringing Airwallex into that conversation felt natural, because the film plays on how fans now talk about the business side of football just as much as what happens on the pitch.
鈥淭his film is about that voice, that culture, and that community.鈥�
Matt Jennings, global creative director at Airwallex, said: “Let鈥檚 be honest – most Arsenal supporters haven’t heard of Airwallex, and we didn’t want to be a random logo on a perimeter board; so we decided to introduce our Arsenal partnership in a way supporters couldn鈥檛 ignore.
“Football isn’t just 90 minutes on the pitch – it鈥檚 the talk about money, business, and tactics that happen at the pub every week. We hope our film brings those conversations to life in an entertaining way, and ensures no Arsenal fan will ever have to ask, “Air-who?”