Overveiw

So Good It Was Banned is spec campaign developed in response to a brief from Speedo, exploring how the brand could connect with new audiences and remain culturally relevant beyond the swimming pool. The project challenged us to reimagine how Speedo could tell stories that felt contemporary while staying true to the heritage that made the brand iconic.

What We Could See

We saw an opportunity to move away from product-led advertising and instead build a narrative around one of the brand’s most distinctive cultural moments: the banning of Speedo's swim suit. By reframing these bans as a badge of success, So Good It Was Banned transformed a piece of brand history into a platform for humour-led storytelling.

The Goals

The goal was to reposition Speedo beyond the swimming category and demonstrate how the brand could connect with wider audiences through storytelling. By combining humour with cinematic advertising, the campaign aimed to make Speedo feel more culturally relevant while staying true to the confidence and individuality at the heart of the brand. All assets created where intended for an out of home use and in store.

The Film

So good it was banned

The Pitch

The pitch was key to getting both the crew and cast on board. By clearly explaining the concept and supporting it with visual references, everyone quickly understood the creative direction and what I was aiming to achieve with the campaign.

The Film

The Photography

It May Be Banned From Swimming: But Not From Winning

Overview

Initial concepts focused on the idea of Speedo existing beyond the pool, but feedback highlighted the importance of featuring the product more prominently. This led to the line “It may be banned from swimming, but it’s not banned from winning”, which became the foundation for a high-fashion sports editorial series showcasing Speedo in a tennis environment.

Final Photography

I’m really happy with how the stills turned out. The entire shoot was completed in just 1 hour 15 minutes with the models, proving that a small, focused team can deliver strong results quickly. With just four crew members and two models, the shoot was collaborative, efficient, and a lot of fun to bring to life.

Credits