Viewers could not believe their eyes on Saturday night (April 17) when The Sun’s new World Cup TV campaign hit their screens.

The ad, which features a minute-long rousing rendition of the Elvis hit ‘If I Can Dream’, starred none other than the paper’s football columnist and former England Manager Terry Venables belting out the 1968 track from the hallowed Wembley turf backed by the 60 piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a full backing choir. 
 
The eagerly-awaited epic TV spectacle, which had been kept under wraps until Saturday, aired during the UK’s most-watched TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and showed the star football pundit singing his heart out to the classic track.

The paper’s other star football columnists Ian Wright and Harry Redknapp even make guest appearances in the choir - as the three columnists became the Three Tenors.

Before filming the ad, created by agency WCRS, Venables underwent several weeks of intense training with a professional vocal coach to enable him to perform the stirring gospel-inspired hit to a professional standard.

To watch the ad click here.

He said:  “Like any football fan, I’ll happily sing along from the terraces during a match.  But when The Sun asked me if I’d consider performing in a TV ad, I wasn’t so sure.

“But once I’d listened to the lyrics of the track – which really encapsulate the hopes of the nation – and spent some time with the vocal coach, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, it could work.
“And when I heard that the Royal Philharmonic was involved, I was sold.  England’s most-loved football newspaper, its three star columnists, a giant orchestra, Wembley stadium – it’s the stuff dreams are made of.  How could I refuse?”

News International’s Rob Painter, who has led the campaign in his role as Interim Marketing Director for The Sun, said: “This advert is just the start of a truly inspiring World Cup campaign from The Sun. 
“When Terry Venables agreed to sing this rousing anthem we knew this was the start of something unique that only a brand like The Sun could convincingly deliver.

“With our advert standing alongside our outstanding editorial content, exciting digital activity and our best-in-class offers and promotions, The Sun is set to capture and ignite the mood of the nation like no other brand during this summer’s tournament.
“Who knows?  Maybe, just maybe, 2010 might just be our year…”

The ad includes a second star appearing over the Three Lions England badge – something that the England team would add if it was successful in winning this summer’s tournament.  The stars will remain a key feature of the paper’s campaign alongside the end-line ‘Maybe, Just Maybe”, daring fans to back the England team and dream that 2010 might just be England’s year.

A series of TV ads will be complemented by a mix of Press, Posters, PR, DM, online advertising and social media, all as well as supporting exciting promotions and editorial features which will roll out over the next three months.

The campaign will be supported digitally with a Facebook hub featuring all kinds of exclusive content including behind the scenes footage of Terry’s journey as he goes through voice coaching and training to recording with the Royal Philharmonic through to the shooting of the ad itself.  The online aspects of the campaign will be managed by GlueLondon and i-Level.

To receive updates and become a fan of The Sun’s football campaign, readers are encouraged to join the online community at www.facebook.com/thesunfootball.