Behind the Scenes of Hold or Trade: From Liverpool Streets to the AXA Training Centre Kirby

Some decisions happen in seconds.

A striker deciding whether to shoot or pass, a defender stepping forward to intercept, or a goalkeeper choosing whether to hold position or rush out.In trading, the pressure can feel remarkably similar. Markets move quickly, opportunities appear and disappear, and the right decision at the right moment can define the outcome.
This shared mindset is exactly what inspired Hold or Trade, the campaign created through EC Markets’ collaboration with Liverpool FC. But long before the campaign appeared across videos, social media, and educational content, the story began in Liverpool with a full day of filming that brought the concept to life.

The Idea Behind Hold or Trade

At its core, the campaign explores a simple but powerful question:

Do you Hold… or do you Trade?

Elite footballers and traders may operate in very different arenas, but both rely on instinct, awareness, timing, and discipline when it matters most.

To capture that mindset, the campaign introduced a challenge built around football legends, asking Liverpool FC players to decide which icon[1]  they would Hold and which they would Trade.

During filming, several players stepped into the challenge, including:

• Hugo Ekitike, choosing between Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o
• Ryan Gravenberch, weighing up Clarence Seedorf or Zinedine Zidane
• Virgil van Dijk, deciding between Giorgio Chiellini and Jaap Stam
  
  

As the campaign evolved, there was even a fitting late substitution. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker later joined the Hold or Trade challenge in a special segment, stepping in to face a goalkeeper’s dilemma between Brazilian legends Taffarel and Júlio César.

The creative direction focused on authenticity, capturing the natural personalities of the players rather than scripted responses. The goal wasn’t to make it feel like an advert. It was to create moments that felt genuine, spontaneous, and entertaining.

And as often happens on shoots, some of the most interesting moments happened between takes.

Bringing the Challenge to Liverpool Fans

While the players faced their own Hold or Trade decisions on camera, the campaign also brought the challenge directly to football fans around Liverpool.

Working with local presenter Errol (errol0151), passers-by were invited to take part in a real-world version of the game.

In front of them were three mystery boxes, and they had to make a choice:

Hold the box they had… or Trade it for another.

Inside could be anything. Some boxes contained simple surprises, socks or cool merchandise, while others included match tickets and exclusive prizes.

But one box held the campaign’s most memorable reward: a visit to the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby to meet Van Dijk, Ekitike, and Gravenberch in person.

When the winning box was opened, the moment quickly became even more memorable. The fan who uncovered the prize happened to be celebrating his 40th birthday that very day, turning a spontaneous fan challenge into an unforgettable birthday experience, a trip to Liverpool’s training ground and the chance to meet the players behind the campaign.

A perfect example of the Hold or Trade concept in action: sometimes the bold decision really does pay off.

The Moments Behind the Camera

While the final campaign videos show quick decisions and confident answers, the filming day itself was filled with moments that never appear in the spotlight.

Between takes, players debated their choices, laughed about legendary comparisons, and shared stories about the footballers who shaped their careers.

These candid conversations helped shape the tone of the campaign, making Hold or Trade feel less like an advert and more like a natural conversation about decision-making in football.

From Filming Day to Global Campaign

Once filming wrapped in Liverpool, the footage returned to the EC Markets marketing team, where the Hold or Trade concept was developed into a wider campaign.

For EC Markets, the ambition behind Hold or Trade was never simply to place a logo alongside one of the world’s most recognisable football clubs. In a landscape where sports sponsorships are everywhere, the real challenge is turning a partnership into something people genuinely want to engage with. By building a concept around debate, instinct, and fan participation, the campaign aimed to move beyond visibility and create a story fans could be part of.

What began as a single creative idea evolved into a multi-layered project featuring player videos, educational content, social media moments, and interactive experiences — all centred around the same defining question.

Because whether on the pitch or in the markets, the moment eventually arrives.

A decision must be made.

Do you Hold… or do you Trade?