Screwfix turns Mo Farah into a human ‘PING!’ for its Rewards app
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Screwfix has turned its Rewards app notification into a famous idea, casting Sir Mo Farah as a human ‘PING!’ in new M+C Saatchi work that dramatises the loyalty scheme itself.
What Screwfix just launched
Screwfix has unveiled ‘Motifications’, the third chapter of its ‘No Stopping You’ platform, created with M+C Saatchi Group UK. The gag is simple: brand ambassador Sir Mo Farah appears on trade sites in person to deliver Screwfix Rewards app alerts, shouting ‘PING!’ as his own notification sound.
The hero film was directed by Andrew Gaynord through MindsEye and uses a physical illuminated lightbox prop that mimics an app notification. It runs across TV, online video, out-of-home, social, radio, digital audio, display and Screwfix’s own site, with Dentsu X on media, McCann on PR and Fabric Social on social.
Why it matters
Loyalty programmes are easy to launch and hard to make famous. Screwfix Rewards only arrived in October 2025, so the job now is awareness and habit, not sign-up mechanics. Dramatising the product’s core moment — the ‘PING!’ of an alert — gives the scheme a single, ownable device that travels across every channel.
There is a lesson for any brand sitting on an under-used app: don’t advertise the app, advertise the feeling of the feature. A famous face plus one distinctive asset does far more for recall than a list of benefits ever will.
What businesses should take from it
Pick the one in-product moment customers actually value and make it the creative idea. For Screwfix’s tradespeople, timely deals and stock alerts are the value, and the campaign literally puts that moment on screen.
Then commit to the asset everywhere. A distinctive device only compounds when it shows up consistently across media and over time — which is exactly how ‘No Stopping You’ is being built out, instalment by instalment.
Quick FAQ
What is Screwfix ‘Motifications’?
It is a new Screwfix campaign promoting the Screwfix Rewards app, in which Sir Mo Farah plays a human notification — a ‘PING!’ — turning up on site to deliver app alerts. It is the third instalment of the retailer’s ‘No Stopping You’ platform, made with M+C Saatchi Group UK.
Which agencies worked on it?
M+C Saatchi Group UK led the creative, with the hero film directed by Andrew Gaynord via MindsEye. Dentsu X handled media, McCann PR and Fabric Social the social activity.
When did Screwfix Rewards launch?
The Screwfix Rewards loyalty scheme launched in October 2025; this campaign is designed to drive awareness and everyday use of it.
The smartest loyalty advertising doesn’t sell the app, it sells a feeling. Screwfix has taken the tiny ‘ping’ of a deal alert and made it a device you can’t ignore. For any brand with an under-loved app, that’s the move: find your one valuable moment and make it famous. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The real win here isn’t the celebrity — it’s turning a single app notification into a distinctive brand asset that can run across every channel.
Does your business have an app feature customers love but never hear about — and how would you dramatise it?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Creative Salon and Campaign.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
