JCB Toughphone signs heavy hitter Frank Bruno for first public ad campaign

JCB Toughphone has recruited former world heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno for its first above-the-line advertising campaign as the British rugged handset brand steps up its expansion.

Bruno was selected because of “his association with strength and his recognition among the demographic the company is targeting”.

The campaign will run for three months on Lincs Sound and includes a radio advert featuring Bruno alongside sponsorship of the station’s traffic and travel programming.

The company is positioning itself against the numerous lesser-known rugged Android handset brands in the market, arguing that investment in product support and brand development differentiates it from rivals and is targeting 100,000 global sales after recording 250 per cent year-on-year growth. 

JCB Toughphone offers a two-year warranty on its devices, while selected models receive Android operating system upgrades and five years of security updates.

The company said the new advertising campaign forms part of a wider push to build awareness of the JCB Toughphone brand as it expands its retail, enterprise and European presence.

JCB Toughphone has also appeared on the Lincs Sound Farming Show podcast, reflecting the brand’s focus on agriculture as one of its key vertical markets.

The company said it chose Lincolnshire for the campaign because of the region’s large farming community and is using the activity to reach both consumers and business users.

JCB Toughphone chief marketing officer Amanda Couzens-Davies said the campaign follows rapid expansion of the business, which now operates in 12 European countries.

“We are the only recognisable British brand in rugged and so are keen to expand and make more people aware of who we are,” she said.

The company claims year-on-year growth of more than 200 per cent in both 2024 and 2025, accelerating to 250 per cent in the year ending September 2026 It is targeting 100,000 handset sales globally this year and expects further growth in 2027 as it expands its retail distribution.

JCB Toughphones is sold through retailers including Asda, Currys, Amazon and Harvey Norman, with further retail partners added from January.

Couzens-Davies said the company was growing despite contraction in the wider handset market.

“In a saturated and declining market we are bucking the trend. We go into 2027 aiming for another record year.”