Colgate continued to activate its AFL sponsorship rights through its ‘Smile Strong’ brand platform via a campaign called ‘The Sound of a Smile’ which highlighting one athlete’s experience – deaf QAFLW athlete Jamie Howell.
‘Sound of a Smile’ sets out to celebrate optimism and team-spirit in Australia’s best loved sport by exploring what’s it like being part of a team as a deaf athlete. Alongside Howell, the campaign also features her Yeronga Devils team and captain Mia Walsh.
The creative focuses on Howell’s experience as a deaf athlete and her journey along with her teammates as together they navigate the game and the team experience on and off the pitch.
The campaign launched in May with a hero TV commercial which debuted on-air during primetime AFL games on television and was further amplified across AFL.com.au and the official AFL app, as well as running in stadiums and in cinemas nationwide. This latter strand saw the marketing team partner with Val Morgan to leverage the Dolby Atmos feature to create more immersive experiences in-cinema.
A second, social phase of the campaign rolled out in September across Instagram and Tiktok which saw Howell translate seven AFL team songs in Auslan (the majority sign language of the Australian Deaf community) and then invite people to learn the songs in Auslan and share in their own videos.
Colgate also engaged with a set of AFL stars and influencers (both hearing impaired and non-deaf ambassadors) to duet with Howell’s Auslan signing in order to further drive connection through shared passion for sports and its uniting power to get people’s attention.
@colgate_anz Freo way to go! Duet with me and learn how to sign the Dockers’ song in Auslan! Smile Strong #ColgateSmileStrong #colgate #smilestrong #afl #fremantledockers #foreverfreo #auslan #duet #duetme #giveitago ♬ original sound – Colgate Australia
@colgate_anz Duet with me and learn how to sign Port Adelaide’s anthem in Auslan! Smile Strong #ColgateSmileStrong #colgate #smilestrong #afl #portadelaide #weareportadelaide #power #auslan #duet #duetme #giveitago ♬ original sound – Colgate Australia
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@colgate_anz Cheer the red and the white! Duet with me and learn how to sign the Swans’ song in Auslan! Smile Strong #ColgateSmileStrong #colgate #smilestrong #afl #sydneyswans #swans #auslan #duet #duetme #giveitago ♬ original sound – Colgate Australia
@colgate_anz Good Old Collingwood forever! Duet with me and learn how to sign the Pies’ anthem in Auslan! Smile Strong #ColgateSmileStrong #colgate #smilestrong #afl #collingwood #gopies #auslan #duet #duetme #giveitago ♬ original sound – Colgate Australia
The Colgate-Palmolive campaign was developed in harness with WPP brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R and GroupM’s Wavemaker.
This is the latest work within Colgate-Palmolive’s long-running ‘Smile Strong’ umbrella initiative which is built on championing stories which connect with the incredible power of optimism in action.
As the ‘Official Smile’ of the AFL, Colgate is unearthing and celebrating champions of optimism in the sport. From elite players, to grassroots, it’s about showcasing stories that connect with and inspire all Australians.
“For the past 3 years, Colgate has been sharing stories from real people who’ve found the courage to Smile Strong and keep doing what it takes to make the world a better place and we’re so excited to be able to share the story of Jamie and The Yeronga Devils.” said Colgate ANZ Marketing Director Anthony Crewes. “It’s not always easy to be an optimist, but when you make that choice it can be a powerful force for change in your life. Championing optimism means we are committed to creating a healthier planet and work every day to create healthy smiles for all. It’s an honour to share stories of those that demonstrate the same mentality.”
VMLY&R Chief Strategy Officer Alison Tilling commented: “The Sound of a Smile work takes on a challenge: in Australian sport, we can be deaf to the pain of being ‘different’. The Yeronga Devils team were true optimists, acting on differences to get to real inclusion. Sports are meant to unite us. How can we all be like the QAFLW Yeronga Devils teammates and really embrace difference?”
Wavemaker Chief Content and Partnerships Officer Shivani Maharaja added: “As we move into AFL finals, we are so proud to work on this Colgate campaign championing inclusivity by teaching fans of AFL a new way to support their team using Auslan. It is about making an entire community feel heard and included. To make a community Smile!”
The activation was created for a team at client Colgate-Palmolive APAC which included Vice President Marketing Yves Briantias, Marketing Director IMC Lyndon Morant, Marketing Director ANZ Anthony Crewes, Associate Director Marketing (Oral Care) Kate Hickey, IBE Lead ANZ Maria Casas, Senior Brand Manager ANZ Ashleigh Wright, Brand Manager ANZ Lucy Basil-Jones, Assistant Brand Manager ANZ Carla Rando and Senior Insights Planner ANZ Silvana Pandrea.
It was conceived and created by a group at agency VMLY&R which was led by Chief Creative Officer ANZ Paul Nagy, Chief Strategy Officer ANZ Alison Tilling, Senior Creatives Blair Panozza and Bryce Waters, Executive Producer Rachel Rider,Group Account Director Elaine Loke, Account Director Sinead Kelly andAccount Executive Ned Lindsay.
Coms and media was handled by agency Wavemaker with Group Account Director Laura Brady, Chief Content And Partnerships Officer Shivani Maharaj, Group Director of Content & Partnerships Alexia Antonis, Comms Manager Evie Gardiner, Marketplace Associate Director Laura Castro, Marketplace Associate Manager Jennyx He, Comms Co-Ordinator Angelli Westman and Head Of INCA Alice Davidson.
The production company was Taxi Film with Director Tony Prescott, Producer Simone Mackie, DOP Mark Desiatov, Sound Post Ranrun, Editor Leigh Cooke, Grade CJ Dobson, while online work was run through Vandal, photography was by Sam Scoufos and retouching by Mark Sterne.
Comment
As the ‘Official Smile’ of the AFL, Colgate’s activation approach is to seek out and celebrate ‘Champions of Optimism ‘in the sport: ranging from elite players to the grassroots game in order to showcase stories that connect and inspire with all Australians.
The work rolled out ahead of the 2022 AFL Grand Final which was scheduled for 24 September at the MCG.
It was back in April 2020 that ‘AFL’ welcomed Colgate as an Official Partner
The Australian Football League (AFL) is pleased to announce that Colgate has signed on as an Official Partner of the AFL and AFLW, becoming the Official Smile of the AFL, and as a supporting partner of the NAB AFL Draft and NAB AFL Auskick program.
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