Launched on the first day of the 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival, TAB extended its ongoing ‘Long May We Play’ platform with a new campaign led by a 90-second television commercial tribute to iconic moments in Australian sport.
Inspired by the so called ‘race that stops the nation’, the campaign spans many of the country’s greatest sporting moments: including advice from Bob Hawke after Australia won the 1983 America’s Cup, Michelle Payne (the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup) and the famous team try scored by Queensland in the 1994 State of Origin, to Steven Bradbury’s skating triumph and Makybe Diva’s Cup three-peat.
The campaign, developed by M&C Saatchi, is a tribute to and a celebration of sporting moments that have brought Australians together – whether that was at the track, in the stadium, or at one of TAB’s own 4,400 venues across the nation.
Its powerful, dramatic voiceover narrates a story of Australia through a sporting lens and the copy includes: “Australia. More than an island, it’s our playing field. Thousands of tracks, ovals, stadiums, and grounds, joined by desert and bush. Then girt by sea. A place where your Sunday best is a tattered old jersey with plenty of luck woven in, and a scarf in the colours of the team you love, knitted by someone you love. A place where we don’t need to know each other to be best mates. Because it’s not where you’re from but who you barrack for. And if we don’t speak the same language we can still shout for the same team. TAB long may we play.”
The hero spot, which extends the brand’s ‘Long May We Play’ brand platform which launched in September, comes in 60-, 30- and 15-second cut downs spans television, digital and social channels including YouTube
and Twitter.
Long may we read the paper backwards…#LongMayWePlay pic.twitter.com/Xd9SEC8NSa
— TAB (@tabcomau) November 2, 2019
“TAB understands the role racing and sport play in Australian life, and long may it continue. In this spot, we salute some of the most epic moments that have transcended time and culture in our country,” said Tabcorp Executive General Manager Marketing (Customer & Product) Luke Waldren.
“It’s these moments that matter to TAB and we love nothing more than celebrating them with our customers, particularly at this time of year. It’s when millions of Australians will connect with TAB at the track, online, or in one of our venues and cheer home the winner of the race that stops the nation. This is category-breaking work and something we are excited to share.”
M&C Saatchi Chief Creative Officer Cam Blackley commented: “Long May We Play is really about the power of connection, be it a small fan insight or a moment of Australian sporting folklore that becomes part of our identity. With the latest work, we wanted to bring fans those iconic Aussie moments from an angle they’ve never seen before and remind them about the power of racing and sport to bring us together.”
After the investigation, the earlier 2019 Caulfield Cup saw a huge 24% decline in betting and people protested outside the Victorian racing event.
The campaign was created for TAB EGM Marketing, Customer & Product Luke Waldren, Head of Brand & Marketing Kent Madders, General Manager of Media & Sponsorship John Vellis and Senior Marketing Manager (Brand) Jonathon Rhydderch by M&C Saatchi.
The agency team included Chief Creative Officer Cam Blackley, Creative Director Guy Futcher, Head of Art Chris Cheeseman, Senior Copywriter Michael Harris, Senior Copywriter Roy Leibowitz, Senior Art Director Neil Walshe, Senior Art Director Chris Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer Justin Graham, Senior Strategy Director Nick Jacobs, Group Managing Director Russell Hopson, Group Account Director Jasmina Porter, Senior Account Director Will Woods and Senior TV Producer Karen Muxworthy.
The media agency was OMD with Business Director Dan Clark, Account Director Scott Crisp, Account Manager Bethany Sawyer and Account Executive Mark Aloe.
The production company was Revolver/Will O’Rourke with Director Bruce Hunt, MD/Executive Producer Michael Ritchie, Executive Producer Pip Smart, Producer Sarah Nichols, DOP Simon Duggan, Editor Joanna Scott and Colourist Justin Bromley with post production by Fin Design + Effects, editorial by ARC Edit, music from Daniel McCormick and the audio house was Rumble Studios.
Comment:
According to the Australian media, Tabcorp made AU$115m on the Melbourne Cup last year and the company expects to turnover around $1bn during the 2019 eight day meeting.
The campaign also rolls out during a period in which the Australian horse racing industry has been under heavy criticism after an ABC investigation into the mistreatment and slaughter of race horses.
Links:
TAB
https://www.youtube.com/user/tabcomau
https://www.facebook.com/tabcomau
https://www.instagram.com/tabcomau/
M&C Saatchi
http://mcsaatchi.com/
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