The Sun has launched its Dream Team fantasy football campaign for the new Premier League season with creative based around the theme of fan betrayal as supporters choose players from arch rival teams for their fantasy squads.
The campaign from the News UK owned tabloid plays on the idea that it is a betrayal for fans who have a lifelong allegiance to a single club to support players from ay of their rivals.
Yet, when football lovers play Dream Team, they pick players from across the league – often the stars of their own side’s fiercest rivals.
In fact, every year around one million seemingly loyal football fans commit an act of betrayal by picking players from rival clubs for their fantasy squads.
The creative features executions in the form of treacherous fan mugshots.
It's not cheating when it's Dream Team. Sign up now – there's £1 million up for grabs: http://t.co/oxbl9cPU8d pic.twitter.com/JrM54ps8qv
— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) July 23, 2015
Initially the campaign ran on both the media giant’s own platform – press executions in The Sun newspaper itself, banners and clips on the Dream Team website, plus work right across The Sun-owned digital and social channels and email marketing – as well as on paid media.
A few weeks after launch, a second phase on social saw the ‘mugshots’ campaign then evolved in a literal direction with consumer-created clips uploaded to the Dream Team social platforms,
We're dishing out mugshots again today. Here's one way you could use it. https://t.co/IKjDJMPfmo #CrimesAgainstDT #JaegerTea
— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) July 15, 2015
as fans sought to win Dream Team mug merchandising.
Five more sets of our 'MugShots' up for grabs today. Enter DT, screen grab your team and Tweet using #CrimesAgainstDT pic.twitter.com/h7UYbkH3mV
— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) July 15, 2015
The objective is to build excitement around the new football season and to drive fans to sign-up to play the 2015/16 Dream Team season.
Indeed, a further campaign strand offered a series of XBox giveaway as prizes to incentivise fan sign ups.
The campaign was developed in harness with agency Wunderman where art direction was led by Stu Hallybone and copy writing by James Wood.
Media planning and buying was handled by Mindshare.
‘Dream Team is back and now more than ever, is a key pillar in The Sun’s football package. We wanted to build on the core campaign idea created last year,’ explains New UK audience development manager Greg Halfacre.
‘This year’s creative offers a fresh angle on the act of cheating when it comes to your Dream Team and shows fans reactions having been caught red handed.’
‘Those football fans just can’t help themselves – we’re back to expose the clubs cheats with another Dream Team campaign,’ jokes Wunderman chief client officer Josette James.
‘This year’s creative is a cheeky way to poke fun at the divided loyalties of fickle football fans. But remember, it’s all OK in the end because ‘It’s not cheating when it’s your Dream Team.’
Comment
The work builds on last year’s activity which first introduced the idea of football fans feeling guilty for choosing a player from a rival team for their fantasy football team.
That campaign, which was developed with Wunderman and VCCP, ran with the tagline: ‘It’s not cheating when it’s your Dream Team and also included 10-second TV spots by fellow News UK agency Grey London.
This campaign made the 2015 Cannes Lions ‘Innovation’ shortlist.
Links
Dream Team Website:
Dream Team Twitter:
https://twitter.com/dreamteamfc
Dream Team YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSunDreamTeam
Dream Team Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamteamfc
Dream team Googe+:
https://plus.google.com/117852889373125703715/videos
Dream Team GooglePlay:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yoc.dreamteam&hl=en_GB
