Fox Sports Australia rolled out a new, integrated campaign that aims to convince fans that the broadcaster’s cricket contemporary coverage offers ‘Cricket Like Never Before’.
The concept tweaks the cricket ‘it’s just not cricket’ cliche into a powerful and passionate brand promise about its a fresh, dynamic and new approach to its new season broadcasts.
The creative carries the copy line: “It’s just not cricket if it’s not every game live and ad-break free during play. It’s just not cricket if it’s not available in 4K. It’s just not cricket if it’s not on a dedicated cricket channel. It’s just not cricket if it’s not Foxtel cricket.”
This tagline will be used as the axis to market Foxtel’s key reasons to believe for its broadcasts of every home Australia Test, ODI, T20I, BBL and Women’s International match live on Fox Cricket channel 501.
The multi-platform marketing initiative, developed in alliance with agency DDB Sydney, launched in mid October as the Australian cricket season gets under way.
The creative explores a series of game changes through cricket’s history – from over-arm deliveries, the invention of pads and the six ball over, to wearing pyjamas, the rise of the women’s game and the invention of Twenty20 – and through the sport’s evolution it emphasises that cricket has always been a family game with passion passed down through the generations.
Each new generation, despite the misgivings of their elders, embraces the changes and new ideas that have constantly sought to improve the sport – thus suggesting that the latest improvements to the cricket experience are those being brought to the sport by Fox.
The work is spearheaded by a central, 60-second television commercial,
supported by a pair of 30-second cut down spots.
As well as TV, the creative also spans the broadcaster’s digital and social channels – such as Facebook.
“It’s so exciting to have Australia’s favourite national sport about to light up the Foxtel channels,” commented Fox Sports Australia’s director of sports marketing Adam Ballesty.
“The new campaign really shows our deep understanding of the game and how deeply we care about the important role Foxtel has in beaming it into Australian Homes. Our talent, ad break free during play and the long list of innovations we will bring to the sport is truly an evolution that will excite and delight us all for years to come”
The campaign was create for Foxtel chief marketing officer Andy Lark, director of sport marketing: Adam Ballasty and senior marketing manager Chris Pocock, by a DDB Sydney team led by CCO Ben Welsh, creative partner David Jackson, copywriter Chris Ott, planning director Joseph Smeaton, head of integrated content Sevda Cemo, senior producer Wendy Gillies, managing partner Penny Dixon and senior business director Matt Romeo.
The production company was FINCH, the spots were directed by The Bobbsey Twins (from Homicide), the producers were Karen Bryson and Cath Anderson, the editing house was Arc Edit, the editor was Simon Price, whilst post production was handled by Fin Design + Effects, sound design was by Simon Lister (at Nylon Studios) and the music was composed by Lydia Davies (also at Nylon Studios).
Comment:
Following the governing body’s own marketing campaigns designed to reconnect the sport to fans – including both the men’s team’s ‘It’s Your Game’ (see case study) and the women’s game’s #Watch Me’ (see case study 1 & 2) after last year’s ball tampering scandal (see case study), this campaign shows it is the broadcaster’s turn to try and convince the Australian public to move past last year’s scandal and re-engage with a sport that has flourished through the centuries.
Links:
Fox Sports Australia
https://twitter.com/foxsportsaus
https://www.facebook.com/foxsportsaus
https://www.instagram.com/foxsportsaus/
https://www.youtube.com/user/FoxSportsAu
DDB Sydney
