Ahead of the NRL 2021 State Of Origin series, Australian brewer Lion launched an integrated campaign backing the Blues in the form of a Toohey’s brand campaign which reminds everyone to show they are true blue with a Tooheys.
The official beer’s sponsor activation, created in harness with agency Host/Havas, highlights that the New South Wales state representative side are going through something of an Origin resurgence in recent games and this is reinforcing the spirit of the Blue.
The campaign launched in May and was spearheaded by a lead ‘Blue Rinse’ film (which comes in 30-, 15- and 6-second versions) and which was supported with online and OOH content.
Lion Marketing Manager Chris Allan explained: “Our partnership with the Blues is always a great opportunity to remind people of our proud roots in NSW and our passion for our home state. Here’s hoping Margie, Bev, Pam, Betty and Hindy can get the boys over the line this year with the rest of NSW.”
Host/Havas ECD Jon Austin added: “I’m a Kiwi born and bred, but in recent years I’ve found myself getting truer and bluer. Or as Margie [referring to a character in the campaign] so eloquently puts it, up the Blues.”
The campaign was created for Toohey’s Japanese-owned parent brewery Lion by a team at creative agency Host/Havas, with media handled by UM, production from Taxi with the film helmed by Director The Co-Op, still by Photographer Steve Greenaway and music by Song Zu.
Comment:
This follows on from last year’s work seeking to encourage fans to ‘paint The Town Blue’
qw Toohey’s is one of a strong team of official New South Wales NRL sponsors: others include Puma, The Star, NIB, McDonald’s, Harvey Norman, the NSW Government and the University of New England to name a few.
Puma also sponsors the rival Queensland Maroons, as does rival beer brand XXXX (which is also owned by Lion) – so we expect some good natured retaliator advertising soon (along the lines of its 2018 ‘Taste Of Glory’ activation).
After all, the NRL’s own 2021 State Of Origin campaign claims that the series is ‘Powered by Rivalry’.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.