NAB Leverages AFL Grand Final Via Snapchat Lens Extension To ‘Mini Legends’ Lookalike Campaign

Celebrating the climax of the Australian football season, AFL sponsor National Australia Bank (NAB) is partnering with Snapchat on a bespoke lens enabling users to become ‘Mini-Legends’ for the 2016 Toyota AFL Grand Final.

This innovative Snapchat Lens enables fans to turn themselves into one of the AFL stars from both teams playing in this year’s Grand Final – either the Western Bulldogs’ Caleb Daniel or the Sydney Swans’ Lance Franklin.

The Snapchat Lens is an extension of NAB’s ongoing AFL Mini Legends campaign, created by agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, which aims to celebrate the bank’s support of footy.

The broader Mini Legends campaign, which was initially launched in August, spans TV spots, online films and digital games and is built around 18 young footie players (in the brand’s ‘Auskickers’ programme) each bearing an uncanny likeness to a well-known AFL player.

The campaign spans an August TV commercial that aims to demonstrate NAB’s commitment not just in sponsoring the AFL and the elite game, but also to grow the game and support it at youth level.

The core commercial is supported by individual films focusing on individual stars and their mini me – such as Mini Caleb Daniel (being given a VIP tour of the Kennel by her favourite player).

In addition to the Mini Legends commercial and films, there is also a supporting ‘Guess The Mini Legends’ game

The lens runs on Grand Final Day itself only and to get involved fans simply need to download Snapchat and find the NAB Mini Legends Snapchat lens.

‘We’re really excited to extend our Mini Legends campaign through Snapchat on one of the biggest days of the year,’ says NAB chief marketing officer Andrew Knott.

‘We hope fans across the country get involved and have some fun with it.’

‘When we were little, we all dreamed of one day being football superstars,’ adds Clemenger BBDO creative director Rich Williams.

‘This Grand Final Day, NAB and Snapchat are giving people the chance to really live their football dream.’

Comment

We are seeing more and more sports sponsorship campaigns featuring a Snapchat Lens activation strands – it is becoming something of a 2016 trend.

Another recent example of this tech platform tactic in the last few weeks is Lay’s UEFA Champions League pan –European ‘Cheer Of Champions’ initiative (see case study).

It adds a new dimension to an already successful activation that has seen the spearhead spot rack up a solid 284,526 YouTube views.

The Mini-Me, look-a-like concept mirrors an approach used by Team Sky for its core 2016 Tour De France promotional campaign (see case study).

NAB has been a sponsor of the AFL since 2002 – from the elite game to amateur and youth football.

It’s core approach to the property is a commitment to ‘grow the game’ – whether commentating on the biggest match of the year in 10 languages or encouraging fans to #fanshake.

NAB also backs the AFL’s ‘Auskick’ programme since 2006.

Each year providing over 170,000 young kids across the country with the opportunity to learn and develop fundamental footy skills with the supporting objective of promoting healthy kids lifestyle,and ensuring the ‘footy champions of tomorrow’ can realise their potential.

The NAB also supports the AFL’s ‘Rising Stars Program’: backing the league’s key talent identification and development pathway that operates from the grassroots through elite level.

It is also the title sponsor of ‘The NAB Challenge’ – which aims to bring footy back to its roots and give fans the chance to see how their team is shaping up for the season ahead and for some, it’s a rare chance to enjoy live AFL action in their own backyard.

A further strand of its footie activity is the ‘NAB AFL Trade Period’

As well as the AFL, other major properties within NAB’s sponsorship portfolio include its partnership with the Football Federation Of Australia (where activations span the muddy boots of the AIA Vitality MiniRoos to sponsoring the global Socceroos), as well as a major music sponsorship with Live Nation (which includes providing access to exclusive tickets to events).

Links

NAB Sponsorships:

http://www.nab.com.au/about-us/sponsorships

NAB YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/nab

NAB Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nab

@NAB

NAB Web:

http://www.nab.com.au/

NAB Vine:

https://vine.co/NAB