The NRL’s 2017 State of Origin campaign revolves around the emotional game experience (rather than its renowned big hitting physicality) as it aims to capturing the feeling of Origin from both the fan and the player perspective.
This year’s promotional push is led by a flagship 60-second commercial which spans the emotion of the locker room to the stands where cheering fans anticipate the series rivalry unfold.
The hero film tries to capture the feeling of what it’s like to be at an Origin game: from the tension of the locker room as players readying themselves to step out onto Australian rugby league’s greatest stage, to the anticipation among the crowds high up in the stands as they witness the nation’s greatest rivalry unfold.
The creative’s narrative is echoed by the ad’s tagline: ‘Whether you’re on the team in the sheds, or participating from the stands – nothing hits you quite like Origin’.
The NRL’s ad is running on TV across Australia,
and is also being amplified across the league’s digital and social platforms (including Twitter,
Nothing hits you like #Origin! #NRL pic.twitter.com/PKjuJo8D4a
— NRL (@NRL) April 18, 2017
and Facebook).
This emotional campaign was developed in harness with creative agency Archibald/Williams (which became the NRL’s agency of record last year).
‘The intensity of every Origin game is something you can feel when you’re in the stands. The crunch of the first hit up is what it’s all about,’ explains Archibald/Williams executive creative director Matt Gilmour.
‘But we wanted to take a step back from that and show that the nerves and pressure in the build up is the reason the game is so intense.’
According to NRL marketing and brand general manager Peter Jarmain, the campaign also aims to communicate the value of being there.
‘Holden State of Origin remains Australia’s biggest and fiercest sporting rivalry. The intensity, both on and off the field, creates a live atmosphere unlike any other sport,’ he argues.
‘This campaign provides a window into the last 30 mins pre-kick off, bringing to life the nervous anticipation felt by players and fans alike. With match attendance the key performance measure for this campaign, importantly it’s about showing fans the value of being there.’
This multi-channel campaign, which starts rolling out around Easter, aims to encourage attendance and drive ticket sales for the annual three-game series (which opens on 31 May at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane).
The campaign was developed for NRL GM Marketing & Brand Peter Jarmain, marketing and partnerships manager Nicole Chesher, marketing executive Rita Khouri and marketing manager for brand and NRL events Samantha Feyzeny, by an Archibald/Williams team headed by executive creative director Matt Gilmour.
The other key members of the agency team on the project included Chris Wilson (Art Director), Tom Selby (Copywriter), Mary Perebzak (Head of Strategy), Jasmina Krnjetin (Group Account Director), Lauren McMahon (Account Manager) and Amanda Cain (Senior Producer).
The production company was Filmgraphics, the director Jason Smith, the executive producer Anna Fawcett, the producer Ben Swaffer, the DOP was James Brown and the editor was Richard Learoyd.
Post production was handled by Fin Design and sound design by Nylon Studios.
Activative Comment:
With current controversy surrounding rule changes (following on from the so called ‘no-fighting’ rule) that some argue ‘sanitises the game’ and loses some of its essential raw physicality, the aim of the campaign is to reassure fans that the series is just as competitively fierce and emotionally intense as it has ever been.
The new Origin work follows the launch of the 2017 Premiership season in February – also created by Archibald/Williams – called ‘Let’s Make Hisatory’ (see case study).
Links:
NRL
https://www.youtube.com/user/NRL
https://www.instagram.com/nrl/
Archibald Williams
http://www.archibaldwilliams.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchiWilli
