13/03/2024

People First Bank (& Gold Coast Suns) Promote New Stadium Title Rights At Renamed ‘People First Stadium’

The first week of March saw the Gold Coast’s flagship stadium – formerly known as the Heritage Bank Stadium and the Carrara Stadium – renamed the ‘People First Stadium’ and promoted through an official naming event, a PR push and an integrated campaign from the stadium, People First Bank and the Gold Coast Suns around the AFL season kickoff which positions the venue as a passionate sporting, entertainment and community hub.

Arguably best known as the home of the Gold Coast Suns, as well as AFLW games and Brisbane Heat Big Bash League matches, the renamed People First Stadium follows on from the 2023 Australian banking merger between Heritage Bank and People’s Choice Credit Union.

The official renaming ceremony was attended by relevant local celebrities and stars and included Tom Tate (Mayor of the Gold Coast), Peter Lock (People First Bank CEO) ad Mark Evans (Chief Executive of the Gold Coast Suns).

While the digital-first renaming campaign and supporting PR push focused on the insight that the new financial entity is a member-focused institution: thus, like the People First Bank’s brand, the People First Stadium is all about people and positioned as an integral community asset.

Indeed, as well as new signage inside and outside the ground, the new sponsor also promotes its customer-only offering which provides its members with a range of exclusive stadium benefits.

The marketing burst – which spanned stadium, sponsor and team channels – was timed to leverage the start of the AFL season and the sold out opening home game for the Gold Coast Suns against Richmond on 9 March.

Teased from 8 March, the official unveiling of the renamed stadium was promoted through an unveiling event, a PR push and social content spearheaded by a hero video showcasing not only the ground’s AFL home team – the Gold Coast Suns – but positioning it as more than just a sports stadium and rather as an entertainment and community hub.

Blending archive video and fresh film of the arena itself and action inside it: the creative focuses on bringing the community together, connecting local people to their passions – including sport, music, culture and more.

The renaming campaign was supported by additional kickoff social content and parallel content on the Gold Coast Suns’ own platforms led by an ‘Our Home’ social spot.

 

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A post shared by People First Stadium (@peoplefirstst)

 

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A post shared by Gold Coast SUNS ☀️ (@gcsuns)

After first becoming the Gold Coast Suns’ Stadium Partner in 2023, People First Bank has leveraged its stadium sponsorship as a focal point to support the people who support them.

As well as the Suns and international music concerts from the likes of Harry Styles, Paul McCartney, Post Malone and P!NK in the last 12 months. People First Bank has also opened the stadium to numerous community groups through its ‘Stadium Loans’ competition. With junior football training and birthday parties hosted at the venue, as well as the Gold Coast Homelessness Network’s annual Connect2Home event.

“After all the planning which has gone into our new name and brand, it’s fantastic to see it come to life at this magnificent stadium. It’s a big milestone for us and this is a big stage for our launch. The People First Bank branding will adorn this great stadium for the next four years, at least, and there’s no doubt it will provide us with incredible exposure and name recognition right across the country. As a bank, we have our roots in Queensland, going back almost 150 years, so it’s quite fitting that this is where we’re launching our new chapter”.
People First Bank CEO Peter Lock

“Since we took over the naming rights of the stadium almost exactly a year ago, we’ve used the opportunity to support the local community in a number of ways – particularly in helping to widen access to the facility – and this will continue,” continued Lock. “We’ve always been member-owned and community-focused, and we always will be”.

“We have enjoyed an incredibly successful first year with People First Bank as the Gold Coast SUNS’ Stadium Partner and we are excited to continue partnering alongside an organisation who shares our absolute commitment to the community. People First Stadium is just that – for the people. It’s a valued asset for our region, which will continue to engage a wide range of communities and bring diverse content to the Gold Coast. Like People First Bank, we are a community-oriented club with a commitment to our members. We are looking forward to welcoming people from far and wide to our venue, beginning with Saturday afternoon’s blockbuster Opening Round match against Richmond”.
Gold Coast Suns Chief Executive Mark Evans

The ongoing blending of the formerly separate sports, music and entertainment silos continues unchecked and spans everything from teams, brands sponsors and the venues themselves.

People First Bank is one of the leading Aussie customer-owned financial outfits with more than 730,000 members and $24.6bn in assets.

The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League. The club is based on Queensland’s Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara and has been playing in the AFL since the 2011 season



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