The AFL has revived its classic 1990’s advertising anthem, ‘I’d Like To See That!’, in its integrated launch campaign for the inaugural AFL Women’s league.
The initiative, which aims to capitalise on ‘overwhelming interest’ in the new league which kicks off on 3 February, recreates the classic Aussie Rules ads from the 1990s
The new campaign for the historic women’s league launch features an impressive line-up of powerful and successful Australian women: from Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne and junior surfer Sabre Norris, to Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman, athlete and motivational speaker Turia Pitt, national newsreader Lee Lin Chin and AFLW star Moana Hope.
The core TV commercial comes as a flagship 60-second spot
and also comes in two cut-down, 30-second versions
The campaign is also rolling out across the league’s digital (http://www.afl.com.au/womens) social platforms – such as Instagram.
The AFL and its teams are simultaneously amplifying other new league-related content across its social channels.
The first of many team songs for our AFL Women's team. #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/wFkyav3uUX
— Brisbane Lions AFLW (@lionsaflw) January 22, 2017
Mirroring the approach in front of camera, the campaign was shot by documentary film-maker Celeste Geer and developed by a team female creatives: including Bec Brideson (consultant on female economy and creative director), Jane Caro (writer), Tisha Lazaro (art director), Kylie Robertson (innovation lead) and Nik Round (broadcast producer).
Jemma Wong, AFL campaign lead and marketing manager, says that the new campaign’s objective is to harness the historic launch of the women’s AFL with a strong female voices that appealed to a broader audience
‘Our strategy was to lead with content first. We had ambitions to create something that was bold, empowering and inclusive that would encourage our footy fans to see the game through a different lens as well as rally a generation of young girls,’ explains Wong.
‘It was equally important to create a campaign that was part of our DNA, and drew on the history and legacy of the game. We’re thrilled to have the support of the people who feature in the ad, the creative leads, as well as the endorsement from the original creative Warren Brown.’
Gillon McLachlan, chief executive of the AFL, believes that the campaign reflects the hope and excitement of the first ever women’s AFL competition.
‘The campaign reflects the change and revolution in our game, and I thank the women and men who participated in the ad. It is a very strong and powerful statement of what is at stake for our new league and for women’s sport,’ McLachlan said.
‘The AFL has been overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and support of the women’s competition over the last 12 months and now the wait is nearly over for us to see the new stars in action in their first season,’ adds McLachlan.
Comment:
The campaign is not just part of the global growth of women’s professional sports leagues around the world, but also builds on a classic 1990s AFL campaign that began in 1994 with a spot by agency Campaign Palace that featured global star names like boxer Evander Holyfield, athlete Carl Lewis and tennis legend John McEnroe.
The commercials became something of an institution across Australia and ran through the 1990s with additional appearances by world famous athletes, musicians and models.
The players and fans across the country will be hoping the new campaign and the new league will achieve similar success and there early signs are promising with strong early interest.
Indeed, due to high demand for tickets the opening women’s AFL game between Collingwood and Carlton, the match has already been moved to the larger Ikon Park ground to accommodate a bigger than anticipated crowd – which is now expected to be bigger than 10,000.
The @aflwomens opening game has been shifted to Ikon Park. https://t.co/vixCEp5VEK
— AFL (@AFL) January 23, 2017
Links:
AFL
https://www.instagram.com/aflwomens/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BigPondAFL
http://australianfootballleague.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/AFL/
