Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe is the face of Optus’ #FanUpAUS Olympic Games campaign.
Thorpe stars alongside TV personality and journalist Lee Lin Chin and the Bondi Hipsters in a comic campaign activating the telco’s rights as an official sponsor of the Australian Olympic Team that encourages Aussies to show their support to Olympians using the hashtag #FanUpAUS.
The initiative is led by a tongue-in-cheek TV spot that sees Thorpe urge Australian patriots and sports lovers to send in their own photo celebrations, support videos and good luck messages and argues that these can have a hugely positive impact on athletes.
‘These well wishes will serve as a timely reminder that the entire Australian population is behind them as they do their best to be successful in Rio,’ he says.
Thorpe is supported by Chin, wearing the national green and gold colours of course, who says: ‘You have the permission to play with your selfie. If you don’t you’ll be tried for treason you pathetic traitor.’
The commercial closes with the Bondi Hipsters coming clean about stealing one of Thorpe’s five Olympic gold medals.
The central film was first published on the brand’s YouTube channel on 20 Jul 20 (and has since racked up 20,856 views).
and it is also amplified socially to the brand’s 65k Twitter followers (123 likes, 34 retweets)
Can’t get to Rio? We’ve got you covered. Send messages straight to the @AusOlympicTeam with @IanThorpe. #FanUpAUS pic.twitter.com/qFqva32wN6
— Optus (@Optus) July 20, 2016
and on Facebook (2.2k likes, loves and laughs).
A further strand of the campaign sees Optus roll out a series of athlete-specific ‘Support Network’ spots starring members chosen for the Australian Olympic teams such as 400m runner Anneliese Rubie (74,060 views),,
800m runner Luke Mathews (69,954 views),
synchronised swimmer Rose Stackpole (135,605 views),
and steeplechaser Genevieve LaCaze (35,238 views).
Comment
Optus, the Official Support Network to the Australian Olympic Team (see http://www.optus.com.au/supportnetwork), also worked with Ian Thorpe on its recent Optus’ small business push.
Optus is one of 25 official sponsors of the Australian Olympic Committee (which also boasts a further 13 official suppliers).
The Optus campaign is part of a wider sports property led strategy of positioning Optus as Australia’s primary communications/entertainment choice. Other recent connecting campaigns include its campaign based around its recently acquired Premier League football rights (see case study).
This Olympic activation campaign comes amidst something of a marketing scandal in Australia which involves fierce rival Telstra’s ambush Optus’ official Rio rights and end up in court over its guerrilla campaign.
This dispute revolves around Telstra’s (pulled after a week and then re-worked) ‘Go To Rio’ ad campaign that also promoted the brand as the ‘Official technology partner of Seven’s Olympic Games coverage’.
This line refers to its alliance with Olympic TV broadcaster Seven’s games app
While Telstra was previously an official sponsor of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), these rights are now owned by rival Optus.
The Olympics, of course, are covered by ever stricter laws around what brands can say in marketing about their Olympic associations and hefty fines can be handed out to those who break the rules.
The ‘Go To Rio’ TV ads have since been pulled (despite them not running in the official Olympic black out period which starts on 27 July) and a disclaimer has been added to Telstra ad executions and its website declaring “Telstra is not an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, any Olympic Committees or teams’.
While legal letters have flown between Telstra and the AOC about the ad and use of terms such as partner and arguments are being heard in Federal Court.
Links
Optus YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/yesoptus
Optus Twitter:
Optus Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/optus
Optus Web:
www.optus.com.au/supportnetwork
Team Australia / AOV:
