NRL claims ‘Rugby League’s got a hold on me’ in ad starring Jessica Mauboy
The NRL has launched an ad campaign to mark the start of the 2013 season, with a dance anthem performed by Jessica Mauboy.
The campaign, created by MJW, features young women playing the game at school and on the beach, specifically designed to target females as part of a broader “whole of game” brand promotion the NRL has adopted. The past focus of ads was mainly on players.
It is the first time a female has fronted an NRL campaign since Tina Turner’s hugely successful Simply The Best ads were launched in 1989.
The female targeted ad ironically breaks on the day that Sydney’s Daily Telegraph ran a front page splash where star Bulldog’s player Ben Barba’s wife – who he recently separated from – denied extensive social media rumours that he had assaulted her.
Like it. Clever, punchy and family-friendly (THE prerequisite of any NRL launch these days!)
Lame. When I think NRL, I don’t think Jessica Mauboy, I don’t think about sugary pop songs, I don’t think about running down a footpath as a kid kicking a football (that’s what parks are for) and I don’t recall ever seeing girls in bikinis playing league on the beach. Why do these promos always have to be “all-inclusive” beyond all realms of reality?
Nice, VFX are good and it’s certainly broader. Might annoy the hardcore but they don’t watch footy for the ads.
Nice work…that last pass was forward though!
Bring on kick off. Nice choice of talent. She is a good Aussie role model. Saw her at the all stars game. Inspirational stuff.
Nice spot.
Not sure about the song.
Not quite ‘Simply the best’ or ‘That’s my team’, but not a bad effort either. Nice to see the NRL reaching out to the young ‘uns, especially young women, in this campaign.
Unfortunately the ‘Make your own ad’ seems to have a few teething problems… a nice idea though, hope they get it up and running soon.
Go Bunnies!
Does the tagline “Got a hold on me” highlight increased rates of domestic abuse amongst NRL fans?
NICE ONE
Hey NJK, then you clearly ain’t heard about sponsorship. Telstra, Subaru, Toyota, Steggles, Alliance, St George, NRMA etc (ALL of whom sponsor NRL teams) are NOT going to put their names to a bogan, lad-driven ad like you suggest. Mauboy is sweet and doesn’t upset the sponsors and their billions of dollars….. Remember, NRL’s a “family game” regardless of what you think!
Great ad, well done NRL and MJW.
@ NJK “I don’t think about running down a footpath as a kid” Are you serious, how do kids get to parks? Maybe just maybe on a footpath throwing the ball around trying to emulate their idol. Beach football also a foreign concept.
@NJK Your right mate i have never seen a bunch of girls passin the pill down the beach. Why do marketers pretend otherwise?
and just to cap it off, the new CEO referred to Barba as Benji at the season launch. Not one shot in the film clip seems to be in Victoria – just drop the N from the title as well.
@woops… Wow hard to please champ, there’s more Storm shots than any other side.
I am sure the bogan-target-audience will love it
Nothing too attract new fans, nor elicit pride in existing ones. Without any creative idea or intrigue it’s simply a collection of “intended target audience’ shots that don’t lead us anywhere. Sorry, but a brand of this size needs much better work.
NRL is DEAD, NEXT!
I am with NJK. Not so much about the footpath running or beach football – but Jessica Mauboy is a completely disconnected sponsor. Of course, the way the NRL has gone the last couple of years is it any surprise their “star” would be a Channel 9 contract?
I mean really, at every major game over the last two years the NRL has regurgitated it’s contracted talent. Two years straight at State of Origin, Internationals and Grand Final’s – all existing Channel 9 talent.
I mean really. It is pathetic. It’s lazy. It’s cheap. The NRL will never offer a Tina Turner or Hoodoo Gurus again while they are so adamant on keeping it within their partners ranks.
It isn’t about this ad being family-friendly or women-focused, I welcome that approach – it’s not like male fans of NRL are going to be turned off the sport because of the ad – but some women/families might be turned on by an apparent change of focus.
BUT, Hoodoo Gurus and Simply the Best were family friendly/orientated campaigns too – it isn’t about their approach here – it’s about the quality of their message.
NRL haven’t had a successful campaign launch in nearly a decade, since That’s My Team. Keep trying, NRL.
Maybe next time take it to an agency that knows the sport.
woeful song. it’s sure to spawn many youtube fan vids like this
2013 NRL TV AD – the funky version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4CH-LFzlB0