The AFL encourages fans to ‘Believe’ in 2020 season launch campaign
The AFL has launched its new brand campaign ahead of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season with its brand platform ‘Believe’.
The campaign combines fan-generated content with footage of some of the biggest names in the game. It is the first time that the season launch campaign will be tailored to different markets, with a 60-second national spot and bespoke television commercials produced for Queensland and NSW, featuring the local teams of Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns, and the Sydney Swans and GWS Giants, respectively.
The campaign builds on last year’s positioning ‘Don’t Believe in Never’, the campaign for which featured the stories of unlikely heroes of the game.
The 2020 TVCs draw on some key moments of the 2019 season, including Marlion Pickett playing his debut game for the Richmond Tigers and kicking his first goal in the Grand Final. It also includes footage of the 2019 draft and Wheelchair AFL league.
The campaign was produced by AFL Media’s in-house team in collaboration with Riot.
AFL general manager of growth for digital and audiences, Darren Birch, said: “We’re excited to launch such a contemporary campaign that communicates the on and off-ground experience to elevate our brand and appeal to a broader audience.
“This work is quite different to what we’ve done in the past – shifting focus to our fans, and using their content to help tell our story, unlocks many opportunities to connect with our audiences in new ways.”
The digital and OOH creative features some of the key players in the game
AFL Media creative director, Andrew Hutchison, added: “We were thrilled to land the opportunity to lead this program of work in 2020; we have really challenged what’s been done previously and we feel we’ve executed a campaign that truly brings to life the essence of the AFL brand.
“We look forward to rolling out an integrated program of work in 2020, with multiple key campaigns throughout the year aligned to the Believe platform.”
The campaign will roll out across TV, digital, social, OOH, press and at matches throughout the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The AFL season will start on Thursday 19 March, with the opening match to be played by the Richmond Tigers and Carlton Blues.
Credits
Heath Walker – Head of Marketing, AFL
Katie Hynes – Marketing Manager, AFL Fans & Clubs
Rita Khouri – Marketing Programs Lead, AFL Fans
Jack Gray – Marketing & Player Engagement Lead
Leigh Dunston – Project Management, AFL Media
Andrew Hutchison – Creative Director, AFL Media
Sam Russell – Art Director, AFL Media
Chris Nardo – Deputy Art Director, AFL Media
Christopher Bell – Vision, AFL Media
Jarrad Gardner – Research, AFL Media
Mark Farrow- Audio, AFL Media
Dave Christison – Riot Executive Producer
Marty Moynihan – Riot Director
Scarlett Maloney – Riot Research
Aaron Carroll – Riot Editor and Colour Grade
Carl Whitbread – Riot Motion Graphics, Animation
Donald Mayes – Creative Producer
Hayley Campbell – CAD
Brilliant campaign – well done!!!!
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Horrid music choice. Very polarising, I suspect… hope they did their research!
Unlikely to alienate anyone, but perhaps not as effective as a more ‘neutral’ music choice might have been.
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Failed to credit Baker Boy who is bringing the real heat to this campaign.
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