Wheelie bin racing and synchronised dive bombs: Sportsbet reveals its ‘Elite Average Games’ for the winter sports period
Wheelie bin racing, sock slide, synchronised dive bombing and left-handed catches: the sports Australians love but aren’t competitively recognised are being celebrated by Sportsbet in its winter sports campaign.
The campaign takes shape around the ‘Elite Average Games’, a competition the betting platform has positioned as an alternative to the Olympics – should it be cancelled.
The spot centring around the wheelie bin race sees four competitors, dressed in body suits similar to Cathy Freeman’s 2000 Olympics attire, with Australian Gary Flynn ‘pulling a Steven Bradbury’ and taking out the win after the other stumble.
Acting GM of marketing, Kathy Schokman, said the campaign would resonate with Sportsbet’s audience.
“We love the excitement and relatability that comes with the Elite Average Games. Not only does it resonate with our core audience, but those outside our target market as well,” Schokman said.
Sportsbet’s creative director, Rambo Goraya, added: “Sure the Olympics serves us some amazing achievements, but let’s be honest, it’s much more fun bringing to life an event that the average person would actually watch and even excel at.
“We’ve all got a mate who could bomb dive for Australia or win gold at opening a beer bottle with random items. These genuine heroes deserve their time in the sun.”
The commentators in the ads are voiced by sports broadcaster James Brayshaw and comedian Nick Cody.
A long-form video for social media will compile a range of highlights from the Elite Average Games.
The campaign was written and produced by Sportsbet’s in-house team. The TVCs were directed by Matt Weston.
The campaign was produced to support the launch of the 2020 NRL and AFL premiership seasons, both of which are in doubt due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19.
30-second TVCs and 15-second spots will be running across brand, product and retail executions. The campaign will also be running across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, as well as radio.
Credits
Client/Production: Sportsbet Australia
CMO: Mark Migliorini
Acting GM Marketing: Kathy Schokman
Head of Partnerships & Content: Ben Hawes
Acting Head of Brand and Advertising: Jason Thatcher
Head of Content Production: Barney Howells
Creative Director: Raman Goraya
Writers: Raman Goraya, Chris Chard
Brand Manager: Rob Dauth
Campaign Manager: Isaac McCullum
Campaign Manager: Olivia Ferrary
Retail & Digital Video Manager: Toby Barrett
So question, how good of a strategy is it to launch a campaign for Sports Betting when all sports are stopped being played? Maybe they’ll have to add actual wheelie-bin races to the website.
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Love these ads. The only sport left! all credit to the creatives behind this campaign!
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Fair point by spurtsfan around timing – but how good is the campaign itself. Brilliantly crafted and executed. Love it
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