Rugby is upon us again, and making the annual competition even more exciting this year is the fact that in recent years, it has been anyone’s game.
That observation is the foundation of Archibald Williams’ campaign for the NRL’s 2017 Telstra Premiership Season.
In the 13 years prior to 2009, 5 clubs dominated the NRL. However, in the years since, every club has made the finals at least once. The last few years have delivered genuine fairy-tale results for teams like the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2014, the North Queensland Cowboys in 2015 and most recently the Cronulla Sharks – who won their first Premiership in the 2016 Grand Final after 50 years of heartache.
The campaign kicks off on Thursday February 23, when tickets go on sale for all first round premiership matches. In the meantime, there’s a teaser to whet Australia’s appetites.
Archibald /Williams’ 30-second teaser film borrows from the famous quote by legendary former Cronulla Coach, Jack Gibson, that “waiting for Cronulla to win the Grand Final is like leaving a porch light on for Harold Holt”.
The spot recreates what actually happened in the week leading up to last year’s Grand Final – the suburbs of the Sutherland Shire turned their porch lights on, while Paul Gallen turns his porch light off. The spot ends with a simple question – Who will make history this year?
The new campaign builds on last year’s History Happens. It explores what it is that contributes to history in the making – the hard work and determination of the players and, crucially, the support and passion of their fans. In particular, the agency has explored the power of players and fans coming together to make history happen, and this is summed up by the new tagline, Let’s make history.
Matt Gilmour, executive creative director of A/W commented, “I’d love to say that our History Happens campaign from last season was the sole reason The Sharks won the Premiership, but I think they would come after me. What our campaign did do was prove that fans need to be at the games, because historic moments can happen at any time. So for 2017, being able to build on that same strategy and creative platform is very rewarding for us as an agency. Let’s Make History highlights the active role that fans play in getting their teams over the line game after game, so fans shouldn’t just go and watch history happening, we think they should go and make history happen.”
Peter Jarmain, general manager, marketing & brand at National Rugby League, added, “Last year’s thrilling finish proved that not only can history happen but in a competition that’s so close on the field, when fans rally behind their team en masse, this can make the difference.
“Our campaign this year acknowledges the important role fans play in driving their team, and acts as a rallying cry for fans to show their support on game-day…Importantly, through this campaign we also want to showcase some of our emerging young stars, and also bring to life the role social media plays in galvanising fans, and players.”
Credits:
Agency: Archibald/Williams
Bram Williams: Partner
Matt Gilmour: Executive Creative Director
Mary Perebzak: Head of Strategy
Jonny Browne: Creative Director
Nate Martin: Art Director
Mark Rosenberg: Copywriter
Jasmina Krnjetin: Group Account Director
Lauren McMahon: Account Manager
Amanda Cain: Senior Producer
Client: National Rugby League
General Manager, Marketing & Brand: Peter Jarmain
Senior Marketing Manager – Club, Premiership & Membership: Matt Baker
Marketing Manager – Operations and Partnerships: Nicole Chesher
Marketing Executive: Rita Khouri
Marketing Manager – Brand & NRL Events: Samantha Feyzeny
Production Company: Photoplay
Director: Scott Otto Anderson
Executive Producer: Oliver Lawrance
Producer: Emma Thompson
Editor: Simon Njoo
Post Production: Cutting Edge
Sound Design: Nylon Studios