WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?

TitleWHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?
BrandFOOTBALL FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceFOOTBALL
CategoryA02. Best Use of Magazines/Newspapers
EntrantUM Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company:UM Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Media Agency:UM Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Credits

Name Company Position
Maura Tuohy UM Client Service Manager
Lauren Cassar UM Communication Strategist
Chris O'Keefe UM Director
Hugo Cutrone UM Account Manager
Briar Rowsell UM Buyer

Results and Effectiveness

Inciting the Queensland rivalry through ‘Whose side are you on’ was a successful move. By finding an innovative way to use newspapers and PR stunts to emphasize the divide between the two teams, we brought rivalry to the forefront and drove buzz by game-time. Our activity drove 19,902 match attendees; 108% greater than the previous average attendance at a first-grade Soccer match, at the same ground (9,588). Further, our activity while impactful did not come at a huge expense. With a spend of only AU$21,368 the cost per match attendee came in at a mere AU$1.07!

Creative Execution

‘Who’s side are you on’ inspired the creative messaging used on all the communications for the campaign. Activity included a media first in the only Queensland state newspaper. We used the spine of the paper as a representation of the boundary between the rivals and surrounded the execution with contextually relevant content, using the text ‘Whose Side are you on?’ to force people to chose a team to support. We staged PR stunts where Brisbane players marked out the halfway point between the two cities and taunted each other at the campaign launch in a high-traffic shopping mall. Messaging was further reinforced through street posters to capture peoples’ attention en-route to work and proximate to the opportunity to purchase match tickets. Our cheeky antics achieved their own PR coverage in metropolitan and local press!

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

In Season 5 of the A-League, some rich “genius” decided to create a second football team in Queensland, a region where football isn’t even considered a ‘real’ sport. Even without this launch, Brisbane Roar the initial team, was struggling to maintain their fan-base. Our task was to get people to attend a play-off between the two neighboring Queensland football teams. Our insight was that the closer the club’s home grounds were to each other, the more rivalry that exists between them. We had to get understand the potential attendees so, jumped onto Facebook where their passion and opinions ran uncensored and rampant. We joined a group whose title explained their purpose: “I hate Gold Coast United,” the newcomers. Profanities and bravado challenges were posted on the page from Brisbane fans. The printable, family friendly version and our campaign strategy was “Whose side are you on?”