Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

We Aussies love our footy. It’s one of our greatest passions and greatest obsessions. And while watching the game consumes our Saturday afternoons, it’s our other great passion that takes up not only our Saturday morning, but the whole week – property. And what better way for realestate.com.au to drive brand preference than to remind footy fans of the parallels between their two passions. Through a content series, integrated features, out of home and social content, we were able to communicate our messaging in a relevant, engaging and humorous way.

Background

realestate.com.au had signed a 1-year deal as the online property partner of the AFL, providing an enormous opportunity for REA, not only for brand alignment and exposure but also from a key audience perspective. REA is the undoubted market leaders with 3x more visits than its leading competitor as of Feb 2019. However, they had seen a recent decrease in brand preference amongst a key demographic – males aged 25-34. This was problematic. So how do we create a meaningful connection between AFL and property, that not only resonates with AFL fans and Aussies but does so in a way that reinforces realestate.com.au’s leadership position and property expertise in a relatable way?

Describe the creative idea

We needed to use the power and breadth of the AFL to brand preference for the REA brand. We needed our audience to understand that the game of real estate and the game of AFL aren’t too different. In fact, there are significant parallels. We created a series of content pieces that draw humour into the parallels between the property industry and the AFL. You don’t win either Saturday Game on Saturday alone. It’s the time, effort and focus throughout the week that gives ‘players’ superior knowledge, skills and stamina to beat the other guy. So realestate.com.au educated Australians in the crucial lead up before – and debrief after – the ‘big game’. Using shared terminology and analogy we highlight how to best prepare and recover each week to provide the competitive edge needed for The Other Saturday Game.

Describe the strategy

Sport and property are two of Australia’s great obsessions. They both dominate our conversations, our weekends, our time, our headspace and our dreams. We freely share our opinions, insights and tips. Saturday afternoon is where the battle takes place on the footy field. But the training and strategy all happens in the lead-up. And Monday sees the post-game debrief, ready to right the wrongs from the previous week for the game ahead. And for many Aussies on their property journey, Saturday mornings are their game time. But the searching, inspecting, and emotional rollercoaster that goes with it, well, that happens during the week, too. While the other Saturday game might take place in the morning, win or lose, we band together in the afternoon to put it behind us and turn our attention to sport.

Describe the execution

Taking a content-led approach, each TVC featured three prominent ambassador talent with the featured TVC spots to be used across the season. Our talent featured former Sydney Swans and Melbourne Demons coach Paul Roos, AFLW player and Channel Seven commentator Daisy Pierce, and West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui. The campaign extended across social, content, digital and out of home (OOH) channels, and was integrated into REA’s branded segments during Channel Seven’s AFL coverage on Thursday nights, Friday nights and Sundays, reminding people to also gear up for the other Saturday game. 4 weeks from brief to launch 3 days shooting 48hr turnaround on first edits 11 x TVCs 11 x Social recuts 10 x Pre-rolls 3 x OOH 4 x Key Visuals 3 x Social Pieces ‘Sportsplaining’ 3 x Social Pieces Ambassador Q&A News Ltd & REA website takeovers Campaign Badge

Describe the outcome

As it turns out, we are not the only ones who geared up for the other Saturday game. Brand preference amongst males 24-44 has moved from 41% in Q2 FY19 to 53% in Q4 FY19, a significant uplift of 12 percentage points. Recall is also above TVC benchmarks with 29% recall with AFL fans. And our message landed, as ‘Easy to understand, memorable, attention-grabbing and enjoyable’ was cited by over 1 in 2 of AFL fans. Overall results show that positivity towards REA within the key demographic has also increased.