Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Australian professional football was seen as irrelevant. Uninspiring in the eyes of fans and the next generation. In an Australian first, we moved the game forward by creating a new, gender equal league and brand. At its heart, not another sporting ad but an anthem for the game. DJ/Producer YoungFranco, AriaAward R&B winner TKay Maidza and Rapper Nerve unite on a unique music collaboration. Fuelled by their love of football the anthem became a radio hit, a piece of entertainment connecting new fans to the A-Leagues, inspiring them to play their own way on and off the pitch.

Background

Football is the most played grassroots code in Australia, but the least watched at professional level. Whilst nearly 6 million Australians are fans of or watch the beautiful game in some capacity, only a quarter of that figure follow the A-Leagues. Since 2014, A-Leagues attendance and viewership have declined year-on-year, not helped by poor broadcast quality, consistent comparison to elite European football, and a lack of a distinct identity in the Australian sporting landscape. Recent advertising efforts have failed, employing similar tropes, imagery and messaging in the same mediums where more established and well-known sporting competitors operate. Adhering to the conventions of the category had rendered the A-Leagues both unheard and indistinct. Our task was to find a way to overcome these barriers and move the game forward so that Australian professional football was no longer seen as uninspiring and unequal in the eyes of fans and the next generation.

Describe the creative idea

Rather than another sporting ad to be skipped, we created a music track and video uniting football and culture. ‘Real Nice’is a unique music collaboration between DJ/Producer YoungFranco, Aria Award R&B winner TKay Maidza and Rapper Nerve. Fuelled by the artists love of football, it’s a celebration of the A-League’s new creative platform “Here Come the Future”. The film represents the bright future of football, one that is more diverse, expressive and creative than traditional sport in Australia. A platform for collaboration, the film features some of Australia’s best up-and-coming artists, illustrators and animators. Cameos tap into fan and football culture with a guest appearance from the much-loved commentator Simon Hill. “Real Nice” translates football culture into a music with enough universal appeal to reach a new, younger audience, whether they play the game or not.

Describe the strategy

Sport and entertainment access in Australia is unrivalled, creating fierce competition for our time. Traditionally, A-Leagues had tried to ‘out-shout’ sporting competitors with advertising - using similar sporting tropes, imagery and messaging in the same media where more established and well-known competitors would easily outspend us. By following the logical, proven formula of our competitors we would fail. We identified that Football and youth culture are uniquely entwined - in music, fashion, gaming, and beyond - in a way few sports are. By leveraging this connection and appearing authentically in culture, we’d seize a headstart on attracting Australia’s next generation; future watchers, buyers and participants who’d power the game for years to come. Our campaign wasn’t powered by media, but by culture - seeded through the touchpoints most relevant to Australia’s young taste-makers and trend-setters, attracting their fandom, and helping redefine the A-League’s identity as one reflective of Australia’s next-generation

Describe the execution

The narrative is spearheaded by a unique music collaboration between Young Franco, Tkay Maizda and Nerve, we seamlessly intertwine football with culture. The masterfully created track by Young Franco captures the energy and buzz of a fan-filled stadium. Within the first three seconds, you can feel the celebration and passion through the sound. Referred to as a “slapper of an anthem” the lyrics by Tkay uplift and inspire the football fans and players to create their own future. A guest verse from Nerve matches this energy, providing a flow that’s laid back, yet high-octane. The music video tells real stories of Jada Whyman (First Nations Goalkeeper) and Marco Tilio (Melbourne Striker) who have overcome physical and racial obstacles to become star players. It also reveals cultural gems that resonate with core football fans and serves as an outlet for participation through its own unique TikTok dance routine choreographed by @thexhan.

Describe the outcome

The aim of our campaign was to take a sporting competition that had become stagnant and overlooked in the minds of most Australians, and have it break into the cultural narrative once again, taking the first steps in reinvigorating how the competition was perceived over time. The campaign started off strong with ‘Real Nice (H.C.T.F.)’ organically becoming a TikTok Top 10 trending sound in our launch week. It went on to have over 2,000 pieces of original user generated content produced using the sound on the platform, for a combined 13.2m earned media views to date. It also received regular daily spins on all major commercial radio stations with over 17m earned radio impressions to date, and even managed to become the number 1 most played song on the largest independent radio station (and big youth culture driver), ‘Triple J’ for the key summer listening month of December.