ANZ's new ad shows sports sponsorship doesn't have to be lame. Video / ANZ
Comment:
The days of sports stars bungling their way through contrived advertising scripts tenuously linked to random products could finally be behind us – for a while at least.
A new TV spot by ad agency TBWA for ANZ is the latest in a string of sponsorship advertising that strives to take a bit of the cringe out of the 30-second torment of an ad break.
Muddy runners, the thud of colliding wheelchairs and an untied shoelace combine to deliver a sometimes gritty message about the underlying spirit that feeds from the grassroots into New Zealand's over-arching sporting culture.
The odd assortment of characters featuring in the ad all came from real Kiwi amateur sports teams around the country – and their exploits are some distance from the glitz and glam of elite sports.
But rather than falling into the trap of villainising athletes who take things a little too seriously, the ad makes the point you can be competitive while still maintaining a decent dose of Kiwi kindness.
"We wanted to make sure that we didn't diminish people who are brilliantly talented," said TBWA chief executive Catherine Harris.
She says that these two worlds aren't mutually exclusive. Those who enjoy a social game of cricket likely also passionately follow the Black Caps. The message the ad tries to relay, she says, is that New Zealanders have a reputation of being good sports no matter where they play – be it the semifinal of the Cricket World Cup or in a mate's backyard.
The struggle is real for those competing at a grassroots level. Image / Supplied
This is markedly different from the generic approach to sponsorship we've come to see in the annual glut of product endorsement - which has become tiresome to watch.
As former advertising executive turned industry commentator Bob Hoffman recently wrote in his newsletter: "The use of celebrities in television advertising has become such a crutch and so commonplace that any Super Bowl advertisers who think they are going to get exceptional attention because they used a celebrity are nuts."
Businesses need to offer something unique if they're looking for cut through. And ANZ isn't the only organisation that realises that.
ASB's recent development of biodegradable tennis balls for its promotion of the ASB Classic and Steinlager's audacious launch of pop-up store that dyed clothing black during the Rugby World Cup are other examples of local brands stepping outside the regular comfort zone to do something infinitely more interesting.
What all these campaigns have in common is that they're driven by an idea rather than just the cool factor of a famous muscled body with a product (shout outs to Healtheries with Dan Carter, and Fujitsu Heat Pumps with Stephen Fleming).
Admittedly, however eyecatching they might be, they're all still just advertising. And while none of these projects will go on to win Nobel Prizes or change the world in any way, there is something to be said for the power of creativity to get something as dull as bank noticed.
It's also important to note that creativity doesn't necessitate dumping athletes from sponsor advertising altogether.
Two incredibly impactful marketing campaigns from Nike in recent years showed that a campaign featuring a famous face can be lifted if it's built on some sound strategy.
When Colin Kaepernick's face dropped on a Times Square billboard with the phrase "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything" it rocked the world, and when Eliud Kipchoge set out to break the two-hour marathon mark he demanded everyone's attention.
The point here is that even the most famous faces in the world are only as effective as the marketing idea behind them. In the media and marketing mess we have today, it's no longer enough to slap a few lines of copy on a page and hope to hell that an athletic star doesn't completely butcher the script. Kiwi viewers deserve better than relying on the acting ability of a professional sports star.
