Hyundai A-league: If there were no stadiums, no mascots, no ads, no headlines, no ball, we’d play anyway
"If there was no ball, we'd play anyway"
BMF has launched a new ad to mark the eighth Hyundai A-League football season.
Featuring Australians of all ages and levels playing the sport, the campaign, which carries the tagline “We are football”, will include print and digital and will screen on TV in both New Zealand and Australia.
Great ad! Am wondering though why the A-League has left its advertising run so late prior to the start of the new season this weekend. Wouldn’t have hurt to have had some teaser ads over the past few weeks just to remind people that the real football is starting soon.
@football fan – There’s no point wasting their money going up against AFL & NRL grand final week, they’d get no coverage compared to that, so they are left with no real option than go late. That’s why ADP was so great for them as he broke into the news as a genuine story.
I like the ad as a piece of film, but I’m not sure who it’s aimed at. As a fan it doesn’t really fire me up to go to the game and I’m not sure it will encourage any new fans. There’s not enough energy in it.
“There’s only one Emile Heskey, one Emile Heskey. He used to be sh**e, but now he’s all right, Walking in a Heskey wonderland” should be sung at every Newcastle game if it’s not the fans should be ashamed.
@Dan – I agree with the first part of your comment.
As for the second part – who it’s aimed at and the “lack of energy”, I’m led to believe that the very fact that they’re not doing shouty football promos (a la https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF_uOgyBK1c which is brilliant) is because they’re going for families and female fans.
I think that it’s also aimed at people who are passionate about the game of football, rather than “fans” of a particular club. You’ll note there are a lot of what appear to be Greek/Italian/Baltic/European people and imagery in there (I can’t use the W word) which are the people who claim to be ‘football’ fans, and it’s about engaging them, taking it back to the game they love and getting them to join in with that. That’s my take on it anyway, and it’s a pleasant change from the usual incredibly-hyped up promos anyway.
I really do like the ad! Great work from BMF to depict the essence of the ‘real’ football fan, and how they feel about the game, from a young age into adulthood.
Because the ‘real’ fans feel it inside…that’s why the kid makes do with a plastic bottle instead of a ball, it’s the love and passion you feel that makes the fan in you part of the universal family that is football.
@Dan Agree re ADP, absolutely fantastic coup for the A-League not to mention Sydney FC.
Re A-League advertising I was thinking more about some slow build-up efforts in the 4-8 weeks ahead of the new season and not going head to head vs the other codes in their grand final week. The oval ball codes seem to get plenty of publicity even in their pre-seasons yet A-League gets ignored.
As an aside, I’m still waiting on my club’s membership kit despite having ordered it some weeks ago…
Bring on the new season!
Their ads have been everywhere in strategy for years. The first year’s effort was the best for both fans and non-fans.