Sports Marketing Summit: How the NSW Blues turned the iconic Tooheys jingle into a viral sensation
Chris Allan (Lion's connections director), Sophie Breheny and Alex Honson (Lion's brand partnerships leader)
During the 2024 State of Origin series, Tooheys teamed up with the NSW Blues for a marketing masterstroke that showcased the power of social media, catchy jingles, and the deep connection Australians have with iconic tunes.
The popular beer brand had been searching for an opportunity to breathe fresh life into the 150-year-old brand and revive its 45-year-old jingle.
The 70s song, ‘How do you feel? I feel like a Tooheys’ was created by Alan Morris and Allan Johnston via Sydney agency Hertz Walpole and has since become engrained in the nation’s cultural fabric.
At Mumbrella’s Sports Marketing Summit in September, Lion representatives – head of corporate and brand communications, Sophie Breheny, connections director, Chris Allan, and brand partnerships leader, Alex Honson, explained how two state icons managed to recapture the hearts and minds of ‘old fans, new fans and Blues fans’.
The partnership began when they joined forces ahead of the State of Origin series to develop a Tooheys campaign that incorporated the jingle.
“Walking into that session, many players had no connection to our jingle,” Honson explained.
“The team thought they were going to sing the song once, and then we were going to release them to get on with the rest of preparing for a very important origin series.
Chris Allan (Lion’s connections director), Sophie Breheny and Alex Honson (Lion’s
brand partnerships leader)
“In fact, we kept them in that room for nearly an hour. We made them sing the same lines over and over again.”
The intense rehearsal session seared the jingle into the players’ minds, making it impossible to forget as they found themselves humming the catchy tune throughout camp.
Honson continued: “It was amazing to get a call from Jodie Cross, chief commercial officer at NSWRL, to say the jingle had actually become a part of camp culture and that the players were wandering the hallways of the team hotel, and as they walked past each other, they would go, ‘How do you feel? We feel like a Tooheys.'”
The magic truly happened after the final Origin game, when the team, unprompted, broke into the jingle in the locker room after defeating Queensland 14-4 to take home the 2024 shield.
“That changed everything,” Breheny said.
“The Blues put it on their Instagram and Facebook, and it went mental. It delivered from an earned and a social perspective, but it also really showed up on the ground.”
@nrl NSW new team song 🥶 #Origin
The Tooheys and NSW Blues campaign extended far beyond just marketing. It wasn’t merely about reviving a classic jingle – it became a cultural moment that resonated with footy fans and brought new energy to both the brand and the team.
As Allan explained: “Being reactive or being agile, being able to jump on moments in culture, but also having that vulnerability to allow your brand to go into places that maybe you don’t feel that comfortable,” is key to staying relevant.
By embracing this approach, Tooheys and the NSW Blues delivered something truly special.
“There’s some magic in what we’ve delivered this year.”
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