Regular G&GR readers would know that rugby TV advertising has been a bugbear of mine for some time. So much so that I made my own ad to rival anything the ARU and others had to offer, and with over 6,000 YouTube views and a post on the Wallabies Facebook page I consider the ad to be a big success (have a look here). So it was with bated breath that I first observed the ads for Super Rugby in 2011. Have the ARU and the finally got the message to show more rugby and less arty bullshit?
Today I want to have a look at two ads that caught my eye in the past few weeks- the first from the ARU to promote Super Rugby, and the second from Rabo Direct to promote the Melbourne Rebels.
Firstly lets have a look at the official ARU production:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABguDD0hTFo[/youtube]
Let’s start with the overall direction, and we can see that they have chosen a Superhero theme. Every ad campaign needs an angle, and that is a pretty good one I think. The players they have chosen as the ‘Fantastic Four’ (O’Connor, Cooper, Elsom and Palu) are easily the most marketable figures, so well done to the ARU there.
As for the action, it’s pretty good. First and foremost I must applaud the ARU for showing more rugby. In this ad we see two tries, a lineout and a bullocking run from Cliffy, which is a damn site more than we have seen in previous years. My one small criticism, though, is the pieces of footage they have decided to use. Whilst they are good examples of each player’s strengths, is that really the best they could do? We see Cooper’s flick pass to Hynes, which is skilful but not the best Cooper moment of 2010. I would have gone with one of the many stepping line-breaks he made, or a cutout ball to Chambers or Ioane at full tilt. The same can be said for JOC’s moment – a fend, 5m amble and lazy dive, again there is no urgency or physicality. Rocky lumbers forward after a lineout take, and Cliffy bumps off Earl Rose in one of the softest tackle attempts you will ever see. I may be a being a touch pedantic here, but I think there were more dynamic clips of each player available.
The rocking track in the background works, and the voiceover is good although I can’t really remember what he said by the time the ad is over. A shot of the all the franchises, represented by JOC, Morty, Rocky, Berrick and Sanchez, straightforward and simple. Then the details- more teams, more games, more finals. Good, fast and to the point. And now it’s time for the tagline- ‘It’s Rugby- Supercharged’. Good, easy to remember, but not fantastic. There is no visual representation of this supercharging- no lightning or electricity beams to reinforce the message.
But it’s an OK end to a pretty good ad. It won’t go down as an ad campaign for the ages, but in reality how many 30 second Super Rugby promo ads have? It’s a vast improvement on previous efforts and a good indication that the new-look ARU marketing team have their heads screwed on the right way. Good stuff guys, and let’s hope there is plenty more of it in the lead up to the World Cup- although it is worth noting that with a much smaller domestic international season they have significantly less money to splash around.
Now we move to Rabo Direct’s offering:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjNn7VcWDA[/youtube]
I like this ad, despite its almost complete lack of action and only one last-second mention of the word ‘rugby’. Why? Because it is clearly made for a Victorian audience, and designed to attract non-rugby fans to our code. Instead of bombarding them with fast paced clips of plays they don’t understand this ad emphasises the underdog tag of the Rebels, culminating in the final line ‘Outnumbered beyond belief and success won’t come easy- perfect’. The rainfall and harsh urban settings paint a picture of a team doing it tough, struggling to stay alive in a town where nobody knows who they are. It’s like watching a scene from every sports movie ever made- you really want these guys to win, to show up the critics and those who said they couldn’t do it. You can see it now- ‘The Mighty Rebels’ with the part of Rod Macqueen played by Emilio Estevez. Or ‘Remember the Rebels’. But I am getting off topic.
The one thing that strikes me about this though is how high the production values are. It is very well made, and well beyond the budget of any Super franchise or even the ARU. The slow panning shots and low lighting ad to the picture of isolation. It’s arty stuff. Normally I dislike this with a passion, but you have to understand the context- this is Melbourne, they know nothing about footy and pride themselves on their level of cultural awareness. That said the ad is still very careful to make it abundantly clear that the game is rugby. There is a lineout, what looks to be a rucking drill and a close-up of the rugby ball. They do throw the r-word in, but at the very last second.
The million dollar question is this- will the ad result in increased ticket sales for the Rebels? Maybe. After watching the ad I certainly want them to win, but I am not sure whether I want to see them play. But this will be answered on February 18, a day which inches closer by the second.
What do you think?
