ESPN & FOXTEL
SPORT NEVER ENDS CAMPAIGN
Art direction / Storyboards / Copywriting / Design
The ESPN on Foxtel campaign focused on our ever-growing love of U.S. sports and the platform to see it all – is on Foxtel. The campaign ran at the end of September when footy season ends and reminding Foxtel viewers the sport doesn’t have to end. It ran across a variety of platforms on broadcast, static social and print to reach a wide range of Foxtel subscribers.
Along with the tagline Sport Never Ends I drew upon moments within the U.S. sports world that had recently occurred – like Steph Curry winning the 2022 NBA Championship, Tom Brady still playing (at then) 17 seasons and off the back of his 7th Super Bowl win, and Zhang Weili winning back her belt. These moments added copy lines of “Never quit” and “Never say it’s over” to further cement the notion. Some scenes in the TVC were changed in post.
Aside from the TVC and print ads the campaign extended it’s reach with static social posts for Foxtel to post, along with cut-downs of the TVC.
As a separate idea I thought was to use OOH that was around the major sports grounds and public transport hubs in our capital cities, and placed at the same time as the end of the AFL/NRL seasons for a greater reach beyond those within the Foxtel sphere. Showing the NBA for AFL fans and NFL for the NRL die-hards.
Alternatively to the final TVC, I pitched a different narrative with a small scene shot with sports fans in the final throws of their footy season, to step away from the usual well-trodden montage footage and VO executions.
TVC Narrative: With the AFL season almost at the end we see two friends in AFL West Coast colours on a couch, they’re taking it hard... siren blows. The Eagles season hasn’t gone all too well. One friend takes of his jersey and scarf, and grabs the Foxtel remote to turn the TV off. ‘Hang on a sec – we ain’t done yet’ the other friend as they dash off. A bit of rustling and banging of drawers later, they re-appear in a Golden State Warriors jersey and a basketball under the arm ‘West Coast all the way – let’s go Dubs!’ he exclaims. ‘What’s all this?’.... the other carries on. ‘NBA is back on ESPN! and we’re gunna make it a back-to-back!’ Cut to GSW footage and them winning the NBA championship in 2022. Quick cut back to both of the guys in GSW gear in awe and cheering on.
This was also to air across the end of both footy codes seasons with a version for the NRL jumping on-board the up-coming NFL season.
