To launch its 12 new dedicated Sky Sport channels and its new Sky Sport Now streaming product to replace Fan Pass, Sky has released a campaign to demonstrate to New Zealanders why adding sport to life can make it better.
The ‘Life Needs More Sport’ campaign by DDB New Zealand has six humourous spots that will roll out during August.
Directed by Scoundrel’s Ric Cantor, each takes everyday situations and injects the quirks of sport into them.
So far, three of the spots have been released.
‘The Bench’ depicts a woman coming home to discover her boyfriend slouching on the couch, having failed miserably in his domestic duty to clean up the kitchen. He’s promptly subbed off and replaced with a clean, willing, handsome replacement from the bench.
‘The Caddie’ has a golf caddie advising a woman on how to land the best verbal shot on her argumentative partner.
In ‘The Bench’, a teenage girl’s request to go out to a party being scuppered when her parents call on the third umpire to make the decision.
Former Black Cap Ian Smith, now a Sky Sport commentator, provides the voiceover on all the ads.
Steve Bayliss, Sky’s chief marketing officer, says Sky is excited to see how New Zealanders respond to the new campaign.
“Taking well-known aspects of our favourite sports and placing them in everyday moments is our way of showing Kiwis that Sky is an indispensable part of any sports lover’s life. As well as introducing our great new products, the aim of the campaign is to put a smile on the face of everyone who sees the advertising,” Bayliss says.
Damon Stapleton, DDB New Zealand’s chief creative officer, says the objective of the campaign is to show New Zealand that “Sky’s sport offering is bigger and better than ever before, whilst also entertaining Kiwis by putting a creative twist on relatable yet mundane situations”.
“Using slice of life humour and working with a world class director of comedy in Ric Cantor, the work was designed to reinforce the fact that Sky is New Zealand’s unrivalled home of sport but also to bring a level of entertainment that Sky is renowned for more generally,” says Stapleton.
The six TVCs are supported by out-of-home, cinema and digital/social executions.
Credits
Client credit: SKY
Steve Bayliss – Story Teller
Helen Fitzsimons – Third Umpire
Amber Cooke – Caddie
Daylyn Concessio – Wedding Planner
Agency credit: DDB New Zealand
Chief creative officer: Damon Stapleton
Creative directors: James Conner and Christie Cooper
Art directors: Paul Kim and Josep Jover
Copywriters: Graeme Clarke and Jacob Newton
Managing director: Chris Willingham
Senior business director: Aaron Hodgson
Business director: Zofia Wereszczynska
Strategist: Tom Sykes
Senior agency producer: Claire Colohan
Head of TV: Judy Thompson
Production company: Scoundrel
Executive producer: Adrian Shapiro
Line producer: Stu Giles
Director: Ric Cantor
DOP: John Toon
Post production company: Blockhead VFX
