Page 48 - AdNews April 2020

Game, Set, Ad!
In sport-crazed nations such as Australia and New Zealand, often the best kind of celebrity endorsement is from local sporting heroes. But is it always right for the brand? Paige Murphy asked creatives to review which campaigns it works best for.
JENNY MAK
Ogilvy Creative Director
Brands have been using sports stars to influence customers’ purchasing decisions for sports and non-sports related products for decades. As long as there’s a relevant link or shared values between a sports star and a brand, they can be some of the most effective brand ambassadors.
Creative Review
MANDI VAN DER MERWE
M&C Saatchi ECD
Using sports stars is much like using any other celebrity/influencer in a campaign — the real value is not their fame, it’s in their relevance. More important, it’s in their relevance to the idea. Too often brands just chuck a “name” at a project because it helps draw eyeballs. But the real value of endorsements is in the meaning they bring to a brand.
SCOTT HUEBSCHER
303 MullenLowe ECD
I think when it comes to using sports stars, the watch-out is the tendency to use athletes as “athletes”and not people. We expect to see footy players on the pitch, cricket players in their whites, rugby players with a ball, all while endorsing a product
to camera. My favourite use of athletes is when we see them engage or represent something unrelated to their sport. For example, the recent Hyundai “Smaht Pahk” Super Bowl ad used baseball player David Ortiz, not as a baseball player, but for his Bostonian accent.