Bundy Rum & Leos Launch First Mixed Gender Fantasy League For NRLW

Just in time for the kickoff to the NRLW Premiership season, Bundaberg Rum and Leo Burnett Australia have partnered with the NRL to create the world’s first official mixed gender fantasy league: the Bundy Mixer.

This first-of-its-kind program has been developed to allow fans to build their team by selecting players from both the men’s and women’s leagues, bringing focus to the player’s stats and game play, not their gender. Fans nationwide will now be able to pick the best of the best, not just the best of the blokes.

The Bundy Mixer is another demonstration of Diageo’s industry leadership for championing equality in sport. In support, the brand has launched an integrated national campaign across Bundaberg, NRL (total league) and NRL’s (Cowboys & Broncos teams) owned channels via its lead creative agency Leo Burnett Australia, alongside a robust PR campaign by Herd MSL. The campaign is also set to run in stadium across key upcoming matches and will be amplified through podcasts and select influencers.

Jodi McLeod, marketing manager of Bundy, said: “The Bundy Mixer is a way to elevate the profiles of the NRLW players by championing their individual talent and abilities”. McLeod understands the wide appeal of the Fantasy Game and was keen to break down perceptions by levelling the playing field.

Leo Burnett associate creative director, Marijke Spain, says: “Most campaigns about women’s sport tend towards ‘empowerment’ and other clichés. They often preach to the converted, rather than the majority of sports fans. So, we wanted to create an idea that would act as a trojan horse, getting diehard NRL fans to learn about the NRLW, without fundamentally creating a new behaviour. ‘Bundy Mixer’ asks all NRL fans to make up their own mind about the NRLW, based on stats, not gender.”

Leo Burnett senior strategy sirector, Abigail Dubin-Rhodin, added: “The Australian sporting ecosystem is extremely gender-biased in favour of male codes and athletes. Only eight per cent of sport sponsorship and seven per cent of broadcast coverage is directed toward women.*

“Sports fans (over six million of them) haven’t been given a fair shot to give women and their sports a fair shot. And we all know that fans aren’t born, they’re nurtured. Aussies can’t become fanatics of women’s sport if they’re never exposed to the power of women’s sport. So, we set out to correct this imbalance and use Bundy’s fame and the brand’s relationship with the NRL to make the players of the NRLW – the fastest growing segment of the league – as famous as the men.”

McLeod added: “Aussies are enthusiastic about playing these games and we’re excited to bring the famous Bundy to Fantasy to elevate the fame of the women’s game and players through the Bundy Mixer.

“At Bundy we want to champion the profiles of the women’s game, highlight the capabilities of the female players and influence Aussies to engage in the game and assist us in our pursuit to create equal space for everyone in sport.

“We are proud to be supporting the NRLW and are looking forward to seeing the Bundy Mixer come to life – and getting more people involved in the game.”

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