It was the days of days for sports fans across the country, with the Sydney Swans taking on the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Grand Final on Saturday. Ultimately, it was a poor showing from Sydney that won Brisbane the final, doubling Swan’s score, 120 points to 60.
While the action on the field might have been the cause of great disappointment for Swans fans, social media was anything but.
Having a superstar like Katy Perry performing at the AFL might have seemed like a teenage dream, but the American performer proved to be anything but a dark horse.
Perry immersed herself in Aussie and AFL culture during her time in Melbourne, complete with a visit to the city’s latest celebrity, Pesto, the penguin.
Katy Perry has ticked off an item on her Australian bucket list, meeting Pesto. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/QTtVg5OVwl
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) September 27, 2024
Pesto later went on to predict a Swans win in the Grand Final – let’s say it’s a good thing he’s cute because he doesn’t have much of a future in sports betting guidance.
Her immersion in the game even went so far as being gifted her own Sherrin, complete with her name emblazoned on the side.
“The Katy Perry sherrin!” 😍 pic.twitter.com/XtPWB5BxZJ
— AFL (@AFL) September 26, 2024
All in all, the performance was very well received, with many fans applauding her for “killing” the performance.
once again katy perry showed us how spectacular she is when it comes to performing specially in front of 100k people #AFL
pic.twitter.com/OOCt3haiak— kanishk (@kaxishk) September 28, 2024
However, some believed that the Aussie superstar Tina Arena, who joined her on stage, upstaged the star, who earned an insane $5 million for the five-song performance.
Special guest Tina Arena joins @katyperry on stage 🤩
Katy Perry appears courtesy of Universal Music Australia/Capitol Records.#AFLGF pic.twitter.com/Xghnu5SBx4
— AFL (@AFL) September 28, 2024
“I’m not going to lie, Tina Arena sounds better than Katy Perry has been.#AFLGF,” one viewer said.
“Tina Arena shames Katy Perry by singing in key,” said another.
Ultimately, and typically, it was for all the wrong reasons that the performance inevitably went viral. Perry’s dancers performed in an outrageous choice of costume complete with inflated silver balloons. But it was not the costume itself that went viral, but the one performer who didn’t quite get the memo that she needed to check in to get inflated before entering the field.
@yasminjnelson What a performance ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ @Katy Perry #afl #katyperry #grandfinal #leftshark #iconic ♬ original sound – Memes are life
The deflated balloon stood out like a sore thumb among the other shining costumes, and many viewers took to social media to comment on the hilarious moment.
One TikTok user called the moment a “new left shark for Katy Perry”, referring to the viral moment in Perry’s 2015 Superbowl performance when a dancer in a shark costume danced awkwardly beside the singer offbeat and off-time.
With all the buzz around Katy’s performance making social headlines, the actual game took a back seat. But that still didn’t stop fans from calling out the Sydney Swans for their “pathetic performance”.
We know you’re all hurting, we are too.
Things didn’t go the way we wanted yesterday after a season which gave us so many incredible memories.
We’ve been overwhelmed by support in our 150th year, from all over the world, we have felt it ❤️
We will be back.
Onwards to 2025… pic.twitter.com/LRV5kAFiqj
— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) September 29, 2024
“Please work it out,” one fan wrote simply, evidently heartbroken by the result.
“The MCG was awash with 🔴 & ⚪️ 🦢 fans yesterday, and we didn’t compete for the 2nd time in 3 years,” said another.
“How many more times are we going to have to watch us be the best team all year and give up at the end?” another said.
Swans getting absolutely dog walked🤣💀 pic.twitter.com/GxuLKZmGQT
— Kota (@kotamarrello) September 28, 2024
But off the field, in Australia’s version of the Superbowl, much like in its US counterpart, it’s all about the ads. This year, Network Seven’s broadcast partners included AAMI, McDonald’s, Coles, Google, Harvey Norman, Toyota and Telstra. Check out the biggest ads below!
Want to know more about the ad spend for this huge event? Check out our breakdown.
AAMI
The perils of backyard and professional footy alike were brought into focus in AAMI’s latest AFL-focused campaign via Ogilvy.
AAMI’s ‘When our game has its moments’ campaign, that launched last month, showcases “the unique challenges that footy brings to both professional and community players”, while “reminding the audience of the insurer’s long-standing relationship as official major partner of the AFL and AFLW”.
It is the third iteration of a new AAMI brand platform first launched in March, with the latest similar ad showcasing budding backyard Olympians.
The ‘When our game has its moments’ launches today on TV, with BVOD, streaming, OOH, social, radio, and press live from next week.
Telstra
While not launching specifically for the Grand Final, the timing of Telstra’s new ad campaign and brand platform was hardly a coincidence.
The “Wherever we go” integrated campaign is as charmingly distinctive as it is ambitious.
The change in direction for the brand may be best highlighted by a whimsical animated film called ‘Duet, ‘ which features two characters who journey together through a wondrous world in perfect harmony as a metaphor for partnership.
Brought to life by Oscar-nominated animation duo Smith and Foulkes, ‘Duet’ is set to a whistling composition of the iconic ‘Islands in the Stream’.
The craft and ambition don’t stop with the film, though, and in out-of-home close to 3000 sites, including forty special builds and painted wall murals, feature graphic illustrations by Ben Hassler that have been painstakingly recreated in layers of paper with artist Kyle Bean and photographer Carl Kleiner.
Disney+
Disney+ has debuted its entertaining new take on an iconic Australian sports advertisement. The “I’d Like to Stream That” campaign for Disney+ has officially rolled out across Broadcast, BVOD, YouTube, OOH, Display and Socials. It showcases premium and high-quality shows for adults – including hundreds of films and series that you may not expect to be on Disney+.
“I’d Like to Stream That” expands the playing field for Disney+ by showcasing the diverse and premium content available for a wide range of audiences, such as global hit series FX’s The Bear, Only Murders In The Building, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) and FX’s Shōgun, as well as locally produced series The Artful Dodger.
The new Disney+ campaign throws back to the iconic 90s AFL ad and stars some of Australia’s most recognisable names in sports – Andrew Gaze (Australian Basketball Hall Of Famer), Rob Whittaker (Former UFC Middleweight Champion), Jack Ginnivan (AFL Premiership Player), Lydia Williams (Matildas Legend), Steven Bradbury (Gold Medallist), Tayla Harris (AFLW Icon) and Christian Petracca (AFL Norm Smith Medallist) – each highlighting content available on Disney+ that they would like to stream.
The Disney+ campaign was developed in-house by The Walt Disney Company Australia’s marketing, creative and production teams.
UberEats
Premiering during the final, Uber Eats launched the latest instalment of the ‘Get almost, almost anything’ campaign, featuring actor and comedian Jason Alexander, via Special.
This new instalment, titled “Canned Laughter,” humorously explores the chaos that can arise when the idea of having everything at our fingertips becomes a little problematic.
Following successful collaborations with Kris and Kendall Jenner, Tom Felton, and Nicola Coughlan, this fresh ‘Get almost, almost anything’ campaign is another self-deprecating admission that there are some things Uber Eats doesn’t deliver — demonstrated through the chaos that would ensue if some of our innermost desires were in fact available on the app.
Alexander’s comedic journey begins when the funny man can’t land a joke at a dinner party. Frustrated, he turns to Uber Eats to order ‘canned laughter’, and his problems seem solved…until it becomes clear that there are some situations where laughter is less than ideal, ultimately leading to unexpected—and hilarious—consequences.
The world of Alexander’s comedic desire continues in a series of social spots that further illustrate the array of items available on Uber Eats – from retail, grocery, alcohol, convenience and of course, restaurant cuisine.
Overall, the final was a high-demand affair, with ratings reaching new highs. Check out our ratings breakdown here.
With the AFL final wrapped for another year, all eyes move to the NRL this weekend as the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers go head to head in what will be Penrith’s fifth consecutive finals appearance.
