OMD and AAMI, in partnership with Seven Network, AFL and Whooshka, sent ‘AAMI to the Rescue’ during one of Australia’s biggest sporting events of the year, the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final with an integrated content piece and game day stunt.
Building on AAMI’s hugely successful Clangers campaign, a 60-second integrated content piece, created by OMD Create’s Sport Partnerships team in collaboration with AAMI and Seven, takes fans on an adventure across Australia to get the match ball to the MCG in time for opening bounce.
Disaster strikes with a skydiving Clanger that sees 18 AFL and AFLW personalities including Heath Shaw, Sabrina Frederick, Trent Cotchin and Simon Black working together with the AAMI team to prevent the biggest Clanger of all time. The journey takes viewers across the Tiwi Islands and Sydney’s beaches before heading under the ocean to Brighton Beach and landing at the MCG in Melbourne.
Fans were left questioning with what they had just seen as the famous AAMI woman appeared live at the MCG to carry out the match ball.
The stunt and content piece blurred the lines of reality for viewers with a mix of pre-recorded footage transitioning seamlessly to the live game, culminating in a triumphant moment for players and fans alike.
OMD Create’s Sport Partnerships team amplified the activity across multiple channels to target AFL fans including bespoke commentary by TikTok star Shepmates, a curated thread on Twitter and AFL personality Brian Taylor voicing the piece on Triple M.
Mim Haysom, CMO of Suncorp Group, said: “AAMI to the Rescue is a ground-breaking integration that has put the brand front and centre of Australia’s biggest sporting event. The AFL Grand Final is truly Australia’s version of the Super Bowl, to have the piece turn from pre-recorded to live with the AAMI girl entering the ground to deliver the match ball and save the day is incredible.”
Head of mass brands & sponsorships at Suncorp Group, Rapthi Thanapalasingam, added: “AAMI has a proud history of helping Australians prevent and recover from accidents, in the AFL’s case ‘Clangers’ and this piece is the perfect contextual demonstration of that, showcasing AAMI coming to the rescue on the biggest stage in Australia and ultimately preventing the biggest Clanger of all. To have so many AFL talent involved will make this a truly memorable activation for years to come.”
Rob Maclean, Seven West Media Network’s national sport sales director, said: “AAMI to the Rescue is a shining example of brand and content integration as a relevant and meaningful part of a broadcast. AAMI, OMD, Seven and the AFL collaborated to plan and execute the idea with precision, and Seven was thrilled to be able to showcase it to millions of Australians in our live and free coverage.”
100,024 fans attended the AFL Grand Final and over 3.06 million tuned into the broadcast, making it one the highest rating broadcasts of 2022.
Nick Hurley, OMD’s director of sport partnerships, said: “We’re extremely proud to see this come to life on one of the biggest sporting stages in Australia. This has been an idea years in the making. Concepted during the Covid lockdown, we wanted to celebrate the return of AFL to the MCG with an idea to capture the attention of all fans, both in stadium and through the huge broadcast audience. OMD Create and our valued partners are proud to have developed a fantastic integrated moment that captures the excitement and spirit of the game, whilst aligning with the creative platform that we’ve helped build with AAMI.”
