With the Maroons striking back in Game 2, Australia’s fiercest sporting standoff is heading into a decider. According to fresh data from GumGum’s Mindset Graph, the State of Origin series has generated 10 million open web mentions across June 2025, capturing the attention of not just rugby league die-hards but brands seeking deeper audience insights across context-rich environments.
The Mindset Graph is GumGum’s proprietary AI technology that decodes real-time contextual signals like sentiment, emotion, and engagement to understand when and where consumers are most mentally available to connect with advertising. Developed in response to the growing demand for privacy-safe, cookie-free targeting, it empowers marketers to engage audiences in the moments that matter most. For brands looking to cut through during major cultural events like Origin, it offers a smarter, mindset-driven way to tap into emotional highs and drive meaningful impact.
As fans roared from the stands, content mentions of the QLD Maroons surged nearly 11x from pre-game to post-game following their Game 2 triumph. By comparison, NSW saw a 4x spike after their Game 1 win, highlighting how the rivalry has escalated both on and off the field.
When it comes to attention-grabbing industries, it was great news for several categories, which rose above the pack during Game 2. Advertisers in these verticals achieved the highest average Attention Time alongside State of Origin-related content:
- Medical Insurance: 3.9 seconds
- Fast Food: 3.8 seconds
- Politics: 3.5 seconds
- Streaming Services: 3.5 seconds
- Electric Vehicles: 3.4 seconds
Medical Insurance and Fast Food categories emerged as top-performing advertising categories, reflecting strong alignment between brand messaging and the emotional intensity of the event. Fast Food benefited from its natural fit with game-day viewing habits, where convenience and sharability drive consumer choice. Medical Insurance, on the other hand, had links due to the high-contact nature of the sport, with themes of protection, resilience, and wellbeing cutting through during moments of heightened audience attention.
From a broader perspective, these trends highlight how consumer behaviour is increasingly influenced by cultural moments, with attention gravitating towards brands that feel timely and emotionally resonant. Gumgum’s Mindset Graph plays a crucial role here by decoding real time contextual signals. This is allowing brands to align their messaging with the right mindset, maximising relevance and impact during events like Origin when national attention is at its peak.
With the 2025 State of Origin series headed to a dramatic Game 3 showdown in Sydney, the opportunity for brands to cut through has never been bigger.
“All eyes are on the decider,” said Georgia Falloon, sales director, QLD, SA & WA at GumGum. “There’s no better moment for brands to align with the emotion and momentum of one of the biggest nights on the Aussie sports calendar. And with the Mindset Graph, they can do it in a way that’s deeply contextual and truly resonates.”
