Optus and football mag Mundial want to share the passion of Aussie EPL fans.
Waking up at 4am in the morning, bleary eyed and exhausted, but determined to plough through sleep deprivation to watch your beloved team in the most competitive football competition in the world.
That’s the stark reality of English Premier League fans who live Down Under.
This is the premise of a new campaign, Because Football, by Optus Yes agency, UM and global football magazine Mundial.
The campaign asked 20 fans (one for each team) to tell each of their 20 stories. Six of these have been chosen for an accompanying ad campaign.
Central Coast-based Arsenal fan Mary, sporting Gunners tough stickers on her arm, tells us it’s “just something that you love” in a room clad with Arsenal memorabilia.
A Liverpool fan points out it can all change at the flip of a coin while getting his fair cut hair cut, while a Manchester City fan recites the famous Bill Shankly quote, “football is not a matter of life or death, it’s much more than that”, quite possibly oblivious that Shankly is a Liverpool god.
The aim of the campaign is to showcase the passion and characters that get up in the early hours of the morning to watch their beloved team.
“Australian Premier League fans are some of the most passionate and dedicated in the world and we felt it was about time they were genuinely celebrated,” Optus’ director marketing Melissa Hopkins said.
“The opportunity to collaborate with Mundial, who are widely celebrated in the football world for their deep-rooted passion, understanding of fan culture and strong point of view, was pretty much a dream come true for most of the team.”
The stories will run across Mundial digital platforms and feature in the next print edition of the magazine. The Beyond Football advertising campaign will launch this week across television, street furniture and online.
Optus Sport is providing free EPL coverage until the end of this month.
