Mike Dann — Art Director

The Background

Fremantle Football Club, despite being one of only three active AFL clubs not to have won a premiership, has some of the country’s most fervent and dedicated supporters. Established in one of the oldest and proudest cities in Western Australia, Fremantle (‘Freo’), the Dockers own the community-level spirit of the classic underdog. We needed to create a brand campaign for the true believers of Freo footy - a passion not driven by banners and history, but by the love of the game.

The Background

Fremantle Football Club, despite being one of only three active AFL clubs not to have won a premiership, has some of the country’s most fervent and dedicated supporters. Established in one of the oldest and proudest cities in Western Australia, Fremantle (‘Freo’), the Dockers own the community-level spirit of the classic underdog. We needed to create a brand campaign for the true believers of Freo footy - a passion not driven by banners and history, but by the love of the game.

The Idea

We positioned Game Day and all of the anticipation leading up to it in a single line, ‘The Best Things in Life are Freo’. After undertaking a significant amount of qualitative and quantitative research on core drivers of fan attendance, it was uncovered that while footy is a way to get fans passionate, it’s the moments with friends and families that really get them to the game. Out of all the creative propositions tested, the lines around ‘connections/moments’ were universally nominated as the main factor in game attendance.

We created hundreds of executions across OOH, film, radio and social, featuring real crowds and real Freo fans. From the big to the small moments, we made sure to capture the spirit of the Freo true believer and the community behind it at every moment. And the fans responded, with an overwhelming positive reception on the brand’s social channels and brand tracking. We might not be the winningest team on the field - but the fans, as ever, were our champions.

The Idea

We positioned Game Day and all of the anticipation leading up to it in a single line, ‘The Best Things in Life are Freo’. After undertaking a significant amount of qualitative and quantitative research on core drivers of fan attendance, it was uncovered that while footy is a way to get fans passionate, it’s the moments with friends and families that really get them to the game. Out of all the creative propositions tested, the lines around ‘connections/moments’ were universally nominated as the main factor in game attendance.

We created hundreds of executions across OOH, film, radio and social, featuring real crowds and real Freo fans. From the big to the small moments, we made sure to capture the spirit of the Freo true believer and the community behind it at every moment. And the fans responded, with an overwhelming positive reception on the brand’s social channels and brand tracking. We might not be the winningest team on the field - but the fans, as ever, were our champions.