The Cronulla Sharks have today unveiled a 2014 season launch campaign, the likes of which the NRL has never seen before.
Called ‘It's Feeding Time’, the initiative sees Sharks legends Andrew Ettingshausen and Stuart Raper travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to find the fiercest version of the Sharks mascot in the flesh.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Joined by shark conservationists and award winning shark documentarians, the boys set about giving the NRL a taste of things to come in 2014.
Taking the seal decoys used by the scientists to study the behavior of Great Whites, the lads dressed them in each one of the opposition’s team jerseys before throwing them overboard, one by one.
Said Ettinghausen; “It literally took two minutes for a four point five meter monster to come out of the water and sink its teeth into the Sea Eagles strip.”
Importantly, the whole activation was conducted under the supervision of shark experts, using specially designed soft decoys that are regularly used in research.
The tattered jerseys themselves will be auctioned off to fans later in the season with all proceeds going to shark conservation.
Conceived in collaboration with advertising agency Patts Y&R Sydney, the content will be available to fans at the Sharks site online, as well as appearing during home games at Remondis Stadium and on interactive posters that let fans Blipper video evidence of how a Bulldogs, Knights or Titans shirt was torn to shreds.
Cronulla Sharks Chairman Damian Keogh said; “We’ve set some pretty aggressive targets for ourselves this year. Feeding Time is a fresh way to send that message and at the same time ignite the passion of our loyal members and fans.”
“When the creative guys Bart and Dave came to me with the idea my immediate reaction was ‘What the hell?!’. But then the 30+ year Sharks loyalist in me kicked in and it became ‘Hell Yeah!’ I immediately picked up the phone,” Patts Y&R MD Andrew Dowling added
The Feeding Time activation is part of the broader repositioning of BORN WITH IT, created for the club by Patts Y&R, Australia’s longest standing advertising agency.
Reaffirming to fans Australia-wide that ferocity, fearlessness and a sense of fun are some of the qualities that the Sharks have had from day one.
Asked if they had anything to add, Patts Creative Directors Pawlak and Joubert responded over the line with three words – “Up, up Cronulla!”
For the introductory Feeding Time campaign video, follow the link. Click here
