Melbourne Aces baseball campaign goes viral

By AdNews | 23 September 2013
 
Melbourne Aces 'A Different Ball Game' by Ogilvy.

A series of teaser videos for the Melbourne Aces baseball team, in which Aces players take on seemingly impossible tasks like hitting a hole in one with a baseball bat, has gone viral with over half a million YouTube hits.

The three (digitally enhanced) teaser videos, 'Hole in One With Baseball Bat!', '7-10 Split With Baseball' and 'Blindfolded Baseball Catcher vs. 2 Hockey Players', were released minus branding prior to the campaign's TV launch to generate interest.

The teasers, created by Ogilvy, have generated 567,000 hits across 192 countries, with more than 120 websites linking to the videos. The full suite of branded TVCs has now gone line on free-to-air and pay TV.

In a statement, Ogilvy chief creative officer Steve Back said the campaign's viral success was an indication of how much the advertising landscape had changed: "For certain demographics it’s now vital that campaigns are created in a way that is appealing across a range of formats and channels.

"Combining traditional TVCs with social media in this campaign has given the Melbourne Aces exposure to a whole new audience that may not have been possible in the past."

Back said baseball struggled to gain traction in the Australian sporting landscape, dominated by AFL, rugby league and cricket, and the campaign was designed to show how exciting the game could be.

"By creating three TVCs that are also suitable for social media, we’ve captured the attention of sporting fans and generated plenty of discussion around whether these feats are even possible."

Speaking of 'trick shot' style sporting ads, we also like: Roger Federer knocking a can off a guy's head for Gillete, football legend Ronaldhino showing off for Nike, and Cristiano Ronaldo versus Rafa Nadal, also for Nike.



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