Startups empowering Olympic athletes, Dan Ricciardo x Dan Muprhy’s creative PR campaign
Startups empowering Olympic athletes, Dan Ricciardo x Dan Muprhy’s creative PR campaign
Today’s lineup:
Innovative startups have emerged with the mission to help alleviate the financial burden experienced by many of Australia's elite athletes
Dan Ricciardo x Dan Muprhy’s creative PR campaign
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Dove Men+Care agreed to a new partnership with Rugby Australia and became the official partner of the Wallabies until the end of 2027 (Australia will host the British & Irish Lions Tour and Men's Rugby World Cup during this period)
Dove Men+Care also sponsored a new mental health-themed 9-week series of Producey’s Dyl & Friends podcasts which is centred around “giving full credit to the boys”
Melbourne Storm and Sunshine Coast Lightning announced luggage shipping experts Send My Bag as a partner for the remainder of the 2024 season
The Brisbane Bullets announced a new community partnership with The Star Entertainment Group
Zurich Insurance extended their “Grassroots to Greatness” initiative in partnership with the Wests Tigers NRLW which will see them donate 1 x junior footy pack valued at $500+ to a community club for every try they score during the season
Australian-owned fashion label, Farage renewed their partnership with the Sydney Swans for another 4 seasons, and players Will Hayward, Justin McInerney, and Logan McDonald took to the runway launch their new two.one label
Speedo agreed to sponsor a swimming race between Tom Green and Jacob Gaynor - the hosts of GWS Giants’ “In The Green Room”
The Sydney Swans hosted their ''Match Day Mingle” event at the SCG last weekend, in partnership with Mamamia, Listerine and Merivale
The NRL expanded its Las Vegas doubleheader into a festival, adding Super League and women’s international games to its 2025 event plans
Nine will bank $135m in ad revenue for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics and CEO Mike Sneesby insists it will turn a profit (Nine spent $305m for its Olympic broadcast rights between Paris 2024 to Brisbane in 2032)
Sports Entertainment Group owner Craig Hutchison sold Perth Wildcats for $40m to cybersecurity entrepreneur Mark Arena
Online operator 1win has signed David Warner as its first sports ambassador who will participate in joint social media activities, large projects, fan events and other initiatives
Bailey Smith and Kalyn Ponga have been unveiled as the new faces of men’s grooming brand “Stuff That Matters”
The NBA’s new 11-year TV and media rights deal will net the league approximately $76b – $6.9b per season
David Beckham is launching a new health and wellness brand called ‘IM8’
Samsung officially launched its highly-anticipated Galaxy ring, becoming the first tech giant to launch a smart ring.
Innovative startups have emerged with the mission to help alleviate the financial burden experienced by many of Australia's elite athletes
There are 460+ Australian Olympic athletes set to compete across 33 sports at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, and there's a common perception that they’re all well paid and live a life of luxury.
Although this may be true for some, findings from a 2023 survey conducted by the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) found that almost half of Australia’s best athletes are earning below the national poverty line.
Whilst elite athletes can train upwards of 30 hours per week, according to the ASF’s “2023 Running on Empty report” 46% of them have an annual income of less than $23,000.
The financial burden that so many athletes experience can lead to mental health issues (42% of elite athletes reported suffering poor mental health) and a hindered ability to reach peak performance.
Although there are various government grants, incentives and payments available to elite athletes, the costs required to train and compete at the elite level are high and given the limitations on financial support available, 52% of elite athletes have considered leaving their sport.
With the Olympics set to dominate the sporting landscape over the coming weeks, there's a key opportunity for athletes to commercially capitalise in the short-term, but the challenge to create a long-term financially sustainable career will likely remain for many.
To help alleviate the financial pressure, start-ups offering new and innovative services are emerging to help Australia’s elite athletes secure new and sustainable revenue streams in preparation for Brisbane 2032.
project32 was launched by Bastion and is a first-of-its-kind program that aims to disrupt the outdated partnership and ambassador models between athletes and businesses.
Playa Power is powered by the team behind Ministry Of Sport and is a new online platform designed to coach athletes on marketing opportunities to unlock their earning potential.
The Aussie Athlete Fund was founded by Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Natalie Cook whose own Olympic experience left her with a $300k debt. The AAF has launched the ‘$1 million challenge’ which is powered by Ampol and aims to raise $1m for 100 aspiring Olympic athletes annually.
The WattleNest helps Australian current and future champions compete on the International Stage through strategic partnerships with organisations that want to elevate their social responsibility impact.
Dan Ricciardo x Dan Muprhy’s creative PR campaign
Daniel Ricciardo’s new campaign in partnership with Dan Murphy's is a great example of how a creative idea, combined with star-power and a PR plan can be activated to generate attention and deliver results without the pure reliance of paid media.
To celebrate the launch of his DR3 x St Hugo wines into Dan Murphy’s nationwide, Dan Ricciardo starred in a comical “Greatest Takeover in Wine history” PR campaign where he took over Dan Murphy’s and renamed it “Dan Ricciardo’s”
Things worth noticing about this campaign:
1. Dan Ricciardo is one of Australia’s most marketable athletes
In 2024 he was listed as Australia's 4th most popular sports personality in the Australian Talent Index’s Top Talent Report behind Ash Barty, Sam Kerr and Dylan Alcott.
He demonstrates Australian values which makes him an appealing brand ambassador - He’s cheeky, charismatic and light-hearted which makes him highly-suitable for comical long-form branded content.
2. Dan Murphy’s and Pernod Ricard (parent of Hugo Wines) have effectively leveraged his likeability and IP
Playing to Daniel Ricciardo's strengths, Emotive (Creative Agency) created a long-form branded content piece using him as the star. This clip has been used it as the core campaign asset.
The campaign has been appropriately rolled-out across social & digital, experiential and PR channels. It's effectively utilised the power of Daniel Ricciardo's personal brand, and combined it with creative storytelling to fuel organic reach and earned media coverage.
3. This is not the first time Daniel Ricciardo has starred in comical content pieces that went viral
Notable mentions include:
Featuring in a clip with The Inspired Unemployed in the lead up to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (6.2m+ views on TikTok)
Tiktok failed to load.
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserJoining the Optus retail frontline team to prank customers on Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate show (4m+ views on Instagram)
4. Athletes’ brands are more powerful than ever
The reach and influence of athletes is continuously rising as social media channels enable athletes to connect directly with fans, bypassing traditional media channels.
Daniel Ricciardo has a massive following across social media and he’s particularly savvy with his LinkedIn where has he has 421k+ followers and lists himself as Optus’ “Chief of Optimism”
5. Some other Australia’s highest-profile sports stars have ventured into entrepreneurship and launched beer, wine, spirits and seltzer brands
Drink West - Tai Tuivasa, Tyson Pedro, Nathan Cleary
Bloke Beer - Denan Kemp
Doozy - Will Hayward, Ollie Florent, Isaac Heeney
Ponting Wines - Ricky Ponting
Hey Diddle - Tom Jonas, Brad Ebert
Seven Seasons - Daniel Motlop
Balter - Mick Fanning
Barry/Alter Ego Drinks - Bailey Smith, Reece Walsh, Nick & Josh Diacos, Charlie Curnow
Gravity Seltzer - Cooper Chapman, Matt Poole, Jenna Louise, Harley Clifford, Harry Bink
Adelaide Crows - Commercial Sales Coordinator
AFL - Social Media Executive
Amplify - Sports Talent Manager
ASICS Oceania - Sports Marketing Coordinator
ASICS Oceania - Sports Marketing Executive - Events
Bastion - Account Manager PR
Brisbane Broncos - General Manager - Community & Social Impact
Brisbane Bullets - Media Marketing Specialist
Collingwood FC - Partnerships Coordinator
Cricket Australia - Customer Marketing Specialist
Cricket Australia - National Growth Initiatives Lead
Cricket Australia - Senior Developer, CRM
Cricket Victoria - Digital Content Specialist
Cricket NSW - Event Manager - Sydney Sixers
Cricket NSW - Partnerships Manager - Sydney Thunder
Dann Event Hire - Client Relationship Manager - Sport
Foxtel Group - Digital Reporter - Fox Sports
Foxtel Group - Marketing Director - Kayo
Foxtel Group - Senior Marketing Executive - Sports
Gemba - Creative & Production Manager
Greenroom Digital - Account Manager
Harness Racing Victoria - Marketing & Events Manager
James Hardie - Brand Activation Manager
Kojo - Sports Presentation Producer
Kojo - Content Producer
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - Integrated Designer
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - People Experience Manager
Melbourne United - School Programs Business Executive
Melbourne Victory - Digital Marketing Coordinator
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Event Manager
National Basketball League - Senior Manager Operations and Events
National Rugby League - Chief Commercial Officer
National Rugby League - Chief of Staff
National Rugby League - Chief Operating Officer (COO)
National Rugby League - Media & Communications Coordinator
Netball Australia - Commercial Sales Manager
Netball Australia - General Manager, Corporate Affairs
Netball Australia - Senior Partnerships Lead
News Corp Australia - Head of Digital and Audience Sport
Nielsen - Product Specialist, Sports
Nine - Sport Sales Executive
Puma Australia - CRM & Digital Marketing Manager
Queensland Cricket - Commercial & Marketing Coordinator
Racing.com - Social Media Specialist
Red Bull - Creator Marketing Specialist
Southern Cross Austereo - Sales Coordinator - Sports & Partnerships
Sportsbet - CRM Executive
Sportsbet - Campaign Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Digital Strategy & Campaign Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Events and Travel Manager
Stan. - Sports Programmer - Olympics
Stan. - Sports Scheduler - Olympics
Sydney FC - Marketing Coordinator (Fan Engagement)
Tennis Australia - Business Development Lead (New Business)
Tennis Australia - Digital Marketing Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Media Services Assistant
Tennis Australia - Event Operations Coordinator
Ultimate Fighting Championship - International Business Development Coordinator
Wests Tigers - Head of Corporate Partnerships
Not yet a subscriber? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.