Sky is encouraging Kiwis to get outdoors and explore New Zealand with their new Summer of Sport campaign.
The new ad features a toddler who manages to get away from his Dad, successfully sidestepping a host of grown-ups with a commentary from the voice of summer, Ian “Smithy” Smith.
Sky CMO Steve Bayliss described the advertisement's protagonist in enthusiastic terms: "He’s summer, sport, and freedom – all at once."
The campaign, developed with DDB, is the latest in the Sky Sport brand campaign ‘Life Needs More Sport’, launched in August earlier this year.
“There’s been a real sea-change here and it’s feeling pretty good. We knew Sky had lost its way a bit with how we were relating to our customers, so we haven’t wasted any time doing a better job on connecting with Kiwis," said Bayliss.
“Our Life Needs More Sport campaign is driving home how we’re the home of sport for New Zealanders."
Sky has signed up Sky Stadium, a slew of broadcast rights for key sports, and launched the great streaming service Sky Sport Now. The company has also invested in Sky Sport Next and rolled out sponsorships for key teams and sports across the spectrum.
"There’s more to come, which will be revealed over the next few weeks and months, but with this change of pace our drive to secure more content, grow sport in New Zealand, and get people talking about it is only on the up."
But Bayliss cautioned against embracing the campaign's message too literally. “If anyone is tempted to have a crack at bringing our latest campaign to life at the beach – we’d strongly recommend a little self-reflection," he joked.
"As a general rule, the older we get, the more it shouldn’t be seen and can’t be unseen. Nor is it easily forgotten thanks to cell phone cameras and social media. Otherwise, let it all hang out and enjoy a wild summer of sport with Sky.”
