MARS | STRAUCHANIE SPONSORSHIP | 2009
This Is a Fake Sponsorship / MARS "STRAUCHANIE SPONSORSHIP"
In 2009, MARS launched a sponsorship deal in Australia with a player who didn't actually exist.
The problem
At the time, MARS was Australia's best-selling chocolate bar, but it had been slipping in consumer "favorite brand" rankings. The brand needed to win back the love of its target audience, people aged 16 to 44.
The idea
Starcom's answer was a sponsorship deal with a made-up Australian Football player named "Strauchanie." Instead of using a real star athlete, they built him as a bogan—a stereotypical working-class Australian character. That choice let the campaign dodge the usual tired sports-hero worship and work as pure parody.
What happened
This fake sponsorship campaign won Gold at Cannes Lions 2009 and also took Gold at the Internationalist Awards.
Afterthought
Sponsoring a player who doesn't actually exist, and committing to that absurdity with total seriousness—I think that's what let MARS show off its playful side as a brand. I couldn't confirm all the details, but I love the nerve it took to go for laughs using a "fake" back in 2009.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2009
