Are We Letting A Grand Final Slip Through Our Fingers?

The AFL Grand Final was watched by 2.179 million people in Australia. Delmar Terblanche talks to three industry professionals about the state of creativity around the most-watched TV event in the country.

Geelong Cats beat Sydney Swans in the AFL Grand Final. At least 2.179 million people watched it. It's the most watched TV event in Australia. The creative industry is not making the best use of this event. It would be a big brave marketer that wants to do a one-off big film for a Super Bowl. There is no equivalent in Australian TV. Superbowl halftime ads are practically an international institution. They are different from those that run across the season. Vinny Panchal, group managing director for Jack Morton and Weber Shandwick Australia, explains this difference.

The AFL is big but not well-known to the general public. The new broadcast rights deal with the women's AFL league will help bring in new viewers. Marketing can only generate so much conversation. The answer is building the hype. There are fans all over Australia. They can build a national moment by picking up all the little fan zones. It's a shared love of the game and its history. Vinny considers the cultural implications of this moment to be vast. Tom and Sasha agree. A lot of hype is needed to generate the kind of ad spend something like the Super Bowl gets if there's no national conversation around it.