AUNZ Work of the Week: Socceroos and M+C Saatchi

The Matildas have been the darlings of Australian soccer for a few years now, leaving their male counterparts – the Socceroos – with a much smaller share of the limelight. So how do you go about making the Socceroos cool again? That’s the question Football Australia came to M+C Saatchi Group AUNZ with.

It’s the week before Cannes, and there have been some heavy hitting campaigns released in terms of newsworthiness – Wieden+Kennedy’s first work in the Australian market dropped, TBWA\NZ revived ‘100% Pure New Zealand’, and Colenso BBDO brought back Magda Szubanski’s iconic ‘Kath & Kim’ character.

Among this field, ‘Forever Golden’ stands out for its approach in blending the past and future. Referencing the ‘Golden Generation’ of 2006 whilst bringing the team to the table in the modern game, Daniel Borghesi, creative director, M+C Saatchi said ‘Forever Golden’ “flips one of the team’s biggest criticisms into a statement of belief.”

The campaign comes with a 60” spot that uses minimalist visuals bathed in gold light, and driven by a track that reminds me of The Prodigy. It also brings a new visual identity developed in partnership with creative studio Ooft, which includes a custom wordmark that looks like a flag being flown. 

The Socceroos' best days certainly aren’t behind them. The team is gearing up to tackle their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup in 2026 after qualifying through a 2-1 victory against Saudi Arabia, and it’s not hard to imagine a bunch of kids in the crowd with ‘Forever Golden’ signs once they get there.