Cadbury Launch Campaign Supporting the Matildas, with Wavemaker and Ogilvy

A proud supporter of the Matildas, Cadbury is highlighting its commitment to women’s sport ahead of the FIFA World Cup kick-off tomorrow, with a major campaign across TV, digital and social, created by WPP sister agencies Wavemaker and Ogilvy.

Cadbury’s Women in Sport program and its ‘Cheer and a Half’ campaign aims to help fans celebrate women athletes – young and pro – in all the ways the world’s male athletes are always celebrated. The cross-channel campaign is supported by a broadcast and streaming sponsorship of the FIFA Women’s World Cup with Seven Network and Optus, brokered by Wavemaker.

With the use of a specialised AI image tool on Cadbury’s Cheer and a Half website developed by Ogilvy Melbourne, fans can create bespoke pro posters for any female athlete to elevate and celebrate imagery of women playing professional sport. Fans can also get in on the action by uploading their own photos to the ‘highlight your girl’ tool to generate epic sports imagery of themselves and their loved ones through a combination of generative AI and filters.

Two emotive TV spots, created by Ogilvy, bring the campaign to life: ‘Biggest Fan’ shows a brother’s act of generosity in creating a poster for his sister, and ‘Collage’ shows the sister being generous in her support of the Matildas.

Beyond advertising, Wavemaker has negotiated integration opportunities with with Seven and Optus, across TV, BVOD and social platforms, with a focus on highlighting real moments of generosity, kindness, sacrifice and sportsmanship in the tournament.

Activations at Melbourne’s Federation Square on 11 July, at Marvel Stadium on 14 July during the Matildas versus France friendly, and at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal on 20 July, allowed fans to take snaps against a lifesize photo wall of the Matildas and upload their photos to the AI tool to create a bespoke poster of themselves with the Matildas.

Ben Wicks, vice president of marketing ANZ at Cadbury, said: “Through our Women in Sport program, Cadbury is a long-standing supporter of our female athletes and the CommBank Matildas, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil in Australia.

“We know that girls who receive social support to play sport are much less likely to drop out. But women’s sport never takes priority in a men’s sporting world, and because women’s games are often at more inconvenient times, in less accessible places, and get less coverage – it’s extra difficult for loved ones to show up with the Cheer and a Half girls need to keep playing. With this campaign, we hope to contribute to the continued growth and equality of women’s sport in Australia and further afield.”

Nicole Hayes, APAC client managing partner at Wavemaker, added: “This is an exciting time for women’s sport. We believe there’s always a better way to grow and we couldn’t be happier to aid Cadbury’s mission to level the playing field through meaningful sponsorship and integration opportunities with our media partners. It’s been a team effort with everyone playing a valuable role, in the true spirit of sport and teamwork.”

Ogilvy Melbourne executive creative director Hilary Badger said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup is an important cultural moment and landmark event for women’s sport in Australia. Cadbury has shown long-term commitment to women’s sport over many years, so more than most brands, has plenty of reasons to celebrate. What better way than to use the power of their brand to encourage participation and support for women’s sport at all levels? We’re proud to be part of that effort and commend Cadbury for this campaign and its ongoing commitment.”

Following the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the campaign will continue into the second half of the year with further sports media partnerships in development.