Cricket Australia has taken one of the most ritualised moments in Australian sport out of the stadium and onto the street, using live out of home as a broadcast channel for the first time at national scale.
In a campaign developed with Special, Initiative and oOh!media, the ‘Unmissable first over’ activation turned thousands of digital billboards into live screens for the opening overs of every Test in the NRMA Insurance Ashes Series.
Turning a national ritual into a live media moment
Across the five-Test series, a total of 4,557 digital out of home sites were synchronised to show a live two-minute countdown followed by 15 minutes of play from the first over of each match.
The result was a cumulative 85 minutes of live cricket broadcast across public spaces nationwide.
The activation reached more than 1.18 million Australians, transforming city centres, transport hubs and shopping centres into shared viewing environments during one of the most anticipated moments of the Ashes.
Cricket Australia head of marketing and brand Teresa Basile said the campaign extended the reach of the series beyond traditional broadcast and digital channels.
“We were thrilled to work with Special, Initiative and oOh!media to bring the first ball of each Ashes Test Match to Australians all over the country,” Basile said.
“This initiative provided an opportunity to extend that reach by bringing the first ball to thousands of locations, including city centres and shopping centres, around the country.”
Hijacking advertising to stop the nation
For creative agency Special, the idea was to turn advertising inventory itself into the moment.
Creative directors Adam Ferrie and Pete Cvetkovski said: “By hijacking traditional media to broadcast the first overs of The Ashes, they became not only the overs that stopped a nation, but the overs that stopped advertising in celebration and anticipation of an unmissable Ashes Series.”
The live nature of the execution required close coordination across creative, media and technology teams, with digital screens switching from standard advertising to live sport in real time.
Meeting audiences where they are
Initiative head of Melbourne, Megan Davey, said the scale of the takeover was designed to meet fans in their everyday environments.
“We know that truly powerful media moments are those that break convention and meet audiences where they are,” Davey said.
“By transforming everyday environments into live broadcast touchpoints, we’ve not only connected passionate cricket fans to a moment they never want to miss, but we have also opened the door for new fans to experience the energy, anticipation and cultural weight of The Ashes in real time.”
Out of home as a live broadcast channel
For Ooh! Media, the campaign marked a milestone in how out-of-home can function as a medium.
Chief product and marketing officer Bel Harper said: “It’s the first time out of home has been used as a live broadcast channel at this scale. Together with Cricket Australia, we’ve shown how our national network can unite audiences and hold their attention in real time, with the sporting moments that matter.”
Credits
Client: Cricket Australia
General Manager ‑ Digital, Marketing & Communications: Alex Lavelle:
Head of Brand & Marketing: Teresa Basile
Senior Marketing Manager – Participation & International: David Hutchinson
Marketing Specialist: Samantha Scott
Channel Strategy & Implementation Lead: Harrison Orchard
Senior Broadcast Manager: Sarah Lord
Senior Content Producer: Dan Allan
Creative Agency: Special
Partner/CEO: Lindsey Evans
Partners/CCO: Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber
Partner/CSO: Rebecca Stambanis
ECD: Ryan Fitzgerald
Creative Directors/Creatives: Peter Cvetkovski & Adam Ferrie
Team Lead/Director of Business Management: Ollie May
Senior Business Director: Ed Taylor
Integrated Producer: Katherine Muir
Planner: Ollie Immurs
Media Agency: Initiative
Client Partner: Aaron Farrelly
Chief Strategy Officer: Tom Dodd
Client Director: Ben Clarke
Strategy Director: Tate Nalen
Group Investment Director: Sam Bailey
Out of Home: oOh!media
Digital Delivery & Platforms director: Benjamin Robb
Agile Business Analyst: Beth Cresnik
Software Engineer: Luke Haillay
Technical Lead: Mark Passlow
Senior Product Owner: Surbhi Mishra
Head of Product Innovation and Delivery: Richard Moore
Integrated Producer: Arther Dunderdale
Victoria Sales Director: James Goodwin
Group Sales Leader: Nicole Athanassas