Hotel chain wants you to stay where the AFL players stay

Accor, the AFL’s Official Accommodation Partner, has launched a new campaign positioning its hotels as the go-to choice for players and fans.

Stay Where the Players Stay was filmed at the recently refurbished Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach.

The campaign features AFL and AFLW players, legends and creators including Hawthorn’s Josh Weddle and Jarman Impey, Brisbane Lions’ Dayne Zorko, Melbourne’s Tayla Harris, commentators Brian Taylor and Nathan Buckley, and content creators Shepmates.

Adrian Williams, Accor Pacific Chief Operating Officer, said: “As lovers of footy and fans of the game, this campaign taps into a simple insight: footy fans want to feel part of the action - including where they stay.

"We're proud to offer the same trusted hospitality enjoyed by players to supporters across the country, and to continue our support of the game and its community as the official accommodation partner of the AFL and AFLW.”

The campaign will run across TV, digital, social and in-hotel activations, aiming to merge traditional advertising with fan-focused content.

Running from now until early October, it will come to life throughout the footy season with the following campaign elements:

• National TV spots with hero 30-second TVC and several 15 second cut downs
Partner advertising across AFL channels, including homepage takeover, eDMs and digital displays
• Owned channels, including social media, email marketing and website display
• Offline media including Australia wide out of home assets
• The campaign will feature in hotels for in-venue activations including digital screens, decals and promotional items
• Tactical influencer activity launching across the period of the campaign
• Additionally, the AFL Fan Travel website is now live, featuring 27 Accor hotels nationwide - a number expected to grow as demand builds - with dynamic packaging and a major AFL-led marketing push set to drive strong bookings.

This marks the first activation under Accor’s new ‘Stay Where the Players Stay’ platform, with the NRL already signed on and potential to extend to other sporting codes.

Credits
Client: Accor
Marketing Direction: Accor Marketing Manager, Sponsorship & Events, Pacific – Rachael Farrington, Marketing Director, Pacific – Stephanie Inglis
Creative Agency: Chisel
Media Agency: Zenith Media

Media Team: Zenith Client Partner – Ewan Mitchell, Zenith Planning Manager – Victor Arambulo, Zenith Senior Digital Executive – Darcie Foster

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