Sportsbet welcomes England Cricket Fans with giant tissue box activation in Perth

To welcome the England cricket team and their fans to Australia for The Ashes, Sportsbet, in collaboration with experiential and PR partner Akcelo, recently unveiled a gigantic box of tissues at Forrest Place in Perth. The 4.5-metre-high monument celebrated the time-honoured tradition of the Poms whingeing about everything from the rules they wrote themselves, to the ball, the pitch, the umpires, the weather and, of course, the “Spirit of Cricket.”

Former Ashes rivals Brad Haddin and Graeme Swann helped launch the giant tissue box, sparking banter as they revisited classic Ashes moments and faced off with bat and ball themselves.

Says Haddin: “When I heard what Sportsbet had in mind, I knew I had to be involved. If there’s one thing the Poms are known for, it’s having a good whinge. Over the weekend, anyone from England could walk down and grab a pic with this giant tissue box at any time, unless of course… they refused to walk.”

Swann hit back: “Hadds being a typical Aussie there. We don’t whinge, we just point out the rules they keep bending. It was a brilliant stunt from Sportsbet, though. If England start the series well, a few Aussies might be the ones reaching for the tissues.”

The tissues feature a large but “Ultra Soft” design made by Aussies for thin-skinned Poms. Whether they were complaining over a Bairstow brain fade, having a Stokes-sized sook, or mourning another “moral victory,” these extra-absorbent tissues provided the perfect partner for every Pom this Ashes.

Alongside the installation, personalised boxes of tissues were sent to some of England’s most famous whingers, including Piers Morgan, Kevin Pietersen and Jonny Bairstow, bringing the banter to life before the first ball was bowled.

Sportsbet Executive Creative Director Rambo Goraya says: “With a massive Barmy Army supporter base invading Perth, we thought it would be nice to welcome them with a tissue box 20,000 times the usual size to match their 140 years of moaning.”

Sportsbet also launched the Pommy Whinge Farm, where The Grubs harnessed classic Pom whingeing to fuel the summer of cricket.

Adds Goraya: “Renewable energy is a hot topic in cricket circles these days, so what better solution than using the wasted energy of whingeing Poms to power air cons and stadium lights around the country.”

Client/Creative: Sportsbet
Chief Marketing Officer: Mark Migliorini
GM Brand, Advertising & Content: Kathy Schokman
Head of Brand, Advertising & PR: Yuta Kobayashi
Executive Creative Director: Rambo Goraya
Creative Director: Callan McKean
Senior Creatives: Shaun Conroy & Nick Weller
Creative: Jamie McGloin
PR: Dylan Atkinson
Talent: Zoe Scutter
Design: Gus Beeforth
Senior Art Director: John Pantzopoulos
Producer: Olivia Stewart
Experiential Activation & PR Partner: Akcelo

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