What it had to solve
Extend the 'Footy. Made by fans.' platform — TV, digital, contextual OOH and audio — with a gesture that lets fans see themselves on the big stage, for the Round 21 clash against St Kilda.
How it works
Father of three Scott Villiers was appointed fan-sponsor, receiving Youi's usual gameday assets plus custom branding in place of Youi's across guernseys, in-ground media and the OTT, linear TV and OOH screens strategy; M+C Saatchi S&E led content and PR with Youi's internal agency and the Lions partnership team.
What it did
Youi called Scott the first footy fan ever represented at this level. CMO Angela Greenwood revealed the hidden cost: 'asking the AFL for permission to change a guernsey mid-season is no easy feat.' The material reports no campaign performance figures.
Background
In July 2024, national insurer Youi announced it would hand the keys to its Brisbane Lions sponsorship to Scott Villiers, a father of three and diehard Lions fan, appointing him fan-sponsor for the club's Round 21 clash against St Kilda. The move extended 'Footy. Made by fans.', the platform Youi rolled out earlier that year to acknowledge fans' role in making footy the spectacle it is.
The gesture went beyond access: Youi's custom branding was replaced with Scott's own logotype on the Lions' matchday guernseys, throughout in-ground media, and across Youi's entire screens strategy — OTT, linear TV and out-of-home. Whether on broadcast or billboard, Scott appeared everywhere Youi would have been, which the brand called the first time a footy fan had been represented at this level.
The execution was collaborative: M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment led content production and PR, Youi's internal agency provided brand oversight, and the Brisbane Lions supported from the partnership side. CMO Angela Greenwood admitted the operational adventure involved — 'asking the AFL for permission to change a guernsey mid-season is no easy feat' — but argued fans deserve to see themselves on the big stage.
Why it lands
It dramatises the platform rather than restating it: the brand proves fans make footy by literally vacating its own media space for one of them.
The operational feat — AFL approval for a mid-season guernsey change — makes the story newsworthy well beyond the match.
A named, ordinary superfan gives the campaign a human protagonist that stats about 'passionate fans' never could.
What you can take
The strongest fan story a sponsor can tell is to disappear: handing your own logo slot to a supporter proves the platform's claim instead of repeating it.
Since then
The material records the July 2024 activation for Round 21 against St Kilda. No later performance data appears in the source.
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