Australian girls who play sport have a rallying cry, and they have Suncorp and Leo Burnet to thank for that. The chant is part of a campaign by the partners called Team Girls, to encourage girls to stay in sport.
The confidence rally cry was created by independent director, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, her music team and the girls themselves – a fearless chant and powerful choreography designed to mimic pre-match motivational rituals. It uses the power of collective voice to reinforce the teamwork, leadership and confidence that result from playing team and inspire girls to be part of that.
The rally cry was launched on Sunday May 26 in a live, televised performance by the teenagers with electronic musician, Thandi Phoenix, during half-time at the Suncorp Super Netball Melbourne Vixens versus NSW Swifts derby match at Margaret Court Arena.
Suncorp’s Team Girls campaign grew from research revealing that nearly half of Australian girls are turning their back on sport by age 17, despite two-thirds acknowledging that sport can make them feel more confident. The report also finds that more than half of parents are concerned about their daughters’ self-esteem.
It will continue to run through the Suncorp Super Netball Season, spearheaded by film created by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and her all-female principle crew, backed by an all-female agency and client team.
Suncorp has also created a Team Girls program with a range of respected speakers, athletes and mental health experts to provide advice, inspiration, tools and support – for girls and parents.
The campaign’s “athluencers” include retired netball player, Liz Ellis; former Australian netball player and former captain of the Australian national team, Laura Geitz; rugby player, Alicia Quirk; netballer, Ashleigh Brazill, plus teen Agony Aunt, podcast host and author of Game On! A Team Girls Guide to Getting Active, Rebecca Sparrow.
Jess Lilley, creative director, Leo Burnett, commented, “When we saw the stats we knew we needed an impactful campaign that could make a difference. We wanted it to be led by the voices of girls themselves, supported by fearless and visionary women who champion change.
“We were thrilled when Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and her team came on board. Her creative vision and inclusive philosophy are completely aligned with our mission to encourage teenage girls to stop doubting themselves, support each other, get out there and change the score.”
Mim Haysom, Suncorp executive general manager brand & marketing, added, “The latest Team Girls creative concept was developed to address the 2019 Confidence Report’s important findings surrounding today’s teens, as part of Suncorp’s ongoing commitment to change the score and keep young people motivated.
“Suncorp is proud to work with Netball Australia to encourage teen girls to continue to play team sport today and build more confident women tomorrow.”
Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore stated, “There’s joy and inspiration in this for me, watching how much the girls come alive when they perform the chant. This is why is it was so important to have the input and feedback from girls when writing this – so it felt representative and authentic of their voices.
“That inclusivity extends to all girls, with real diversity in terms of culture, gender identity, age, body type — anyone and everyone has to feel represented. The collective power of girls is what makes me believe in the possibility of change and I hope the film demonstrates that.”
Team Girls has launched on broadcast television and will appear across social. The campaign is also supported by a broader public relations campaign, managed by agency partner, Leo Burnett.
Credits:
Creative Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Creative Director: Jess Lilley
Creative team: Lucy Logan, Holly Burgess, Stacey Karayannis & Ellie Dunn
Creative Designer: Paula Cardona
Chief Client Partner: Madeleine Marsh
Senior Business Director: Bethany Ryan
Business Executive: Matilda Coy
Senior Strategist: Alexandra Roubine
Project Director: Erin Stace
Project Manager: Cicely Milsom
Senior Integrated Producer: Rene Shalala
Production Company: Prodigious
Director: Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore
Producer: Olivia Cheung
DOP: Ari Wegner
Editor: The Editors, Leila Gaabi
Music: James Mangohig, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore & Caiti Baker
Stills Photographer: Heather Dinas
Media Agency: OMD
Client: Suncorp
Chief Marketing Officer / EGM Brand & Marketing: Mim Haysom
General Manager, Head of Group Brand: Nichole Banks
Executive Manager, Group Brand Properties: Michelle Martinis
Marketing Manager Group Brand Properties: Jenny Hutchinson
Marketing Specialist Group Brand Properties: Morgan Berry
Group Brand Properties Lead Brand and Marketing: Gabrielle Emmett
Chant Lyrics:
”Hey, you got this girl
We know you do.
We know our goals
We rep ourselves
Confident to our core
Check the score
You can’t ignore
We Team Girls
And we want more
[All the girls CLAP]
R – E – S – P – E – C – T
We about it and we get
[A force of the other 18 opposite them in the circle chant back:]
S – U – C – C – E – S – S
You know that’s how we spell success
We…AHHH…team…YEAH…girls…AHH…dream…YEAH
[The chant becomes quieter]
We Team Girls, we’re here to play
We Team Girls, we’re here to stay
[Begin to get louder and louder, projecting their voices with every line repetition]
We Team Girls, we’re here to play
We Team Girls, we’re here to stay
We Team Girls, and we want more
We used to whisper, now we ROAR!”
