New Zealand is taking fantasy sports to a whole new level with a league only Kiwi could dream up – Meadow Fresh Fantasy Herd.
Extraordinarily, it is believed to be the world’s first fantasy sports league powered by real cows.
Created for milk brand, Meadow Fresh by McCann New Zealand (formerly DDB Aotearoa), the game lets players draft real cows, score points from farm and milking shed data, and compete for a $20,000 top prize. Just like fantasy football, which relies on real athlete stats, Fantasy Herd draws on actual milking outputs and behavioural data collected from the herd at Nottingham Dairy Farm in North Otago, New Zealand. Players will be able to select their own line ups, drafting real cows – cows like Spotty Pippen, Phillipa Tanker and Pasture Shredder to name a few of the 500 strong herd, each wearing a solar-powered smart collar from New Zealand’s ag-tech company Halter.
In a first-of-its-kind broadcast partnership with Together and with TVNZ, Meadow Fresh Fantasy Herd launched nationally during the Super Bowl LX halftime broadcast on TVNZ1, turning one of the biggest sporting moments of the year into a live draft event. The launch is also supported by a full broadcast sponsorship exclusive to Meadow Fresh, alongside teaser content cocreated with TVNZ marketing team and weekly updates airing during the 1News sport segment.
North Otago farmer, Tim Richards, whose cows star in the game, commented, “The cows don’t know they’re athletes yet, but we’re already debating who should be captain. If a bit of friendly competition helps people appreciate the work that goes into producing great milk, that’s a win.”
“On the surface, Fantasy Herd is playful and fun, but underneath the banter is a bigger purpose,” stated Gary Steele, chief creative officer at McCann New Zealand. “Dairy remains one of New Zealand’s most important industries, yet most people only ever see the finished product. Fantasy Herd uses genuine data and Kiwi humour to show the care, innovation and technology behind modern dairy.”
Meadow Fresh marketing manager, Jen Jones, added, “Fantasy Herd celebrates modern dairy, it’s high-tech, competitive, and a bit cheeky. Partnering with TVNZ and launching during the Super Bowl created a shared national moment, turning a global sporting event into something uniquely Kiwi.”
Local NZ partnerships are at the heart of the campaign, including a deep collaboration with TVNZ – spanning cobranded launch assets, a live-cross 3-minute halftime takeover and TVNZ+ audience engagement – alongside locally backed integrations such as the travelling fanzone with MediaWorks and weekly updates on The Crowd Goes Wild.
Draft Week opened February 9, one week ahead of the first competition round, giving players time to study the stats, build their herds, select a captain cow and join leagues. After six rounds, the highest-scoring herder will be crowned Fantasy Herd Champion and take home NZ$20,000*.
Players can register and build their fantasy herd now at www.fantasyherd.co.nz.
Credits:
Client: Meadow Fresh
Head of Marketing, Dairy: Danielle Dyson
Meadow Fresh Marketing Manager: Jen Jones
Meadow Fresh Brand Manager: Harriet Munro
Category Activation Manager – Dairy: Michelle Petry
Creative Agency: McCann New Zealand
Production Companies: Sweetshop New Zealand + The Gardening Club
Media Agency: Together
PR Agency: Mango Communications
