James Boag’s Premium returns to partner the Melbourne Cup backed by ‘Greatness rarely comes easy’ campaign via Publicis Mojo, Sydney

To celebrate James Boag’s Premium’s partnership as the official beer of the 153rd Melbourne Cup Carnival, Lion is featuring racing legends Sheila Laxon and Mark Kavanagh in its latest ‘Greatness Rarely Comes Easy’ campaign.

The print and outdoor, campaign, created by Publicis Mojo, recognises the uncompromising spirit that goes into premier horseracing by focusing on the incredible stories of these two legends of the sport.

Both of them went through long, arduous journeys on the road to Melbourne Cup-winning greatness and this campaign highlights the trials and tribulations of their personal stories.

In 1991, Sheila suffered a fall during Gisborne race day in New Zealand resulting in brain damage, but her passion for the sport fueled her recovery and saw her back in the saddle as a trainer.  Mark, making the difficult transition from a jumps jockey to horseracing struggled just to put food on his family’s table.  Through grit and determination, they fought through every obstacle in their path and achieved Melbourne Cup glory.

“The will that these two people had was incredible.  It goes to show that through hard work and determination, you can achieve anything.  And when you dig below the surface of some winners of the past, you soon discover that greatness rarely comes easy,” said Grant Rutherford, executive creative director of Publicis Mojo Sydney.

“We wanted to connect our brand with the premium nature of the Melbourne Cup Carnival,” said Lion Brand Director Ben Slocombe, “but we wanted to do so in a way that was consistent with the inherent substance of our brand. We believe that we’ve achieved that by focusing away from the glitz and glamour of racing, where so many other brands compete.”

The campaign supports James Boag’s Premium’s presence at the Melbourne Cup Carnival which will this year include a new “Celebration Deck” giving General Admission racegoers an elevated view of the track and a more premium experience.

James Boag’s Premium will continue its marquee in the front row of the Birdcage, giving their guests a brilliant view of the track. On Derby and Cup Days, Melbourne artist Jamie Cooper will also capture key moments on canvas from Mark Kavanagh and Shelia Laxon’s Melbourne Cup glory in the Birdcage marquee’s 7.5m tower known as the Hawk’s Nest.

Working with Channel 7, these stories will also be brought to life in film with interviews using historical footage and will run during the Melbourne Cup Carnival telecast and extend through to autumn racing.

The print and outdoor campaign was shot by photographer Tim Georgeson. The OOH and print media was planned by Zenith Optimedia as well as facilitating the Channel 7 partnership.  Twenty3 Sport + Entertainment has developed the public relations program.

The campaign launches nationally this week in the lead up to the Melbourne Cup Carnival which starts with Derby Day on Saturday.