South East Melbourne Phoenix (literally) launches members in new campaign via Passel Media and Josh Mann

One of the NBL’s newest franchises the South East Melbourne Phoenix, have come out swinging this season, extending its “We will rise” brand platform, to usher in new fans and members.

The symbiotic relationship between a sports team and its fans is something we all understand. Passel Media and Josh Mann set out to celebrate this relationship by showing the small, but meaningful ways this plays out in daily life.

Since its 2019 introduction to the NBL, The Phoenix has had a secret weapon – its community. Melbourne’s South East has the highest concentration of basketball participants in the country and this campaign aims to increase the club’s regional reach, strengthen its brand narrative and build a robust community connection for the club’s future.

Says Josh Mann, creative director: “The early days of a new sporting franchise are critical, and this campaign is an opportunity for the Phoenix to show how important their fans are to the team’s success. It’s also a chance to show how impactful it can be for fans to feel ownership and pride in the team. It’s exciting to see The Phoenix embracing a level of storytelling that we don’t often see from NBL clubs.”

Says Stephen Packer, director: “As a lifelong fan, one of the things that most fascinates me about basketball is the way it brings people together from all walks of life. We knew we wanted this piece to have deep roots in the local community, so working with real fans as well as local businesses and families from the Phoenix Heartland, we were able to ground this story in reality, before launching it into the upper atmosphere.”

This spot was produced entirely by independent creatives, and crew, who believe they can provide a unique avenue for businesses who want to produce high quality campaigns, but aren’t in a position to commit to a traditional agency model.

Says Leanne Badcock, GM marketing and media: “We have an amazing in-house creative team, but this collaboration has allowed us to take our production and storytelling to a whole other level. It’s a beautiful visual piece that helps showcase our community connection and rally in supporters, existing and new, who want to be part of our growth and success.”

Phoenix 2024/25 Memberships are available now.

Client: S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Head of Marketing: Leanne Badcock
Marketing & Communications Manager: Aaron Pereira
In-house Video Producer: Jye Harris

Creative Team: Stephen Packer & Josh Mann

Creative Director/Art Director: Josh Mann

Production Co: Passel Media
Director: Stephen Packer
Executive Producer: Adam Camporeale
DOP: Matthew Jenkins
Production Designer: Leonie Leonida
1st AD: Hector Zamora
Editor: Stephen Packer
Grade/Online: PostLab
Colourist: Nicholas Hower
Sound Studio: Seeing Sounds
Sound Design/Mix: Scott Illingworth