TAB gives fans something to ‘Shout!’ about in new sport and racing campaign via Bastion
TAB has long been part of the nation’s sporting fabric, from racetracks to stadiums, pubs and clubs. Building on its 60+ year heritage, the new brand campaign, developed by Bastion, will reposition TAB beyond the sameness of the category, reminding Australians that TAB is the only wagering company that delivers real experiences, real emotion and real connection. Because it takes experience, to make experiences.
TAB is at the heart of local pubs and clubs, bringing people together across 3,700 venues nationally every weekend for an experience. From legacy bookmaker to cultural powerhouse, TAB has engaged Bastion to help reclaim its place and its strength at the heart of Australian Sport and Racing as its official brand and creative partner.
Set to Johnny O’Keefe’s classic Australian anthem Shout!, TAB’s new brand campaign is a celebration of the visceral joy of Sport and Racing you can only get with TAB. The roar of a crowd, the thrill of a shared win and the energy of being part of something real.
Michael Fitzsimmons, Chief Wagering Officer at TAB, said the campaign “reflects TAB’s renewed focus on our customer and combination of digital and retail wagering products. It’s a unique customer proposition and distinctive brand campaign that gives us great confidence in the future.
“TAB has been part of Australia’s sporting DNA for generations. This work is a nod to our past but also takes us forward. It captures the emotion, the energy and the togetherness at our venues that make TAB special and hopefully entertains our customers along the way.”
Bastion led the repositioning end-to-end from brand strategy and creative development through to production and editing. The result? A campaign that captures the physical thrill of betting together and the electric moments that only TAB can own.
The film was directed by acclaimed director Paul Middleditch of Plaza.
Says Middleditch: “The challenge in this campaign was to find the real heart in the experience of being there, in the moment and knowing it’s real. So I wanted to make this film as real as possible.”
Shout! celebrates the energy of the crowd, the roar of a win, and the shared rush of being part of the action, reigniting TAB’s physical presence across venues, stadiums and racetracks across the country.
“TAB has been a part of the absolute best experiences in Sport and Racing in this country,” says Jack Watts, Executive Director at Bastion. “Sometimes in advertising, we overthink it, this campaign has a simple premise – it’s a celebration of the most authentic experiences in Sport and Racing, an opus to the punter. Importantly, it’s those moments only TAB provide – shared experiences in pubs, stadiums and racetracks around Australia. That’s only TAB, and that’s why we think Australians will love this work.”
Says Susan Bird, General Manager, Advertising: “It’s rare to work with a brand willing to reimagine itself so completely. TAB trusted us to challenge convention and that trust made the work possible.”
The platform builds on Bastion’s first work for TAB, Iiiiiiiit’s TAB Time, a retail and on-premise activation fronted by iconic UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, that has been part of TAB’s strategy to re-energise the in-venue experience. Together, they mark a confident new chapter for the brand, one that honours its heritage while reaffirming its place at the heart of Australian sport and culture.
Agency: Bastion Australia
Production Company: Plaza x Bastion
Music Studio: MassiveMusic
Media Agency: OMD Australia