Voltaren combats the “Grumps” in new Western Sydney Wanderers FC campaign via CHISEL

GSK Voltaren, the Western Sydney Wanderers FC and emerging creative production agency CHISEL have partnered to tackle how “grumpiness” (read: muscle pain) often goes untreated among men of a certain age.

 

According to CHISEL’s co-founder and creative director Zak Kaczmarek, the new spot came about when GSK Voltaren, as one of the major sponsors of the Western Sydney Wanderers FC, approached the creative production agency with an intriguing brief. Namely, how to create a piece that leveraged the brand’s ongoing partnership with the club but also touted their product, Voltaren Emulgel, which works to relieve muscle and back pain.

Says Kaczmarek: “Being a football tragic can be painful; whether it’s the team you support having a rough patch of form or your own physical soreness from the Saturday comp. The Wanderers are elite, super-fit athletes, and we didn’t want to show them with muscle pain in any real sense. Which led us to then think about some of the club’s older, diehard fans.

“We know that when people (particularly men of a certain age) suffer back or muscle pain, they’re often initially stubborn to do anything about it. The downside of ignoring it is that you become increasingly grumpy, and this impacts your mates and loved ones. We saw potential for humour there. Hence our idea to take the ‘epidemic of grumpiness’ to its extreme logical conclusion. We’re hoping that it drives consideration for Voltaren Emulgel and encourages grumpy blokes to get their old footy injuries treated, so they can continue to live an active lifestyle.”

The spot follows the story of George, a hardcore Western Sydney Wanderers fan (and inveterate hypochondriac) who wants to maintain his active lifestyle but is constantly plagued by “the Grumps” due to the fact he stubbornly ignores his back pain. That is until his long-suffering wife, Dinah, finally puts her foot down and insists he does something about it. WSW players James Troisi, Tate Russell and team captain Dylan McGowan also make cameos in the piece.

GSK Voltaren’s senior area brand manager James Meins is delighted with how the spot turned out: “CHISEL came back to us with five great ideas to bring our brand partnership with WSW to life.

“But in the end, we all loved the insight around the frustration on living with back and muscle pain causing grumpiness in guys, and we felt that the amusing character of George would resonate with everyone.”

CLIENT: GSK Voltaren x Western Sydney Wanderers FC
BRAND MANAGERS: James Meins, Lilien Chen
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC: Steve Petrovksi
AGENCY & PRODUCTION: Chisel
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Isabelle Seeto
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Pat Sidoti
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Zak Kaczmarek & Nick Snelling
DIRECTOR / WRITER: Nick Snelling
DP: Don Buppapirak
PRODUCER: Lucinda Hayden
GAFFER: Matt Willis
POST-PRODUCTION: Chisel