South African agency creates advert for US sports website

A Cape Town-based creative agency has taken on American firms to produce a new brand film for a sports online platform operating in New York and San Francisco, which takes a sharp look at how politics has divided ordinary Americans but how sport unites them.

Intrepid Fox did the video for SportsHosts, a site which connects sports fans and travellers and helps them get together to watch live sports events.

The brand film, which was launched in the United States to influencers, players and fans on social and sports platforms by another South African agency, HaveYouHeard, documents the story of a father and daughter who have polarising views on just about every major issue currently defining American politics.

But, as the story unfolds, viewers learn that some things are more important than ideological differences; like their love of basketball and the weekly ritual of going to games together.

Shot in Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, the film is peppered with references to the sport, both in his house and her car – a basketball, a coffee mug, a cap and her key chain.

Intrepid Fox’s executive creative director and copywriter on the brand film, Gavin Whitfield, said: “The US right now is so divided, so fractured, that it sometimes feels its citizens will never find common ground.

“Then you come across a story like this and you realise that sport can show us the way back to one another.”

SportsHosts co-founder Darren Wall said the company became aware of Intrepid Fox’s work with a viral video for Scouts, which got about six million YouTube views.

“Something about it really touched a nerve with us, and we knew we wanted to make work like that. By a stroke of luck, a strategist on our team happens to be a South African and knew the guys who made it.”

A few e-mails and phone calls later, and Whitfield was pitching a number of ideas to the SportsHosts executives.

“It was a challenge as the team is spread between New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Connecticut and Melbourne. So, finding a time that made sense for everyone was nearly impossible. But once we figured out who was doing the red-eye call, it was plain sailing. The team really let Intrepid Fox lead them creatively.”

The footage was shot on location in New York but edited in South Africa. The South African team did extensive research, over a year, into current US politics.

“Also, on a fundamental level, we’ve had our own experience of sport uniting those who are seemingly at odds with one another. The 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2010 Fifa World Cup and, more recently, what happened in Japan gave us an understanding of the importance of sport in healing divisions,” said Whitfield.

– news@ctizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.