The challenge

It’s the half-time break in the State of Origin match, with over 80,000 fans at the MCG, millions more watching from home, and about 12 minutes before the players return.

The sports marketing agency MKTG intended to fill the gap for Chemist Warehouse by holding a live game show on the pitch, and it also needed to promote Regaine hair-regrowth products to the audience alongside the main Chemist Warehouse brand.

MKTG needed props large enough to be seen from the back row and on television, soft enough for fans to run into, and quick enough to bring onto the field and off again before the second half; nothing like that was available off the shelf.

The solution

MKTG brought in Giant Inflatables to design and build the whole kit:

• The shopping baskets are huge and three metres wide, resembling the red and blue baskets that shoppers are familiar with from Chemist Warehouse stores, and their open tops serve as targets.
• Oversized Chemist Warehouse rugby balls, 1.2 metres long.
• The contestants were given inflatable Regaine packs to carry.

It was a relay race in which the fans ran across the field with a Regaine pack, then threw the large football into their team’s basket.

To begin with, the design team used 3D renders in order to get the proportions correct before constructing anything. Each logo was printed in the exact brand colours so that it remains clear even under the stadium lights. Inside, air chambers maintain the shape of each basket’s shape when a football hits it. The weighted bases keep the entire structure steady in the wind with no pegs being driven into the turf. The complete set was tested before game day. All the components take about three minutes to inflate and pack down into a carry bag.

The result

The game went smoothly. The team positioned themselves, played and cleared the field during the 12-minute break between halves. Fans wearing Maroon and Blue jerseys carried Regaine packs as they rushed across the MCG, the crowd cheering them on, and both brands were visible on the national broadcast throughout the entire time.

The kit is fully reusable, so Chemist Warehouse can return it for future games, in-store events, and promotional tours.