Campbell Arnott’s launches new ‘Stay at Home Athlete’ campaign for V8 via The Neighbourhood

V8, in an effort to prove that Aussie parents have one of the most physically demanding jobs there is, has conducted a revealing experiment with NRL superstar, Kalyn Ponga of the Newcastle Knights in a new campaign developed by Publicis Groupe under The Neighbourhood.

In a 180 second digital ad, launched on Ponga’s Instagram and Facebook pages, V8’s Instagram and Facebook pages, and Campbell Arnott’s YouTube channel, the ‘Stay at Home Athlete’ challenge saw parents Damien and Tia Rea leave their four children, all aged under 12, and their dog, Ruby, in the care of the 20-year-old professional athlete while Ponga was left with a camera crew and accredited sports dietitian to monitor him during the full day of parental duties.

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During the experiment, Ponga wore a calorie and step tracking device to monitor his energy expenditure as he went about everyday parenting duties over a 10-hour period. The tasks included: making breakfast, pouring V8 Juice, taking the kids to the playground, mowing, cleaning, grocery shopping, changing nappies and fixing dinner.

Over the course of the day, it was found that Ponga burnt over 1300 calories more than he would typically burn in an 80-minute professional rugby league game (1988 versus 680)*. The experiment, which was measured by accredited sports dietician, Rebecca Hay, was conducted by V8 to highlight how demanding adult lives can be and the need to top up their vegetable intake to help meet their daily requirements.

With national media coverage including Channel 7, Prime 7, Southern Cross, GWN7, Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, Fox Sports, Courier Mail, Perth Now, Adelaide Advertiser, Herald Sun, Newcastle Herald, Nine News, and Triple M – ‘Stay at Home Athlete’ continues to highlight the meaningful work undertaken by Publicis Groupe’s ‘Power of One’ agency model for Campbell Arnott’s, encompassing specialty services and expertise across the Groupe.

Says Ranita Cowled, marketing director, Campbell’s: “V8 wanted to credit the everyday athletes who sometimes go unnoticed but should be rewarded for the hard work of getting through each day! We believed this experiment would highlight how demanding everyday tasks can be and why parents need more vegetables and nutrients on the go than they realise.”

Says Rebecca Carrasco, creative lead, The Neighbourhood: “We all know professional athletes burn a lot of energy and pay particular attention to their nutritional needs, but we don’t really think about the impact of everyday life on the rest of us, and our need for additional fruit and vegetables.”

Client: Campbell Arnott’s

Senior Producer: Amanda Cairns-Cowan