ACL Match Day 1 Launch – Beijing Guoan v Newcastle Jets February 14, 2011

After discovering brothers playing on two opposing team scheduled to play ACL Match Day 1, I organised a photo shoot with the brothers from Beijing Guoan (CHINA) and Newcastle Jets (AUSTRALIA), with resulting image accompanying my “ACL Launch” media release. Coverage resulted in articles in 4 X Beijing newspapers, FourFourTwo (Australia) (print and online) and television news coverage on CCTV5.

See below some images from the photo shoot with Xu Lunlong, brothers Ryan Griffiths, Joel Griffiths and Tao Wei of Beijing Guoan. Joel’s twin brother Adam plays for Newcastle Jets (also Joel’s former club), which made for an interesting story angle. Can see the FourFourTwo (Australia) online article below too.

Of course I made sure to throw in some Nike kit and balls, to ensure our sponsors were getting additional coverage wherever possible.

Go Socceroos! June 8, 2010

World Cup fever is heating up! First match the Socceroos play is the formidable, reigning World Cup champs Germany, on June 13th.

If we can draw the match, then the Aussies confidence will surely be boosted.

Having worked on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, when the Socceroos completed their mission to compete (without conceding any goals, thanks in part to the incredible score sheet of Schwarzer) Nike gave away qualifying celebration t-shirts to the successful Socceroos players after their defeat of Japan at the MCG on June 17, 2009.

Good luck to Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, hopefully Harry Kewell and the rest of the gang!

AFC Champions League Re-Brand Launch December 9, 2009

A bigger, better and richer AFC Champions League (ACL) was launched in Tokyo on December 12, 2008, in a ceremony that marked the dawn of a new era of professionalism in Asian football.

Attended by dignitaries from the AFC and National Associations from across the continent (such as an Australian sport marketing guru Ben Buckley from FFA, formally of AFL fame), as well as star player’s, such as North Korean and Kawasaki Frontale front man Jong Tae-se and special invited guests, the 2009 AFC Champions League launch unveiled a fresh brand identity – including a new logo – for Asia’s premier club competition.

The actual unveiling of the large printed logo took place at the Tokyo Mega Web after a fashion-show and highly entertaining ball juggling act CUBE took to the stage. I had arranged for ACL Nike balls and shoes to be given to the performers to use and must they looked fabulous in photos that came up from the night.

Nike AW77 This Is My Hood Launch November 24, 2009

Causeway Bay was Nike’s “hood” for one night, The swoosh brand threw a three-part event on November 11, 2009 to promote its big fall/winter fashion item- a retro hoodie inspired by 1977.

The trio started at the Causeway Bay shop, which was decorated with a mini carousel, arcade games and a large jelly bean dispenser giving out lettered and numbered buttons, which seemed strangely odd.

It was a tiny area with a strange assortment of objects that made no sense, so wasn’t long before off to part two, which was a small exhibition space on a second floor walk-up apartment around the corner.

Now the buttons made sense, as for the next two weeks people could come in to this apartment to get their own Nike hoodies custom made, by picking letters and numbers of their choice (duh!).

There were also optical illusions, sport clippings from 1977, famous Nike celeb sponsored portraits (Kobe likes 24, as only 24 hours in the day. Maria likes 87, the year of her birth) and piece de resistance Moet & Chandon…served in plastic cups…how uber chic!

Third and final stop was the after party at new Italian restaurant SML. Located in Times Square (nowhere near as big as the NYC version), drinks over-flowed as people lounged on the outdoor deck taking in the loud and eclectic mixes from performing DJ’s: Mademoiselle Yulia and Kid Cal.