A review of Supersport’s ‘Our True Love is Back’ TV commercial
DStv new campaign announcing the return of live football to the screens explores the transparent joy football fans feel now that their favourite game is back.
The ad begins by showing the various ways fans have tried to cope with the blackout of sports from their screens due to the pandemic. The suspension of football matches had driven many fans into doing unusual things to try to cope with boredom. A husband being used as a mannequin by his wife, a father helping a group of excited kids with their studies, a girl dancing in front of her father’s zoom meeting with office colleagues while he tries to attend to her brother, social media hashtag challenge we had to do: all these are detailed in the advert.
But all these slides away as soon as the lights return to the studio and the familiar voice of sports analysts hit the ears of football fans. The silver voice of Charles Anazodo, that is now the reassuring sound of football analysis on SuperSport, is heard saying the same phrase we have heard countless times on SuperSport: “We are back”. But this time, it is the return of live football to the screens after months of unavoidable absence. This time, it is accompanied by the cheering cries of sports fans in the background, recalling the tumble of emotions and massive excitement -that spark and spit of joy when a goal is scored.
The ad takes us back to those previously unhappy scenes, but they have now been replaced by smiling faces of father and kids, a group of elated friends and happy husband and wife watching the world’s best leagues at home on mobile phones, laptops with DStv Now and on TV.
The target audience this ad is trying to connect with are football lovers: young couples, millennials, and the family. It depicts how we can enjoy the round leather game at home with DStv Now under the new normal. This is seen in the context of ‘Stay Home’ in which the advert is produced. Everyone is looking for a way to have fun while keeping to safety rules during a pandemic and the DStv Now provides this fun by bringing you live matches and uplifting football fans. DStv is known for connecting people to the best shows and games; the advert also makes a case for staying connected to live sports action through the self-service app – MyDStv
DStv Now ‘Football is Back’ advert achieves its aims by portraying what life in the past few months have been to the millennials and families. It shows that football assists in coping with an unusual time as we find ourselves. This is properly accomplished with the use of familiar faces known to sports fans and the signature football noise that had gone silent in the past months. The advert not only makes a case for football; it also makes a case for the role of DStv in connecting us to what we cherish in our lives.
