Cashing in on Smith’s shame
Vodafone Australia is using the shame of the nation’s cricket ball tampering scandal as the theme of its new ‘Gutsy is calling’ advertising campaign.
The telco’s minute-long ad tells the story of now-banned captain Steve Smith and includes news footage from the ordeal in which he and teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended.
The trio were all handed down bans by Cricket Australia for their roles in the ball tampering scandal in the third test against South Africa at Cape Town in March.
In the ad, Smith talks about honesty, fronting up to mistakes and overcoming difficult times and is filmed doing so in soft-lit scenes where he is seen with schoolchildren and back out in the middle playing club cricket.
Smith’s staring role in the commercial comes on the back of him teaming up with Australian television and radio personality Gus Worland as an ambassador in the Gotcha4Life school programme.
Gotcha4Life teaches teenage boys the importance of opening up and having courageous conversations.
The commercial features Smith playing for his beloved Sutherland Cricket Club and talking about the challenges and struggles he has faced since the ball tampering scandal.
Cricket Australia’s sanctions for Smith, Warner and Bancroft for their part in the balltampering scandal prevent them from playing international and Australian domestic cricket, but not club cricket.
During the minute-long ad, Smith says: ‘‘Everyone makes mistakes; it’s about the way you respond to it that’s really important’’.
It also includes footage from his emotional press conference immediately after the controversy.