This campaign for Australia’s National Women’s Football team smashed sexist barriers relegating women’s sport to a footnote in a nation obsessed with men’s sport. During the 2023 Women’s World Cup, we showed Australians every obstacle The Matildas have conquered – and everything still to be done.

Driven by our ‘Til It’s Done rally cry, Australians united behind the team. We turned women’s sport into something no-one watched, into the biggest TV audience in Australia. A team that once wore men’s hand-me downs, became a team whose kit outsold the men’s 3-1.

The campaign captivated a nation and helped rewrite sporting history.

The Matildas are the national women’s football team of Australia. Australians are sport-obsessed – but let’s face it, only by men’s sport. The Matildas had always suffered from a lack of sponsorship, fan and media attention. Pose nude to earn money? They were forced to do it. Wear hand-me-down kits? That too.

To cut through this sexist bias against women’s sport, we needed a powerful campaign that all Australians could get behind. We needed to show women athletes didn’t deserve our sympathy but our respect. These women are relentless competitors, never buckling at any obstacle. But how could we show the nation?

Drawing a phrase from the middle of the Matildas’ name, we created ‘Til It’s Done - a rallying cry that inspired Australia with the team’s refusal to quit until they’d achieved their ambition.

In a nation obsessed with men’s sport, our campaign vaulted the Matildas to national hero status. ‘Til It’s Done merch outsells the men’s gear by 3-1. A Matildas’ match has become the most-watched television broadcast in Australian history, sporting or otherwise. And the team still won’t quit - ‘Til It’s Done.

Situation

As Australia’s national women’s team, the Matildas were underpaid and ignored by sponsors, the media and fans. Yet the Matildas never quit. Ahead of the first World Cup ever hosted in the Southern Hemisphere, we knew this was the moment to reverse the team’s fortunes and bring long-overdue respect to women’s sport.

Brief

We needed a campaign that would show the nation why the Matildas – and all women’s sport – truly matter. We didn’t want people to pay attention because they felt they should, but because they couldn’t look away.

Objectives

- Grow love and respect for The Matildas during the World Cup and ongoing.

- Counteract the sexism and bias that keeps women’s sport down.

- Grow interest and participation in women’s sport.

- Attract government funding.

The Australian national women’s team (The Matildas) has traditionally suffered from a lack of sponsorship and media attention. We needed a powerful idea to capture the attention of a nation obsessed with men’s sport in the lead up to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This was our chance to change the perception of women athletes in this sport-obsessed nation.

Driven by ‘Til It’s Done, Australia united behind the team, creating a groundswell of community support across the country.

Our campaign drew attention to women’s football and created even more impact for women and girls overall. Women’s refusal to give up on issues that matter to them suddenly had a set of words that everyone believed it. That’s why the campaign has spawned tattoos, t-shirts and even a storybook. No longer will girls believe there’s no point pursuing their goals, in any sport...or whichever field they choose.

‘Til It’s Done is a bold statement that united an entire country behind our national women’s football team on the occasion of the Women’s World Cup. In a nation obsessed by men’s sport, we highlighted the relentless determination and ambition of our long-overlooked women’s football team.

The rally cry encapsuled the team’s legendary refusal to quit.

A viral OOH execution featured a list of achievements and struggles the team had to overcome: ’Til we’re not wearing men’s hand-me downs’. ’Til no-one calls us the female Socceroos’.

Left uncrossed were the challenges they were yet to conquer, like ’Til all women are paid the same and ‘Til we get our fair share of the funding.

And that’s how we harnessed our campaign to rewrite history. After The Matildas called for funding, the government responded with $200 million for women’s sport.

Using a phrase drawn from the middle of The Matildas name, we crafted a bold statement that united an entire country behind our national women’s football team in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

‘Til It’s Done encapsulated the team’s legendary refusal to quit. It caught fire amongst fans, showing up everywhere from homemade banners to tattoos.

After the team’s loss in the semi-finals, we responded in under 24 hours with a highly crafter OOH ad that became instantly iconic.

The poster crossed off the struggles the team had overcome: ’Til we’re not wearing men’s hand-me downs.

Left uncrossed were the challenges they were yet to conquer, like ’Til all women are paid the same.

And that’s how the ad rewrote history. After The Matildas called for a fair share of the funding, the government responded with $200 million for women’s sport.

Our hashtag #tilitsdone generated over 32 million impressions. Awareness of the ‘Til It’s Done campaign reached 61% recall and 77% positive rating. And the phrase ‘Til It’s Done entered the vernacular and remains there.

Our Matildas ad called for a ‘fair share of the funding’ for women’s sport and days later, the government responded with $200 million.

The campaign contributed to positive brand health metrics, including becoming Australia’s favourite national team. And for the first time, the Matildas kit outsold men’s kit 3-1.

The Matildas are more than a sports team. Their remarkable journey through the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has seen them emerge as a pivotal force in sports and society, inspiring a generation, transforming gender norms and reinforcing Australia’s standing on the global stage.

A big impact for 3 little words.