Australia – As SBS celebrates its 50th birthday in 2025, the public broadcaster has launched a new campaign highlighting its distinctive position in Australian media. The tagline, “We Go There”, recognises the broadcaster’s history of taking risks, breaking boundaries, and boldly treading where others won’t.
The provocative film that can only be viewed on SBS sits within a larger campaign, created by Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song. Directed by Damien Shatford from The Sweetshop.
The campaign includes creative executions across television, outdoor and digital that reinforce SBS’s role as the network that continually dares to push the envelope, in a landscape where other networks and streamers offer generic and often homogenised content.
Jane Palfreyman, chief marketing and commercial officer at SBS, said, “At SBS we know who we are and in our 50th year this unique campaign pays tribute to that heritage. We are a national broadcaster who is prepared to truly go there. To challenge, to inform, and to provoke with purpose.
She added, “We also know many Australians affectionately, if not jokingly, think SBS stands for Sex Before Soccer… and we’re okay with that. This campaign acknowledges that legacy, as well as the place of trust that SBS has built in the minds of millions of Australians. Amid the intense competition in the streaming sector, this campaign acknowledges there are still some TV shows that really stand out – and these can only be found on SBS On Demand.”
Jane also quipped, “While the creative is playful, clever and encourages audiences to reappraise our brand, we’ve also thought carefully about how we show the various creatives in this campaign, in line with our standards and audience expectations.”
The campaign is spearheaded with a 60 second film so daring and so SBS, it can’t be played anywhere but SBS.
Moreover, the campaign is also complemented by a series of billboards that leave everything to the imagination, featuring bold headlines that hint at the inimitable content on SBS On Demand. The media strategy and planning is led by Hearts and Science.
Meanwhile, Tara Ford, chief creative officer at Droga5 ANZ, commented, “This campaign is more than just provocative—it has all the DNA of SBS. Every scene represents something you’ll see on the platform that you won’t see anywhere else. Even the format—creating an ad that can’t be seen everywhere —brings that idea to life.”
