Queenslanders urged to ditch the King’s Birthday to celebrate the ‘real king’ Wally Lewis
Queenslanders are being encouraged to swap and use their public holiday leave from next week’s King’s Birthday for a “more fitting tribute”, NRL legend Wally Lewis’ birthday in December, with a bold campaign via Enigma and SportsPick.
Described as the “real king” of Queensland, and someone who embodied the true spirit of the state, Lewis’ legacy is said to resonate with pride and passion across the state, more so than the current Head of State, King Charles III.
In the new campaign, Queenslanders can go online, enter their details and have a pre-populated email sent to their employer to request substituting their public holiday leave. The campaign, developed by Enigma, is also being led by Entain Group’s in-venue live sports company SportsPick in pubs, clubs, and bars, with support from ambassador and rugby league icon Cameron Smith.
“First, King Charles decided not to visit Queensland during his royal tour. And then he expects the state to take a day off and celebrate his birthday on a day that’s not even his birthday. It all just didn’t sit right with us,” said Matthew Dawe, creative director at Enigma.
“So, we figured, let’s give the day off to someone who truly deserves it – Wally Lewis, the real King of Queensland. He’s given us more reasons to celebrate than any distant royal, and it’s about time we made it official.”
Mark Sturdy, managing director of Entain Venues and spokesperson for SportsPick, added: “We’re loving how much excitement this has generated. Swapping the King’s Birthday for Wally’s has clearly resonated with Queenslanders. We’ve already heard HR departments are feeling the pressure with all the requests, so we’re sorry about that. But what better reason for the extra admin than celebrating the real King of Queensland?”
The “Real King’s Birthday” will be celebrated from Saturday, November 30, to Monday, December 2, 2024. A limited number of SportsPick venues will be transformed into official party venues, with “royal guests of honour” all weekend long.
Wally Lewis said he was caught off guard by the initiative when he first got wind: “To be honest, when I first heard about the SportsPick campaign I thought it was Gene Miles playing another one of his pranks on me.
“To know that many Queenslanders are acknowledging me by asking their bosses to swap the public holiday next Monday to celebrate my birthday is very humbling.
“I’ve had many great birthdays over the years but this one certainly takes the cake.”
Credits:
Creative, Digital and PR agency: Enigma
Client: SportsPick (an Entain Group brand)
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
Cameron Smith
Enigma
King's Birthday
Mark Sturdy
Matthew Dawe
public holiday
SportsPick
Wally Lewis
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