QBE Insurance Campaign Features Swans and Swifts Athletes

After years of reinforcing its profile through partnership with Sydney's sporting elite, QBE Insurance has unveiled a campaign that leans heavily into its relationships with the Sydney Swans and NSW Swifts—using athletes from both organizations to illustrate everyday moments when insurance proves invaluable.

The campaign, produced by creative agency The Core Agency, consists of six short stories that build on QBE's "Before & After" brand platform. Each story opens with a scenario—a broken car window before a match, a power surge while watching the game—and illustrates how QBE's coverage spans home, car and business insurance.

The development of the campaign reflects a calculated strategy by QBE to deepen its ties with the two sporting franchises it sponsors. The company recently recommitted as a principal partner of the NSW Swifts, extending its association that has long included the Sydney Swans. By featuring players from both teams, QBE underscores not just corporate sponsorship, but genuine integration with the organizations.

"Life is full of unexpected moments," David Hirsch, head of marketing and insights at QBE Australia Pacific, explained the creative thinking. "Drawing on our long-standing association and continued support of the Sydney Swans and NSW Swifts, this campaign illustrates whether it's for home, car or business, QBE Insurance has cover for the things we expect, as well as for the things that we don't."

The talent roster—NSW Swifts players Maddy Turner, Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley, and Sydney Swans stars Nick Blakley, Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills and Chloe Molloy—represents a cross-section of both franchises' public profiles. Their involvement moves the campaign beyond generic celebrity endorsement into territory where brand messaging and athlete visibility become mutually reinforcing.

For audiences, the spots employ a familiar creative formula: real-world scenarios that feel relatable, paired with messaging about preparedness. The "Q the" mnemonic—phrases like "Q the winning team" or "Q the practice session"—creates a verbal shorthand that connects the brand to the moments being depicted. It's a device designed to lodge in viewers' memory through repetition.

The campaign will distribute across digital platforms including Foxtel Go, Kayo, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. The choice of channels reflects where both sports fans and general audiences overlap online, allowing QBE to reach supporters of the Swans and Swifts while also casting a wider net.

The Core Agency's creative direction—led by Christian Finucane with input from senior copywriter Kevin Macnamara and art director Steve Thurlby—sought to avoid the trap that befalls many insurance campaigns: sterile messaging divorced from lived experience. By grounding the spots in the perspectives of recognizable athletes, the work positions insurance not as an abstract product, but as something tied to people and moments that matter.

QBE's positioning around 130 years of experience underscores a message of institutional stability and trustworthiness—a counterweight in a market increasingly fragmented by digital-native insurers and comparison platforms.