Nine has announced its major sponsors for the eighth season of Married at First Sight, which begins on February 22, on Nine and 9Now.
The 2021 season will see the return of major brands including KFC, Suzuki, BUPA, Youfoodz, LION and Tradie, with new sponsors Specsavers, Disney+, Snooze, Menulog and MyPayNow also joining the couples’ search for love.
“Married at First Sight continues to be Australia’s biggest show – consistently proving its dominance across linear television and BVOD, and even more importantly, in creating iconic moments and sparking conversations that keep audiences coming back for more,” said Nine’s director of Powered, Liana Dubois.
“This is the unique power of Married and what makes it such an invaluable opportunity for our clients. We’re thrilled to have so many brands returning for another season, proving the value of the format, and are pleased to welcome more new brands on board.”
Nine’s head of content production and development, Adrian Swift, said: “There is no show on television today that compares to Married at First Sight. It is a show that has the search for love at its heart and we’re beyond excited to be bringing the social experiment back for an eighth season.
“We know audiences enjoy the journey the participants go on and that this show has a unique ability to drive the national water-cooler conversation like few other Australian TV shows.”
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KFC will return to drive their new campaign built around the “Fried Side of Life” brand messaging through commercials and billboard creatives.
Suzuki will also return as the official auto sponsor, taking a full broadcast sponsorship with billboards and supplying cars for the dinner party arrivals throughout the season.
Kristi Woolrych, chief marketing officer of KFC Australia says: “Now in our fifth consecutive year partnering with MAFS, you could say we’re the longest-lasting couple from the show. We’re thrilled to ‘put a wing on it’ again and leverage our new “Fried Side of Life” campaign to viewers through the program. Our campaign focuses on living in the moment without judgement and from the looks of the MAFS preview, we feel this is the perfect fit.”
In a first, Married at First Sight has welcomed Specsavers on board as a major sponsor across a suite of assets. Working with Nine’s Powered Studios, Specsavers will launch an integrated TVC in a wedding setting in their classic “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” format, and take sponsorship of the Dinner Party Gallery on www.nine.com.au/mafs to drive their “style” position, which will also extend to social and branded playouts in-program.
Joining Specsavers as another first-time sponsor is Disney+, whose new brand, “Star”, will launch to coincide with Married at First Sight, showcasing how they can provide a variety of content for more viewers.
To align with its branding of “more”, Disney+ has taken branded playouts, which will drive audiences to unseen and exclusive content on the Married at First Sight official site.
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Snooze has taken full broadcast sponsorship to amplify its “A great day starts with a good night’s sleep” messaging – a natural alignment as viewers are taken right into the bedrooms of participants.
Youfoodz will have full in-show integration, showing participants consuming a range of meals, juices and snacks. They have also taken branded playouts that will drive to MAFS social platforms and social IP to showcase their in-show integration.
Aussie brand Tradie will use its broadcast sponsorship to showcase a broad range of products beyond the well-known underwear range. As part of this deal, Tradie will supply undies and body products in the serviced apartments for the participants to use throughout their stay.
To keep the couples refreshed during their hen’s and buck’s nights and infamous dinner parties, LION will return as the official alcohol supplier, showcasing beers which include Tooheys Extra Dry, James Squire, Heineken, Byron Bay and Furphy Ale.
Rounding out the MAFS season eight sponsors are Menulog, digitally sponsoring the fan-favourite “Martha’s Red Wine moments” content series, and MyPayNow, who are running their first TV campaign with a broadcast sponsorship to promote Slothy, their new mascot.
Estée Lauder and eBay have each taken digital-only sponsorships, and there are also local sponsorships from Lotterywest and RAC out of Perth.