In an earlier post, I made the point that sponsors and organisers alike had broken major ground through the use of digital and social media at RWC 2011. When you think that much of what is possible in the digital realm today would have been all but impossible in 2007, it is remarkable to see the integral role the medium now plays in enhancing the sponsorship effort.
However, none of this precludes the importance of a strong campaign idea anchored powerfully within the conventional medium of television. Heineken’s depiction of a rugby “code” was particularly notable and led to some great work. Mastercard started out with the great idea of celebrating the nostalgia of the tournament’s 34 year history but failed to exploit this idea to the full.
THE GOOD
HEINEKEN’S strategy hinged off a very catchy “This is the Game” idea which then exploded into cyberspace with a variety of highly engaging fan experiences. Besides the obvious use of Facebook and Twitter, the most engaging feature of Heineken’s approach was a “This is the Game” TV Show, accessible to viewers online. The show, which gained over a million impressions, fed fans’ desire to access informed yet amusing interviews with experts and thought leaders on the game including Zinzan Brooke, Will Carling, Scott Quinnell, rob Henderson, Gary Teichman and more.
Says Global Activation Manager Hans Erik Tuijt:
“Heineken’s Rugby World Cup campaign centres on the unwritten code of values in rugby union – respect, sportsmanship, loyalty and passion, and these six legends embody every one of these values. Heineken is the first brand to bring this type of content to a global audience during Rugby World Cup via social media. With these ex-players and our campaign around ‘The Code’, Heineken will bring rugby fans together, demonstrate our credentials as a true fan of the game and become a part of the conversation.”
With the announcement that Heineken is about to escalate its support of World Cup rugby in 2015 it would seem the brand is now the undisputed beer brand in the rugby space with support of the 2015 edition set to begin as early as 2013
Since 1995 Heineken has spent over 100m Euros on its Rugby properties.
Whilst little was seen from 02’s sponsorship of the England side, the telecom giant’s “Get up for England” activation provided a free breakfast to bleary eyed yet dedicated England fans that would invariably have to get up before sunrise to watch their team play.
THE NOT SO GOOD
While industry bosses rated Heineken as the most effective official sponsor of the tournament, All Blacks partner Adidas is reputed to have gone almost entirely under the radar
ADIDAS could not have gotten off to a worse start with the implacable furore over jersey prices. And even though prices were reduced in some key retailers, it is unlikely the brand will be able to make good any time soon. A “Stand in Black” projection in downtown Auckland, while impressive, will probably not have been enough to redeem the brand’s reputation.
Other so-so pieces of work came from sponsors DHL and MASTERCARD all of which pretty much imitated Heineken in its use of digital.
Mastercard led off with a series of pretty appealing television commercials that celebrated the nostalgia of great world cup moments. The follow through into the brand’s “man of the match” feature (which included an “official” man of the match and a fan-voted man of the match) was pretty average however. A feature on the company web-page invited fans to pose questions to Rugby legends Buck Shelford and David Campese, the answers to which were filmed and posted to the site.
The efforts of DHL, “official logistics partner of RWC 2011” were also rather lacklustre. Besides assembling highlights packages within minutes of a game’s final whistle, there was little to give the brand’s “speed of Yellow” idea much headspace.
THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
Few sponsorship efforts (of any sports) could be as abject as NZ Telecom’s national appeal to “abstain for the game”. An ad featuring Rugby Legend Sean Fitzpatrick lasted 24 hours before the company pulled it and a national apology was soon extended.
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