RWC Roundup Part 1 – Organisers leave a digital legacy

If Rugby World Cup 2011 taught marketers anything, it was that digital and social media are now firmly ensconced not merely as a support channel but as a “must crack” one too.  Rugby, like other iconic ball sports, is inherently a social phenomenon so it’s no surprise to see the innovative ways in which technology is being used to enhance that dimension.

 While headline sponsors of Fifa 2010 did some amazing things with digital technologies (who could forget Nike’s “Write the Future”), I firmly believe that both the IRB and sponsors of RWC 2011 did a substantially better job.  And even given the heady afterglow of a Kiwi victory, the organisers will be remembered for something more.  

Rugby World Cup Head of Communications Dominic Rumbles said:  “The Rugby World Cup 2011 digital offering has been one of the success stories of what has been an exceptional tournament.  We have an integrated platform that is easily accessible for fans from around the world, while generating maximum promotion for the event.”

Spanning more than 4 digital platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and photo sharing space Flickr, the strategy, implemented more than a year before the tournament began, serviced nearly every dimension of organisation (and in as many languages as there were competing countries!)  From building a community of fans, to ticket sales, to tournament coverage and crisis management, the strategy proved equal to all challenges.  And now that the fun is over, it will serve a role in amplifying the tournament’s legacy, marketing rugby to a global audience, and in building anticipation for RWC 2015.

The following ad (and other like it) was used to announce that ticket sales were live:

By the numbers

• The RWC 2011 app (for Blackberry, Android and iPhone) was downloaded more than 3 million times – over 17 million video clips were viewed on it
• The RWC Facebook page garnered over 1.4 million fans
• More than 5 million videos were watched on the official RWC page which itself enjoyed over 120million page impressions
• The RWC twitter feed garnered over 100 000 followers
• Videos on RWC’s YouTube channel were viewed more than 4 million times

"Spot the Ball" just one of many features on RWC 2011's Facebook page designed to drive engagement and reward interaction