Diageo-owned drinks brand Bundaberg Rum has signed a sponsorship deal with Australia’s National Rugby League.
The two parties have agreed a three-year deal, which will run until the end of the 2018 season. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, although the AdNews website claimed a “multi-million dollar” deal had been signed.
Under the agreement, Bundaberg becomes the official spirit of the NRL and will take on naming rights to the league’s Super Saturday series. The brand will also receive advertising exposure during the finals and State of Origin series, while a limited edition rum will be released to promote the partnership.
Bundaberg marketing manager Jodi McLeod told AdNews: “We were a major partner with the NRL for five years up until 2012 and we made a decision at that point in time that we wanted to take investment out of sponsorship and invest harder behind innovations and building the brand at a trademark level. It feels like now is the right time to get Bundy back into the fabric of Australian culture, and into times where mates get together.
“From a digital perspective not just in real time conversations, the NRL has a massive social following and we are building our digital platforms as well and we thought how can we leverage those conversations?”