Rugby Union
Features
One Nation, One Jersey (One Beer) – Castle Lager & the South African Football Association/SA Rugby/Cricket South Africa
In March 2019, Castle Lager leveraged its trio of South African national team sponsorships with a campaign revolving around a blended national team jersey, with live events, experiences, TV and social content and on-pack work.
Team of Us: Everyone In – Vodafone & the IRFU
Launched ahead of Ireland’s 2019 Guinness Six Nations defence and running through to the autumn Rugby World Cup in Japan, the multi-phase ‘Everyone In’ campaign was the latest iteration of Vodafone’s Ireland’s long running ‘Team of Us’ Irish rugby activation.
Words of Greatness – FNB & the South African Rugby Union
In 2019, FNB sought to life the spirits of nation with a campaign that linked fans, legends, coaches, friends and family to the players at the Rugby World Cup in Japan through fixed ad assets and real-time messaging.
A Winning Team That Works – Isuzu & the WRU
Through the 2018-19 rugby season, the Welsh Rugby Union’s principal partner ran a program to drive brand awareness and boost consideration of the D-Max vehicle.
Ireland’s Ball – Vodafone & the IRFU
In the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the IRFU’s principal partner activated via a unique rugby ball that linked the fans at home to the players in Japan.
ASB Bank invites SME’s to ‘borrow’ New Zealand Rugby sponsorship
New Zealand-based ASB Bank has elected to donate rights attached to its New Zealand Rugby sponsorship to help 100 small-to-medium-sized businesses
Vodafone signs new four-year deal with IRFU
Telecommunications Vodafone has renewed its main sponsorship deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the governing body of rugby union in Ireland
Taisei builds on Rugby World Cup involvement with sponsorship deal
Building construction and civil engineering company Taisei Corporation has become the latest Japanese sponsor of the 2019 Rugby World Cup ahead of the start of the national team tournament in the country
Sky takes over from Westpac as Wellington stadium sponsor
The multi-purpose venue formerly known as Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand will be called the Sky Stadium from the start of next year
How Not to Drive in Japan – AIG & New Zealand Rugby
As Japan prepared for an influx of international fans coming to watch the 2019 Rugby World Cup, AIG Japan leveraged the company’s sponsorship of New Zealand’s All Blacks toward a road safety campaign.
Player of the Match Trophy – Mastercard & World Rugby
The spearhead strand of Mastercard’s 2019 Rugby World Cup activation programme saw the tournament’s official payments partner harness real-time technology to create unique Player of the Match trophies for each match.
Nobody Does Sevens Like Hong Kong – Cathay Pacific & the Hong Kong Rugby Union
The Sevens’ co-title partner activated its rights in 2019 with a domestic focus: build local support for brand and event by making the Sevens and the city inseparable.
Move as One – Asics & Rugby Australia
Asics launched the Wallabies jersey for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in late May last year and followed up with a year-long campaign led by cinematic content.
Friendship & Love – Guinness & Six Nations Rugby
In the first two years of its Six Nations title sponsorship, 2019 and 2020, Guinness targeted both committed and casual fans with multi-faceted activation focused on the humanity and friendship of rugby.
Be Their Armour, Wear the Rose – O2 & England Rugby
Running September through November 2019, O2’s activation of its England Rugby partnership around the 2019 Rugby World Cup spanned television, OOH, social, in-store, in-stadium, event experiences and screenings.
Care for Every Position You Play – Dove Men+Care & England Rugby/Scottish Rugby/Welsh Rugby Union/Irish Rugby Union
Dove Men+Care used its rights in deals with the British and Irish rugby unions to create a combined campaign that ran from the 2019 Rugby World Cup to the 2020 Six Nations.
Clear – Guinness & Six Nations Rugby
Leveraging its 2019 Six Nations title rights, Guinness launched a responsible drinking campaign that encouraged drinking more water through the launch of a new product, ‘Guinness Clear’.
Colour Yourself Loyal/Black Laundry – Steinlager & New Zealand Rugby
During the opening weekend of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Steinlager leveraged its partnership with the All Blacks via ‘Black Laundry’, an experiential activation backed by an integrated marketing campaign.
Epic Moments – DHL & World Rugby
DHL, official logistics supplier to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, rolled out an epic campaign of activations through 2018 and 2019.
Chabal – Marriott & the Hong Kong Rugby Union
At the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens, French rugby legend Sébastien Chabal fronted activations for Marriott aimed at promoting the Bonvoy rewards programme in Asia-Pacific.
Air All Blacks – Air New Zealand & New Zealand Rugby
Ahead of the All Blacks making the trip to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Air New Zealand dropped a ‘safety video’ and support-building marketing campaign.
Data Snapshot: Six Nations Rugby 2019-20
In 2019-20, SportBusiness Sponsorship estimates that brands are spending about €129.3m ($142.5m) across the Six Nations and its constituent national rugby unions, in 131 deals.
Effort is Effort – AIG & New Zealand Rugby
AIG’s ‘Effort is Effort’ campaign around New Zealand Rugby’s women’s team helped elevate the diversity agenda internally, created a platform to recognise female leadership and brought AIG’s New Zealand Rugby partnership to a new audience.
Heineken wins back title rights to rugby’s Champions Cup
Dutch premium beer brand Heineken will pay around €5m ($5.7m) per year to return as title sponsor of the European Rugby Champions Cup, from 2018-19 to 2021-22, after four seasons in the role of Official Beer Partner.
Tudor pays record fee for World Rugby timing rights
Rolex-owned luxury watch brand Tudor’s new seven-year partnership with World Rugby is comfortably the biggest deal the global governing body has signed with a timing partner.
NatWest grabs Six Nations at big discount on former offer
The Six Nations Rugby Championship has signed a last-minute deal for its title sponsorship property with NatWest at a discount on an offer it rejected just last year.
Vodafone New Zealand targets new subscribers with NZR
Telecommunications company Vodafone New Zealand signed as a Regional Partner of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) for four years, from 2017 to 2021, in a cash and technology services deal.
Land Rover: Rugby union and sailing bolster brand positioning
Jaguar Land Rover-owned premium car brand Land Rover is using blue-chip properties in rugby union and sailing to reinforce its brand position as an authentic brand with strong technology and innovation…