Rugby’s evangelist Brett Gosper sets sights on conquering new territories to grow sport’s appeal June 9, 2015 At the risk of taking hyperbole to new heights, it will be the biggest shock in the history of international sport if anyone other the usual suspects (you know who they are) find themselves in the final of this year’s Rugby World Cup. But the rugby playing field is changing and the likes of Samoa, [...]
Land Rover can be the driving force behind a memorable World Cup 2015 June 7, 2015 If it were possible for an inanimate sporting trophy to have a personality, then it’s probably safe to say that the Rugby World Cup itself, would currently be lying down in a darkened room screaming “not another selfie please.” The cup is meandering its way around Britain, going on display at more than 350 [...]
Why Toshiba still sees value in rugby after 60 years supporting the sport May 31, 2015 Japanese firm Toshiba sees the 2015 Rugby World Cup as a chance to build B2B connections IT’S THE nature of sporting events that, for all the hype in advance, and indeed while they’re taking place, before we know it they’re over and the carousel moves on to the next celebration and jamboree. The Rugby World [...]
Tapping into a priceless showcase for sport: MasterCard’s Mark Barnett wants the World Cup to pay off for rugby and his brand May 25, 2015 For those of a certain age, the day that Erica Roe streaked at Twickenham during an England-Australia rugby international is a sporting image to rival anything that the greats of that generation, from Duckham to Underwood, Beaumont to Carling, achieved on the field of play. For Mark Barnett, president in the UK and Ireland for [...]
How to build in a wow factor: One rugby-mad VP at Marriott is serious about using fun to strengthen its brand May 17, 2015 Until the late 1990s, Osama Hirzalla had barely seen a game of rugby. The vice-president of brand marketing and e-commerce at Marriott International was educated in the USA, and it wasn’t until he first experienced the Dubai 7s that he witnessed the sport, got the bug, and became so obsessed by it that he now [...]
How backing rugby helps to build a global head of steam May 10, 2015 Heathrow Express’s Fraser Brown looks to players’ speed on the field to win the high-speed rail link more conversions IF YOU are a lover of statistics, you’ll love this opening paragraph. Of the 50m passengers who arrive at Heathrow airport every year, around 20m travel immediately into central London. Of that 20m, nearly a third [...]
The strong arm of the Rugby law: 2015 World Cup legal partner Clifford Chance has long been part of the rugby family May 4, 2015 Would you like to watch this year’s Rugby World Cup through the eyes of Dan Carter or Sam Warburton? Effectively play the game with them. As them. In them. Feel what it’s like to react in that nano-second that takes them away from a defender or straight into the arms of a gigantic monster. [...]
BMW’s Peter Walker says being an official partner of England Rugby is no joke for his firm April 26, 2015 Before April finally gives way to May, let us take you back to the start of the month, and the avalanche of sometimes extremely entertaining, sometimes immeasurably unamusing April Fools that organisations feel duty bound to overwhelm us with to show how cutting edge or just plain “one of us” they are. BMW did one. [...]
Giles Morgan on how sport’s dynamic blaze of colour can bring a bank’s values to life April 19, 2015 HSBC’s Global Head of Sponsorship and Events tackles his firm’s support for rugby, right down to the grassroots level. Giles Morgan is not your average spokesman for a major sporting sponsor. He’s knowledgeable, forthright, and is more than happy to put a few noses out of joint if he doesn’t like what he sees going [...]
2015 Rugby World Cup: Banking on shared values – and the 3bn viewers for a great global event April 12, 2015 When a senior figure from the world of banking talks up his company’s major sponsorship deal with a particular sport, because it represents the “core values” of his business, there’s a tendency sometimes to roll the eyes in a “that’s so on-message” kind of a way. So when Ian Fisher, head of coverage and investment [...]