To leverage upcoming Rugby League World Cup, the organising committee has launched a new campaign promoting the global sporting event with a focus players less well known to fans of the host nations Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
The Rugby League World Cup 2017 (RLWC2017) initiative, developed in tandem with agency Clemenger BBDO Sydney, is built around the insight that the majority of Australians and New Zealanders think international rugby league starts and finishes with them.
So the campaign launches with a film that pays homage to some of the sports lesser known talents as it seeks to reframe unknown players from across the Rugby League landscape: these impressive athletes range from the ‘easily ignored’ to the ‘must-see threats who have the potential to shape the tournament’.
The flagship 60-second spot features ‘up-and-comers’ such as Kaysa Pritchard (Samoa) and Casey Clark (USA), alongside well-known NRL stars Johnathan Thurston (Aus) and Sam Burgess (England).
The TV spot is also amplified across the organiser’s digital and social platforms as well as on those belonging to the competing national governing bodies too.
THE WORLD’S BEST ARE COMING.
TICKETS – https://t.co/tcYojYyYuA#RLWC2017 pic.twitter.com/C9sLiRJHJs— RLWC2017 (@RLWC2017) May 5, 2017
While additional player-specific cuts are also being deployed across the body’s various channels.
NOBODY'S TOUGHER. NOBODY.
https://t.co/6oXlbWG9Ki pic.twitter.com/GZcxULK6rw
— RLWC2017 (@RLWC2017) May 8, 2017
The campaign’s core objectives are to raise awareness of the competition and drive ticket sales in the long lead-up to the tournament.
“The truth is: every single world class athlete on the planet was, at one time or another, a nobody. The ‘Nobodies’ campaign champions these players who, despite being less recognisable, have the potential to surprise and upset the historically dominant countries,” explains Clemenger BBDO Sydney creative director Ben Clare.
“The idea that sport, by its ethos, is democratic, and the world is full of unknowns just one game away from stardom, provides the dramatic crux of this film,’” he adds.
Says Rohan Sawyer, general manager commercial and marketing, RLWC2017: “The 2017 Rugby League World Cup will be played in 13 cities across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, taking International Rugby League to all corners of the hosting nations. With recent changes in the eligibility rules, the world’s best players are coming, and this will be the most competitive Rugby League World Cup ever – and as such the teams you wouldn’t traditionally expect to be a threat, could surprise you.”
The campaign kicked off over the weekend of the 6/7 May during a series of international rugby league test matches that saw seven of the 14 teams participating in RLWC2017 in action.
The team of the client, The Rugby League World Cup 2017 organising committee, was led by chief executive Andrew Hill, COO Maria Sykes, general manager for commercial and marketing Rohan Sawyer, marketing manager Kate Dalwood and digital and social manager Sara Piper, worked with the unit from Clemenger BBDO Sydney.
The agency team was led by executive creative director Paul Nagy and managing director Emily Perrett and included creative director Ben Clare, planning director Rob Dougan, creatives Willy Maitland, Zander Williment, Dan White and Simon Gibson, plus senior producers Steve Tindall and Kirstin Lees, plus senior account director Smaran Jworchan, account coordinator Alicia Zerella, senior sound engineer Anthony Tiernan, as well as editors Alex Guterres and Jess Morgan.
The production company was Buddy Films where the director was Harry Sanna and the executive producer was Sue Walker, worked with DOP Jordan Maddocks.
Activative Comment:
This year’s tournament, the 15th Rugby League World Cup, will take place between 27 October and 2 December.
Hosts Australia, who have won the tournament 10 times, are again favourites and the particpsting nations also include co hosts New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, as well as England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Wales, and the USA.
Links:
The Rugby League World Cup 2017
https://www.facebook.com/rugbyleagueworldcup
https://www.instagram.com/rlwc2017/
Clemenger BBDO (Sydney)
http://clemengerbbdo.com.au/en
