Launched in July 2019, two months ahead of the kick-off of the Rugby World Cup, official tournament SA broadcaster Super Sport and the South Africa Rugby Union launched its Japan 2019 campaign to drive home the message that the Springboks and all of the nation are #StrongerTogether.
The campaign’s objective was to get the nation behind the team, drive awareness and build buzz ahead of the tournament as the team embarked on a bid to claim a third Rugby World Cup title.
The integrated campaign, developed in harness with creative agency T+W (campaign/production) and Levergy (digital/social), spans multiple channels and platforms and is linked by the #StrongerTogether hashtag and calls on South Africans to rally behind the Springboks,
It also aims to be not just about the Springboks, but about all South Africans.
The initiative was launched as a special event in Pretoria attended by skipper Siya Kolisi, Duane Vermeulen, Elton Jantjies, Malcolm Marx and several other players from the Springbok team, as well as Director Rugby Rasie Erasmus who all made a passionate appeal to South Africans to throw their weight behind the men in Green and Gold.
One interesting aspect of the launch event saw the attending media handed a personalised Springbok jersey – featuring their own face in a number – in a specially constructed locker room at the Springbok hotel on Thursday 11 July.
This gesture introduced a campaign strand brought alive at the start of the Springbok season the following Saturday (20 July) at the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match against Australia at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg when they players took the field wearing shirts with the numbers on the back constructed from the faces of South Africans: entertainers, business and media people, radio and television personalities, rugby writers and the players’ family members.
This aimed to underline the umbrella campaign message of togetherness and also introduced a competition which offered any South African a chance to have their own face on a Springbok jersey – at no cost – simply by registering online https://www.springboks.rugby/en/pages/faces-on-numbers to be part of the ‘Faces on Numbers’ initiative in the run up to the Rugby World Cup.
Siya and Schalk reveal who's got their backs at the #FarewellTest at Loftus today.
You can have your face on a Springbok jersey number in Japan, by simply heading to https://t.co/75C1R0KZxP and clicking on the Faces on Numbers (FON) tab. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/DvAz2sQl3k— Springboks (@Springboks) August 17, 2019
When Jesse Kriel runs out Loftus for his 44th Test cap today, some special people will have his back.
You can have your face on a Springbok Jersey, by simply heading to https://t.co/75C1R0KZxP, clicking on the FON (Faces On Numbers) tab and registering. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/jEsmW3LnkL— Springboks (@Springboks) August 17, 2019
The #StrongerTogether core marketing campaign was spearheaded by a TV ad fronted by current captain Kolisi, who breaks out into a patriotic national anthem while on a video call with son, Nicholas Siyamthanda.
The hero spot premiered online and on TV on 11 July and was amplified across the rights-holders digital and social channels.
The spot was backed by addition social media content.
Passionate appeal to South Africans by #Springboks to throw their considerable weight behind the men in Green and Gold #StrongerTogether
Story here: https://t.co/Nq1G0rJ2YI pic.twitter.com/GTfRBZAbL5— Springboks (@Springboks) July 11, 2019
“What the Springboks need to know is that their country is behind them, that their fellow South Africans are backing them – no matter which player is representing them on the rugby field,” said SA Rugby Director of Rugby and Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus
“To know that your country has got your back is the only motivation to lift these players that they need – and that’s the major aim of the #StrongerTogether campaign. As a team we know when we that Together we are Stronger. And we know that as country South Africa is Stronger when it’s Together. Our job as players and management is to produce a winning Springbok team to lift our people and bring people Together. And with the sense that the country is at our backs we can do it. This campaign is not just about a rugby team, it’s about a country.”
Team captain Kolisi added: “There are millions of South Africans, hard-working everyday people – whose names we will never know – who rise early, doing what they have to do so that they can provide for their families,” the Springboks skipper said.
“This campaign is for you – the taxi driver, mine worker, blue collar worker, nurses and doctors, teachers, engineers, students – all ordinary South Africans who do what they do to make this country stronger.”
Siya Kolisi
Comment:
We’ve seen South Africa win the Rugby World Cup twice before (in 1995 and in 2007) and we’ve also seen this kind of linked broadcaster and team/rights-holder strategic and creative approach several times before too.
But that doesn’t mean this isn’t an ad that gives you goose bumps.
Work in South Africa leveraging the build up to Japan 2019 began back in April when SARU kit partner Asics launched its ‘Unstoppable Jersey’ initiative (see case study).
Links:
Super Sport
https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialSuperSport
https://twitter.com/SuperSportTV
https://www.facebook.com/supersport
https://www.instagram.com/supersporttv/
SARU
https://twitter.com/Springboks
https://www.facebook.com/springboks
https://www.instagram.com/bokrugby/
Levergy
https://www.levergy.co.za/
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