Sportswear brand Canterbury launched the new British & Irish Lions kit with a two-phase ‘Untouchable Jersey’ campaign that creatively aimed to bring the jersey to life through a striking ‘hologram’.
The hologram led initiative claims to be a ‘rugby first’ and it aims to reflect the unique nature of the Lions jersey: an iconic and ‘untouchable’ kit right up until the moment those select players who have earned the right to wear it pull one on.
The initial phase of the campaign gave a select number of fans who pre-ordered an exclusive sneak ‘hologram’ peek of the latest iteration of the iconic rugby shirt.
This strand of the initiative saw Canterbury deploy a multi-media, call-to-action strand cross its own platforms- such as Twitter – and the team’s channels that encouraged supporters to pre-order the strip via canterbury.com or lionsrugby.com.
The #LionsNZ2017 jersey by @canterburyNZ is out on November 1! https://t.co/Az4wwwpGtT #FiveDaysToGo #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/O92ylTYcQT
— British&Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) October 27, 2016
Then, a day before the new kit’s official unveiling on 31 October, a group of 30 Lions fans who had pre-ordered were sent a bespoke mobile device that projected a hologram of the ‘untouchable jersey’ via the supporters’ smartphone.
When each fan activated their device, they experienced the jersey as an untouchable hologram that came with a message from Lions coach Warren Gatland.
Carrying the hashtags #CommittedToTheGame and #LionsNZ2017, the campaign was further amplified across Twitter
This morning we gave the most committed fans a glimpse of the @lionsofficial jersey with a hologram device #CommittedToTheGame #LionsNZ2017 pic.twitter.com/k50RhEzqPS
— Canterbury (@canterburyNZ) October 31, 2016
and on Facebook.
‘We’re really excited to provide committed British & Irish Lions fans with a unique opportunity to see the ‘untouchable jersey’ before the rest of the world,’ said Canterbury CEO Chris Stephenson.
‘Some of these supporters have been waiting a long time to see what their heroes will be wearing during the tour to New Zealand, and to reveal that in such a distinctive way is something we’re very proud of. We can’t wait for the rest of the world to see the jersey in all its glory and are confident that it will be very well received.’
The rest of the world got that opportunity the following day, 1 November, when the second phase of the campaign saw the official British & Irish Lions kit revealed through a giant ‘untouchable’ jersey hologram projected over the London city-scape.
This Canterbury stunt marking the jersey launch also came with a playful challenge to fans buying the jersey – asking them to ‘follow in the players’ footsteps and keep their hands off until the squad is announced in April’.
The new flagship match jersey features several new design innovations: including the introduction of water resistant technology for the winter conditions they can expect.
While fans can benefit from fresh features on the Pro and Classic replica kit versions: the Pro jersey features Vaposhield technology and the same styling as the match jersey worn by the players but cut with a straighter fit, while the Classic version incorporates Vapodri technology and a relaxed fit for added supporter comfort.
Plus, an identical version of the match jersey worn by the players in New Zealand will be made available in 2017 as a bespoke piece of sporting memorabilia to keep as a once-in-a-life time collectors’ item.
The launch campaign was then followed by a physical/digital purchase phase which included a sales-focused email to the existing Lions Rugby database which included a piece of the launch campaign, shirt details, a (very simple) question-led competition to win a free shirt and assets driving users to the official online Lions store.
Some of the assets carried the names and logos of the official Lions sponsors and partners: including Standard Life, Canterbury, QBE, Land Rover, Qantas, EY, Mud House, Thimas Pink, Robert Walters and Rhino.
A follow-up marketing phase to the launch itself, saw a further film rolled out on 4 November featuring former British & Irish Lions player Will Greenwood and current Head Coach Warren Gatland with a narrative that follows one fan’s journey as he discovers the untouchable jersey.
Comment
The twin strategy here is to both add a multi-layered launch that drove earned media coverage and to reward the most committed supporters with an exclusive first-look.
This campaign shows Canterbury’s rugby kit launch experience (it has been in the game for 112 years and through its history has provided shirts to the New Zealand and Australia teams, while it currently is the kit supplier to England Rugby and Ireland Rugby, plus Bath, Leinster and Cardiff Blues) is being applied to its role as the official apparel partner for the British & Irish Lions New Zealand tour in 2017.
Canterbury continues to build a powerful and creative track record for innovative shirt launch initiatives.
Indeed, this campaign has echoes of the sportswear brand’s inventive England Rugby kit launch campaign in 2015 (ahead of the Rugby World Cup) which used also used a two-phase launch campaign that initially used ‘crowdspeaking platform’ Thunderclap to ensure that committed fans themselves amplified the launch content in return for an exclusive early shirt reveal (see case study).
Links
Canterbury Website:
Canterbury Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/canterbury
Canterbury Twitter:
https://twitter.com/canterburyNZ
Canterbury YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialCanterbury
The British & Irish Lions Website:
The British & Irish Lions Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BritishandIrishLions
The British & Irish Lions Twitter:
