The first winner of the Emirates Rugby World Cup ‘Flagbearer’ competition was announced in early September. South Africa fans, 6-year-old Kirstin Engelmann and her dad Rainer, won the competition and headed to the tournament on-board the airline’s Rugby World Cup-liveried A380. The airline’s sponsorship livery was first unveiled on an Airbus A380-800.
As part of the prize they are flying in business class luxury and will be treated to three nights’ accommodation and match tickets.
As part of her prize Kirstin will carry the flag onto the pitch at the opening of one of the quarter-finals’ most anticipated matches, with New Zealand taking on Argentina.
Emirates, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011, is Flagbearer competition entrants the chance to win one of four trips to the Rugby World Cup 2011 in October – including Final tickets.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to offer a young Rugby fan like Kirstin the opportunity to experience Rugby World Cup 2011 first-hand. As a sponsor of numerous worldwide sporting events we have always tried to let our customers be part of the experience and this flagbearer competition provides exactly that – an exhilarating and once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Khalid Bel Jaflah, Emirates Vice President, Commercial Sales UAE.
Flagbearer is just one of the airlines activation elements, which include both global and local initiatives.
For example, Emirates has partnered the IRB on its global ‘Postcards From New Zealand’ digital film initiative that has helped drive interest in the build up to the tournament (see http://bit.ly/uWvE3v), as well as rolling out an international Rugby World Cup TVC using the tagline ‘Live the unforgettable’.
While July’s Sydney Spirit experiential event at the CBD and at the Coogee Oval, featuring brand ambassadors Nathan Sharp and David Pocock, is an example of local event build up activation from the airline.
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