Hisense Australia, which extended its major NRL Telstra Premiership sponsorship for three years earlier in 2023, activated around the new season kick-off through an integrated campaign urging Aussie rugby league fans to ‘Go Bigger’.
The Chinese white goods and consumer electronics conglomerate activated its refreshed rights through an integrated campaign titled ‘Go Bigger’ which primarily focused on larger televisions (but which also includes it laundry range and home pace products) positioned as ‘Perfect For The NRL Season’.
So, whether you’re catching the latest game on the big screen, freshening up your own kit, or curating the perfect home space, Hisense can help all NRL-lovers go bigger, and better, this season.
A hero nationwide television spot spearheaded the activation and the commercial was supported by kick-off related social and digital content, a PR push, in-store initiatives and at-game logo visibility and across the official NRL App.
The spearhead 30-second spot, called ‘Big Games Need Big Screens – Go BIGGER’ debuted on 3 March and sought to boost upsizing consideration and drive rugby league fan to ‘check out our range of TVs and Laser TVs at your nearest retailer to make sure you don’t miss a second’.
The activation will continue through the season across a range of sponsorship package assets including the league’s official app, digital and social platform integrations, as well as stadium branding.
Building on its initial partnership which spanned the 2020 to 2022 seasons, Hisense re-signed as an Official Partner of the NRL Telstra Premiership and a new partner of the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership for a further three-year period starting on the 2 March 2023 season kick-off and continuing through all 204 matches over 27 rounds.
The rights package continues Hisense’s status as the exclusive category partner across its full product range: including TV, Laser TV, Refrigeration, Laundry, Air Conditioning and Audio.
Plus, Hisense is embracing the sports livestreaming trend as the inaugural Official Presenting Partner of NRL TV: NRL TV runs across NRL.com and the NRL App and aims to offer fans more ways to consume NRL content ranging from match replays and highlights, archival content and team and player profile videos.
“After three great years as an Official Partner of the NRL, we’re thrilled to be continuing our relationship through to 2025. As a popular league and brand across both Australia and New Zealand, this partnership gives us the invaluable opportunity to convince fans to ‘Go Bigger’ and showcase why Hisense is the brand of choice for viewing crisp, clear and true-to-life sporting moments in the home,” commented Hisense Australia Head Of Marketing Gideon Lui.
“Renewing our NRL partnership just makes sense. In the last three years we’ve seen the popularity of the NRL TV App on VIDAA (the OS for Hisense TVs) grow, with over 10 million Hisense TVs now featuring the app,” added Lui. “The game is ingrained in Australian and New Zealand culture, and we’re proud to play a part in bringing fans closer to the action across both sides of the Tasman.”
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo added: “The NRL is proud to have a strong group of sponsors who invest in Rugby League, none more so than Hisense Australia. They are a partner that enable a great sports entertainment experience to fans through their technology. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the partnership to drive even greater value for fans of the game.”
As well as renewing its Official Partner of the NRL Telstra Premiership status, the new tie-up also saw Hisense become a new partner of the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership, as well as a major partner of the State of Origin and Magic Rounds for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons.
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According to the brand and the rights owner, Hisense is a genuine rugby league ‘enthusiast’ and its sports partnership investment strategy positions sport as intrinsically linked to the innovative technologies engineered for its products.
One example of this cited by the brand is its full ULED TV range: which includes Hisense’s bespoke ‘AI Sports Mode’ – capable of enhancing horizontal motions on screen and adjusting the refresh rate to keep pace with the action and thus enhancing the fan/viewer experience by enabling them to ‘enjoy the fastest tries and biggest tackles without the risk of blur or juddering’.
Even Hisense’s latest range of laundry products – led by the brand’s ConnectLife smart home tech offering rolling out through 2023 – has been designed to keep ‘match kit’ feeling clean and fresh for all the team through bespoke Pure Jet technology and Allergy Steam.
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