The official launch of the Betfred Super League was spearheaded by a fresh campaign – called ‘New Beginnings’ – launched to coincide with the new season’s media launch event.
The marketing campaign was fronted by a hero spot, debuting at the PR launch event in York, which aimed to breathe new life into the sport in general and the Super League in particular.
The film was initially trailed days ahead of its official launch with teaser player specific ‘watch this space’ content across the league and the clubs’ own social and digital channels.
Watch this space…
24.01.2019 @jakeconnor8 #NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/cy1f01iZz9
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) January 23, 2019
Soon… #NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/MbxPevz0fv
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) January 22, 2019
The full spot’s creative stars players and supporters from all 12 Super League clubs and features slow-motion shots of players waking up to the new season: with protein shakes in hand and carrying out morning stretches in their bedrooms, to suiting up in the dressing room and walking out into a light-filled stadium.
The campaign was developed by Leeds creative agency ‘The City Talking’ under the guidance of new chief executive Robert Elstone and the agency team was led by creative director Lee Hicken – the maker of Amazon Prime’s Leeds Rhinos documentary ‘As Good As It Gets’).
The lead video’s objective is to make the league’s best players ‘superstars’ through online video content.
“In other sports, people are considered global superstars. I look at rugby league, and there’s just something not clicking. That’s our job, to start to raise their profile.” Hicken, 36, said The City Talks creative director Lee Hicken.
“The aim is to create a narrative – providing few tangible examples of how they plan to do this beyond video content – to engage people with their sport.”
“Inside the rugby league bubble, we are phenomenally passionate about it,” added Super League CEO Elstone.
“We’ve got to understand why it’s not transcending out of the bubble.”
“The game has had 40, 50 or 100 years of trying to grow, and on the whole, hasn’t done that particularly well. It’s about selling our heritage,” continued Elstone.
“We stand for our rebellious soul, intrinsic great northern values. Those values are appealing wherever we are. If you’re going to go to one region in the world that stood for rebellion, then Catalonia is it.”
The launch event – which was attended by all club captains, the media, coaches and sponsors (plus IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington and England football icon Stuart Pearce) – took place in York and was PR’d across all the usual channels from newspapers to social media.
Behind the Scenes at the 2019 Betfred Super League Season Launch#NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/HFn0eR02nr
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) January 24, 2019
The 2019 club captains#NewBeginnings
Who do you reckon will be lifting the trophy in October?pic.twitter.com/eqK6rB6Jl9
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) January 24, 2019
11AM…#NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/Rbo0AfxpRp
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) January 24, 2019
The launch event was also activated by title sponsor BetFred
Join us tomorrow for the Betfred @SuperLeague season launch.
We'll bring you the latest news and exclusive interviews from the season launch.
Switch on those notifications for live broadcasts! pic.twitter.com/OP3OeLkzLk
— Betfred (@Betfred) January 23, 2019
and the campaign creative rolled out in parallel with league, sponsor and club support, as well as alongside the launch of the competition’s new app
and the Rugby Leagues Cares welfare programme.
The campaign will evolve through the season and continues with additional game-specific, player interview led creative rolling out prior to some of the key early matches in the season.
Comment:
Last year’s Super League Grand Final, between Wigan Warriors beat Warrington Wolves, was attended by 64,892 at Old Trafford – the lowest number in nine years.
Thus the league clearly had decided to change its approach and make the league more desirable and more attractive to younger fans.
The campaign aims to introduce a new-look Super League: one that the rights-holder hopes will appeal to a wider audience.
The campaign, which was a clear attempt to reposition the Super League in a way that engages with younger fans, was proceeded at the beginning of the year by an explanatory new season video fronted by Elston.
The hero spot met with a mixed reaction from supporters and media.
Some of the positive feedback included:
“Great video… allez Super League!” – Catalan Media
“I have to say I quite like it. I do accept that it’s more for the already converted RL fan. But I like that it’s not brash. I do think though that if they were aiming for new fans the RFL needs to have a video with some crash bang wallop footage.” – @GreenbaySaint
While others lamented the lack of match footage and game action.
“Better than previous years and I was expecting so much given the first minute or so, but it needed a montage of tries and hits etc. So disappointing. Add an extra 30 seconds with action please, it would be so worth it.” – Ian Golden
“Rugby League is a fast-paced, intense, passionate, dramatic, physical sport.
This had absolutely none of that. Missed the mark by a long way.” – Darren Bovill
“Only missing: tries, conversions, big hits, action… oh, and the fans – the disappointment, the excitement and the sheer joy of winning one of the the trophies on offer. New beginnings? Why, what’s new?” – Steven Hall
“The best way to sell Rugby League is to show Rugby League” – Richard Stockdale
“Moody music? Tick. Moody lighting? Tick. Any clue of what’s actually going on?” – Michael Hewitt
As well as the new marketing campaign, the 2019 Betfred Super League sees the end of the Super 8s format and starts with different rules and features: such as shot clocks, Golden Point extra time and some tweaks to the laws and playing conditions aimed at introducing more speed and on-field drama for spectators and television viewers.
This season’s Dacia Magic Weekend will take place at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium, while Barcelona’s Camp Nou will host its first Rugby League game when Catalans Dragons take on Wigan Warriors.
The new season also sees the introduction of some new sponsors, such as Coral becoming the new title partner of the men’s and women’s #ChallengeCup
renewed broadcast tie-ups,
and the extension of some existing partnership deals such as Batchelors Peas renewal for a fourth year.
This latter deals includes programme presence, on-pitch perimeter boards, interview backdrops, press competitions, radio activity, digital and social activity and an on pack promotion in an attempt to increase sales of mushy peas and highlight to shoppers that the products are the “ideal accompaniment” for family meals by reaching 1.3 million customers at matches and 10 million on TV through the season via Sky Sports.
Links:
Super League
https://www.facebook.com/rugbyfootballleague
https://twitter.com/SuperLeague
https://www.youtube.com/user/ukrugbyleague
The City Talking
http://www.thecitytalking.com/
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