VisitEngland launched a 2015 Rugby World Cup themed ‘Discover Your England’ initiative with a spearhead TV spot timed to leverage current rugby-related interest in the upcoming 6 Nations international rugby tournament.
The commercial, which first aired on the major UK commercial networks (ITV, Channel 5 and SKY) on 11 January, aims to raise the profile of English destinations in the year of Rugby World Cup.
The spot, which promotes around 15 English destinations, is notable for a slew of appearances by an impressive set of rugby personalities: from former England rugby captain Martin Corry and England Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster, to former England women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 winner Maggie Alphonsi and the tournament’s Official Anthem Singer soprano Laura Wright.
To the tune and words of adopted English anthem ‘Jerusalem’ – which has become as synonymous with English rugby as it has to the Women’s Institute – the 60-second spot features iconic English attractions from Hadrian’s Wall and Tower Bridge, to the Yorkshire Dales and Bath’s Royal Crescent and, of course, Twickenham Stadium.
An international, version of the ad is being pushed in key overseas markets (especially rugby-playing countries) by VisitEngland’s international PR, as well as via partnerships with online travel agencies and official British government centres (such as embassies).
Further supporting work, which includes information and details about the stars and paces in the ad, is available on the www.Visitengland.com website.
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The TV work is the first in a multi-platform set of VisitEngland projects to promote the tournament-related opportunities for tourism and other related sectors of the economy.
‘We are extremely excited to mark the year of Rugby World Cup 2015 with the launch of our Discover Your England campaign. England holds something truly special for all visitors and the arrival of the Tournament this year is an opportunity to maximise the potential for growth in the tourism sector,’ explains VisitEngland CEO James Berresford.
‘The aim of this campaign is to help trigger this growth. The TV ad showcases England as a fantastic place to book a holiday or short break and I hope it gets the British public as excited as we are about what’s in store for 2015. We want to entice Brits to set out to find what makes England a unique and special destination for them.’
At the campaign launch VisitEngland also leveraged the latest set of figures from Ernst & Young on behalf of tournament organisers England Rugby 2015 which suggest the positive impact of the competition will generate £2.2bn to the UK economy.
‘With action all across the nation the Rugby World Cup 2015 is a brilliant opportunity to go out and discover England. From Exeter’s Sandy Park to Newcastle’s St James’ Park we stand ready to welcome the world and show off the best our country has to offer. The Government’s tourism strategy is delivering record inbound visitor numbers and Rugby World Cup is a fantastic opportunity to further build on this success,’ added Minister For Sport & Tourism Helen Grant whilst promoting the campaign launch.
Other related and notable national tourist body and development campaigns aimed at leveraging interest surrounding a major sports events include:
Tourism New Zealand’s ‘Rugby World Cup 2011 ‘Big Blow Up Ball Tour’
Visit Scotland’s 2014 Ryder Cup Campaign:
Brazilian Tourist agency Embratur’s 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign:
Links
VisitEngland
Rugby World Cup 2015
RBS 6 Nations
