RWC2019 - Vodafone's Game Plan - Sport for Business

Vodafone has been deep in planning mode through the summer so as to make the most of its team sponsor partnership with Irish Rugby going into and throughout the Rugby World Cup.

We caught up with Head of Sponsorship and Business Brand Gerry Nixon to discover how they intend to do just that.

SfB: This is Vodafone’s fourth year but the first cycle of a Rugby World Cup. How different has that made this year from a sponsorship perspective?

GN: Well we knew it was coming and have had plenty of time to engage with all our agencies and make sure that what we delivered through the partnership was going to be strong.

We have looked on this as being two halves of the one year and the work we did in the first half around the Guinness Six Nations was just as important in terms of how we work with the players, the team and the fans.

Our message has been the Team of Us throughout and it is one of the fundamental pillars of our relationship with the IRFU that we wanted to ensure that supporting the Irish team was a universal thing for Irish sports fans.

SfB: This time last year we were on top of the world but then the Six Nations wasn’t great. Is there a danger that we are a fickle bunch.

GN: Oh that’s always there of course but there’s a bedrock of interest and support for this team that is present across the whole country and runs deep.

That’s down to the character of the players as much as any amount of games they win or lose.

In our preparation for the World Cup, we went back into our history and looked at the sporting moments that have been so special to Ireland down the years. Italia ’90 from football, Katie Taylor in the Olympics and the Irish Hockey team last summer have all united us and created special memories. That’s what we want to help Irish Rugby to achieve over the next 12 weeks.

We want to encourage people to come together and celebrate a great sporting occasion without feeling the need to know every rule or to be engaged in painting the lines at your local club on a Saturday morning. It’s about welcoming everyone to the party regardless of background.

SfB: Ireland’s Ball is the focus of your first wave of activity. tell us a little about where that came from.

GN: We wanted to have something that was a physical representation of that coming together as one island supporting one team. The ball carries the fingerprints of 32 individuals, one from each county who were chosen not only because of an association to the sport but for a wide variety of reasons.

The team created an app which would capture a partial fingerprint which was then used in the moulding of a grip on one ball, manufactured by Gilbert as another partner of Irish Rugby.

It had to be partial so we were compliant with regulations around GDPR and identification. Sometimes you have to work through some unexpected realities when you are working in marketing.

The group includes mountain climbers, the first baby born in Ireland this year, Ciara Griffin from the Women’s team and more. We have selected four with whom we have created video content that will be released over the coming weeks as well.

The ball will be presented to the team on the eve of our last home match in the Guinness November series and then carried to japan for as far as we go in the tournament.

SfB: Is it just about creating content or are you using this element of the promotion to build out the fan base?

GN: We are running a competition across all our social media channels with the prize being the opportunity to hand over the ball at the Aviva Stadium and then join us the next day for Ireland against Wales.

Entry gives you the option to sign up to receive the exclusive content we will be producing throughout the tournament so it’s a positive experience for fans.

We want to turn on its head the idea you have to be from Dublin 4 or parts of limerick to be a ‘real fan’ of rugby.

SfB: How much content do you plan on making exclusively for Vodafone customers?

GN: There will be some as part of the Irish rugby content we distribute through the My Vodafone App but again, this is an inclusive exercise and signing up through the promotion will give a wider base beyond our own customers.

We are producing content from behind the ropes of the Irish team, giving real insight into how the lads are preparing and enjoying the experience of playing at a World Cup.

SfB: How much of the content is real though and how much might be staged for the camera?

GN: It’s a fair question and the public has become very attuned to what they will accept from a brand. it has to be real and we understand that. We don’t focus on one ambassador over another because the dynamic of the group being one is really important. If that’s what we want the fans to feel then we have to be genuine.

The players are an important part of determining what we produce. We work with them and they trust us. Two videos that spring to mind are the ones we did with Robbie Henshaw tapping into music with Sharon Shannon and the one with Cian Healy around technology. They are part of what the players are interested in and so we want to bring that out.

SfB: The TV ad that is running at the moment looked like a lot of fun to make.

GN: It was. All of those who appear are real fans and with t being a World cup we wanted to include the Irish fans that are scattered across the globe. The scenes that look like they were filmed in Tokyo were and we also dropped in on Abu Dhabi to capture the hammock scene and the one of running up the dunes. The lads in the hotel room were actually in Dublin but we dressed it well to appear as though it was part of their acclimatisation in Japan.

SfB: How many takes did you need to capture the scene between Rob Kearney and Jacob Stockdale?

GN: You know they are naturals. The lads were joking on the way in about how they were getting on at their Japanese lessons and the crew weren’t sure, given the management’s attention to detail whether they were messing or serious. We set it up though and they were brilliant. It’s hard to do that light-hearted stuff for the camera but they were perfect. We had assigned more time to capture that one than we needed.

SfB: It’s on a heavyweight cycle at the moment, will that continue through the tournament?

GN: This is a long cycle of around 12 weeks, hopefully, through the build-up and the tournament. We’ll be dialling it up and down at stages, focusing around the game times and will be introducing new content on social and in out of home to complement that as well.

The posters look great. Inpho Photography supplied the imagery and it’s all real as well. Nothing posed and totally authentic. I think people will react well to them.

The plan is complex but we are really looking forward to the implementation now that we are ready to go.

SfB: Has not having the logo on the jersey for the World cup Games been a challenge?

GN: That is the rule and we have known about it throughout so it is just something you work with. The restriction on branding only really applies to match days themselves so all the training gear carries the Vodafone look and feel and we will be able to get that out there through mainstream as well as social media and the content we create.

SfB: Finally how big is social media in your thinking around the tournament?

It’s a major part as that is how fans and our customers are consuming information. It works for us in terms of access through phones and allows us to create specific storylines for different target markets. Instagram, facebook and twitter are all important at different times and with different markets. Twitter remains top for the live material around the game day while Instagram reaches a younger audience in a different way. It’s all about putting the right tactics together, just like on the pitch.