Sponsors of the Rugby World Cup are confident of reaping a solid return on investment from the competition and have no concerns that its U.K. audience will be overshadowed by the behemoth of Premier League football as they believe it will attract a different demographic. Sponsors of the competition, which takes place in England and Wales beginning Friday, include worldwide partners Heineken, DHL, Societe Generale and official suppliers such as Coke and Cannon. Fiona Taag, head of sponsorship at DHL, said she had no concerns that the World Cup would be drowned out by football, despite the popularity of football and a quiet buildup to the Rugby World Cup. She said, “The Rugby World Cup is the third biggest global sporting event. Whilst the football season in the U.K. has already started, the Rugby World Cup is not yet under way. We are already seeing excitement build, and we are confident that once the tournament begins there will be even more excitement from supporters across the globe.”
A FAMILY AFFAIR: Taag pointed out the Rugby World Cup is an event that “whole families want to get involved with and which brings fans across the world together.” While more popular than rugby in the U.K., football tends to attract a different audience than rugby, and matches are largely attended by white males between the ages of 20 and 45. World Cup holders New Zealand will battle it out to retain its crown in a competition that is being broadcast across a record number of countries this year and is expected to attract a bigger TV audience than the previous World Cup held in New Zealand. Raphel Niemi, head of sponsorship and events at Societe Generale, said, “With rugby we have one of the biggest events in terms of TV audience.” Societe Generale, like other sponsors, has heavily engaged its staff in its sponsorship: through competitions, tickets to games, the chance for staff to meet famous rugby players or have their picture taken with the winner’s Webb Ellis Cup.
GOOD FOR THE STAFF: Many sponsors believe that by sponsoring a big ticketing sporting event it can help lift staff morale. Jazz Singh, head of UK communications at Societe Generale, said that “there is an important link between rugby and values (of the bank).” He said the ethos of rugby was that “if you work as a team you are essentially going to be a winner, and we genuinely believe it transfers as how we work as an organization.” The fact that the tournament is being held in England and Wales has proved an attraction for many of its sponsors, as it represents a key sales market for them. For example, Societe Generale’s sponsorship has different strategies for its domestic market of France, where it has a significant retail presence, compared to the U.K., where it doesn’t but is looking to grow its brand through its association with rugby. Taag, meanwhile, said that England “works well with our sponsorship” as it was a “major” market for the brand. She said, “England is also the home of rugby and where the game started so there’s a real following of rugby in the country and support for the English team.”
WEIGHING THE VALUE: The value of sponsorships is notoriously difficult to measure, but DHL and Societe Generale are confident that their investments will bring them a solid financial return. Taag said: “As the office logistics partners and a sponsor of the event, DHL is able to reach hundreds of thousands of fans with its messages and our business. With principles that align well with the event, too, this sponsorship is a perfect fit will bring us a good ROI.”
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
