The New Zealand national rugby team will use the team bus to change out of its training gear during the Rugby World Cup, an inconvenience "the players must endure" to give sponsors their cut of the sport’s most recognized brand, according to Tracy Withers of BLOOMBERG. Under the rules of the four-yearly tournament, "the logos of team sponsors can only be seen at training" and must not be visible anywhere else associated with the Cup, such as in hotels or at matches. With players filmed arriving at and leaving training venues, "changing on the bus will maximize exposure for companies like insurer American International Group Inc., which sponsors the champion All Blacks." The New Zealand men’s rugby union team, whose uniform is all black, "claims to be the most successful national sports side in history." Brand Finance COO Bryn Anderson said, "The All Blacks brand represents success, pride, determination and strong heritage -- all characteristics a sponsor would like to associate with." The All Blacks "are bookmakers’ favorite to win this year’s World Cup." The team’s black uniform featuring a silver fern logo dates back to the 1890s, creating a history of unity and success that has attracted int'l sponsors from adidas AG to Bulgari SpA. New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Tew said, "We’ve got ambitions to sell more licensed products and be a better-known brand. It’s only going to work as long as you keep performing." Adidas, a major sponsor since '99, "designed a skin-tight uniform and black boots for the World Cup campaign." Bulgari has begun marketing men's fragrances "using All Blacks players in its print advertising, and perfume bottles decorated with Maori-inspired designs." Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd., the world’s biggest dairy exporter, "began offering milk this month in black containers carrying the silver fern as a special World Cup promotion." New Zealand Rugby does not provide estimates of its brand value, "or earnings from sales of licensed products such as replica jerseys." Commercial income "makes up about a third of annual revenue," which was NZ$120.8M in the year ended Dec. 31 (BLOOMBERG, 9/16).
NO GUINNESS AT RWC: In London, Hazel Sheffield wrote rugby fans will not "be able to get their favourite pint at the World Cup." Guinness "has made up half of all pints sold at Twikenham in recent years." But a tie up with World Cup sponsor Heineken, reportedly worth £20M ($31M), means that "only Heineken-owned beers will be sold inside the 13 stadiums hosting the games in England and Wales." Heineken's answer to Guinness, Murphy's Stout "will be sold instead." Heineken "has taken extra precautions to make sure it maximises profits from the games." It "will have temporary bars in pub gardens and fan zones for the duration of the games." There "is also an exclusion zone around stadiums for all sponsors meaning that governs marketing" within 500 meters of the stadiums (INDEPENDENT, 9/18).
