The favorite New Zealand chalked up its second successive Rugby World Cup victory, according to Justin O'Brien of THE CONVERSATION. Who "were the winners among the global corporations seeking to stand out in the marketing scrum?" The tournament "sought to keep its doors closed to the kind of unofficial marketing that leaves official sponsors furious, but an American rapper may have rattled their cages." The RWC "is now firmly established as a top ten world sporting event that can boast a hike in sponsorship revenue of more than 50%." However, "despite the largely sold out stadia, the biggest crowds, and the narrowest winning margins (although still some 30 points), TV sponsors were still facing 25% advertising value losses due to England’s early exit." It was not "for want of trying." Official sponsor Land Rover, "surely the ideal" rugby vehicle, "ran extensive grass roots game vignettes emphasising its rugged, real and authentic dimensions." Heineken’s £20M ($30.8M) sponsorship propelled it to the top of the competition’s digital engagement rankings, closely followed in second place by non-sponsor and close competitor Guinness with its "made of more" campaign, with Land Rover fifth. Also in the top 10 was non-official sponsor O2, using an "evocative approach." The "biggest surprise" to most would have been a Dr. Dre brand coup as it rode on the coat-tails of a "genuine tournament hero" with a campaign titled "the game starts here" and starring All Blacks captain Ritchie McCaw. The Beats headphone, speaker and music streaming business which Dr. Dre founded "is now owned by Apple, but the company has form in ambush marketing." It "is an alluringly effective strategy for a youth-culture-focused brand no doubt." Using the highly recognizable Kiwi skipper "allowed Beats to achieve a stand-out top ten ranking without signing up for an official sponsorship package." Main sponsors "kept the ambushes at bay," but maybe did not eradicate them completely. Hostess teams outside Twickenham handed out megaphones featuring branding from power company SSE, "which were confiscated by the stadium security." SSE was a sponsor of U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV’s coverage of the World Cup, but "it was not an official sponsor per se." Another non-sponsor, Samsung, "grabbed attention with its school of rugby campaign featuring comedian Jack Whitehall and former England captains Martin Johnson and Laurence Dallaglio." Their "humorous content strategy heavily pared back on the Korean tech brand’s visibility" (THE CONVERSATION, 11/2).
