Insurance firm AIG renewed its multi-million dollar contract with New Zealand rugby, "retaining its central spot on the All Blacks jersey," according to Matthew Theunissen of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. The AIG logo first appeared on "the most coveted piece of New Zealand advertising space" in '12, after a deal thought to be worth some NZ$80M. The latest six-year sponsorship agreement "means it will continue to directly sponsor" the All Blacks, the All Blacks Sevens, the Maori All Blacks, the Black Ferns, the New Zealand Black Ferns Sevens and New Zealand U20 teams. NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew "would not be drawn on what the deal was worth but said both sides were happy." He said, "We think we've found a nice median between respecting the jersey and making sure they get the exposure and profile for the investment they're making." Preliminary discussions began about 12 months ago, with teams of legal and commercial experts working on it "for months rather than weeks." University of Canterbury Associate Professor of Marketing Ekant Veer said that sponsoring the All Blacks "was an advertiser's dream." Veer: "It's a phenomenal brand that has dominated rugby for 18 games on the trot and really they've been completely dominant for the last six to eight years" (NZ HERALD, 11/5). AIG was recognized as rugby sponsor of the year and received the prestigious Sport New Zealand recreation award for commercial partnership in the very first year of its sponsorship. In only four years AIG was recognized by its peers and fans as rugby sponsor of the decade (NZ Rugby).
