When the Rugby World Cup kicks off on Sept. 18, fans are "more likely to be sipping a Heineken beer than sending a parcel," according to Shona Ghosh of MARKETING MAGAZINE. So "why is a delivery firm one of the tournament's biggest sponsors?" For DHL, it is "partly about sexing up a pretty functional brand." The Deutsche Post-owned company has returned as a headline sponsor of the Rugby World Cup, joining consumer-facing names like Heineken, Land Rover, Emirates and MasterCard. French bank Societe Generale is "also on the roster." DHL Global Sponsorship Manager Fiona Taag said, "We have changed from being just B2B to being much more consumer-facing. That's largely been driven by an e-commerce world, with many people buying online and needing products shipped." DHL's public image has been "slow to catch up with the internal reality, perhaps." The logistics company is involved with a number of other high-profile sponsorships, including ManU, the Rolling Stones and Cirque du Soleil. But rugby sponsorship holds a "special place" at DHL, largely because of the company's history. According to Taag, the firm's early growth was "helped by expats from the biggest rugby-playing nations -- South Africa, Britain and New Zealand." Taag said that it is also a "sport for the 'influencers' who might consider DHL as a partner down the line." DHL’s sponsorship will comprise both practical and emotional activity. Behind the scenes, the firm will be shipping team equipment between stadia. But it is "also running activities like the match ball promotion, inviting one child from a rugby-playing nation to deliver the match ball during the opening England-Fiji game" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 8/20).
