Browsing: rugby

News
Flying Fish brings out the Haka to lure British audiences
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From a boppy spot about Kiwi cliches to a somewhat awkward tour around Auckland’s best ‘training grounds’, there’s been no shortage of ads promoting the much anticipated Lions Tour. Many of the ads have focused on highlighting New Zealand’s scenery and culture, and Flying Fish has continued the tradition with a spot for Sky Sports UK.

News
BNZ lets fans claim a piece of the Crusaders’ home turf—UPDATED
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With sports teams, we often speak in the possessive, referring to “our team”, “our win” or “our home turf” even though none of those things actually belong to us. Well, BNZ is looking to give the endless stream of possessive phrases some more meaning with a new campaign that allows New Zealanders to claim a piece of the Crusaders’ turf for themselves.

News
Upper class code
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Sick of tossing around that crusty old Gilbert? Feel like you deserve the best in life? Want to celebrate an All Blacks victory with that special something? Then you need some Chanel rugby balls.

News
Pak’nSave: ‘Big Game’ hunters
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In this week’s instalment of ‘The Big Game’, a prestigious award dished out to the best example of euphemism usage from non-sponsors hoping to ride the attention train during the Rugby World Cup, the award goes to Pak’nSave for its punny egg-based Facebook post.

News
As New Zealand interests evolve, have we reached peak rugby?—UPDATED
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Judging by the numerous rugby-related office discussions and the blanket media coverage—from the above board chat on outlets like Radio New Zealand to the below board banter inside a giant scrotum as part of the Alternative Commentary Collective’s Champagne Rugby, you could be forgiven for thinking the nation has a collective ‘code boner’ over the Rugby World Cup at present. But is rugby losing its lustre in New Zealand? And is there a limit to the All Black appropriation?

News
Try, try and try again: what analysis of the All Blacks’ chances at the RWC can teach businesses about big data
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Dr. Paul Bracewell, founding partner and chief data scientist at Dot Loves Data, says the statistics being thrown around in the media about the 2015 Rugby World Cup are typical of many applications of analytics in the business world: there are few actionable insights being provided. So he crunched the numbers and showed that the simplest solution is often the best.

News
The be all and end all of the oval ball
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As the All Blacks depart to defend the Webb Ellis cup in the UK, the nation is gearing up for a few weeks of early morning code watching. It’s obviously a pretty big deal for a rugby-loving nation and, as we saw during the Cricket World Cup, the clicks are likely to follow. But the Herald might be taking it a bit far with the branding of its rugby hub, which is sponsored by—who else?—Steinlager. Syrian refugee crisis? Pfffffff.

News
ANZ muscles into the rugby limelight with its Dream Big initiative
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During the Cricket World Cup, ANZ used its Dream Big initiative to get cut-through the marketing noise during the Cricket World Cup. Rather than focusing exclusively on the event, the bank brought its Black Caps sponsorship to life by travelling around the country showing its support for grassroots cricket by upgrading the facilities at various grounds around the country. And now, with the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, ANZ is at it again, this time renovating Waitemata Rugby Club in a new video posted to Facebook. The difference in this instance is that ANZ isn’t even a sponsor of Rugby New Zealand, the All Blacks or the Rugby World Cup.

News
Mobile app means no cowtowing to authority
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Technology has a history of subversion. Apple’s classic 1984 ad showed its beliefs very literally. Streaming and internet-enabled piracy are changing the media and entertainment business. Google changed the way we advertise. And now businesses like Airbnb, Uber and many others are fighting against powerful incumbents and antiquated regulation to give consumers better services. While the confiscation of a few cowbells from a rugby game at Westpac Stadium in Wellington certainly isn’t in the same category, MEA Mobile and app partner (and Chiefs sponsor) Deosan have showed their subversive side by developing a digital substitute for Chiefs fans.

News
AIG showcases the All Blacks machine, goes behind-the-scenes for big global sponsorship push
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When AIG announced its five-and-a-half year sponsorship deal with the NZRU and plonked its logo in the middle of the esteemed black jersey, some naysayers decried the game’s descent into commercialism, while those involved in the deal celebrated the massive boost it would give the game in this country. As is almost always the case, no-one really seems to care anymore. The logo is just … there. And now that the dust has settled on the unveiling of the jersey, AIG has launched its first major rugby-related campaign, ‘It’s Our Job’.

News
Two teams, one cup
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Australians are renowned for their dignity, manners and good grace. So it’s no surprise to see a bunch of ex-Wallabies erecting a billboard that offers the All Blacks a warm welcome to Australia for the Bledisloe Cup.

News
AIG packs down with the NZRU
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In what could be seen as either a blow for rugby purists lamenting the sport’s descent into commercialism or a massive boost for the New Zealand Rugby Union—and the game as a whole—global insurance company American International Group has signed a five and a half year sponsorship agreement that will see its logo take pride of place in the middle of the All Black jersey.

News
Battle of the rugby chatter
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Dr Obvious has diagnosed the RWC as being a pretty hot social media topic (recently released stats show there have been more than 1,931,215 tweets about the #RWC2011 over the past five weeks when you include all teams, hashtags and @rugbyworldcup). And, as this infographic shows, the All Blacks are winning the conversation wars ahead of Sunday’s trans-Tasman semi-final stoush. 

Opinion
All-consuming RWC beast devours all in its path
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Brad Novak via Cleverbastards.co.nz

With the nation currently in the grip of a violent strain of rugby fever (symptoms include very low workplace productivity, constant gridlock in Auckland, increasing popularity for psychic animals, ads between the haka, Google doodles and a penchant for infographics), it’s fairly difficult to think about anything else today.

News
Vogel’s joins the rolling marketing maul
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Rugby is infused into a vast array of marketing campaigns at the moment and there have already been a few savvy and seemingly legal attempts by non-sponsors to skirt the rules and cash in on the Big Rugby Event. Unashamedly patriotic bread brand Vogel’s and its agency Publicis Mojo are the latest to join that cheeky anti-establishment club with another simple but very effective outdoor campaign that welcomes the tournament and offers some support to the boys.

News
Rugby mag sports multiple strip
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For north of Bombays

For subscribers

Winning team 2010

New Zealand Rugby World was one of the few magazines to defy the overall downward trend in circulation, growing 20 percent for the year ending December 2009.

News
Rugby: a ball
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StopPress has decided to take the sage advice of Duncan Stuart and just chillax. Friday afternoon is no time for heated debates about the pros and cons of advertorial. But it’s the perfect time to bring your attention to some of the best thinkers in New Zealand rugby.