How to go beyond blood sweat and tears in rugby and sports marketing
After reading the recent BITE big question on whether 2023 is going to be the year rugby marketing moves beyond blood, sweat and tears, I was hit with some thoughts of my own about the current state of marketing in the sport. We are in a crucial period for rugby marketers to make a real impact - let’s not use the short time frame before the 2023 Rugby World Cup as an excuse to not take action.
Sports marketing is an area I find myself constantly drawn to because of the sheer potential for impact that it holds, and the different scales of campaigns that we see. I have recently been drawn to TikTok strategies from England’s footballing Lionesses, as they take the lead on creating impactful sporting campaigns. As a lover of rugby, I am often a huge fan of the marketing that has come from it, such as Guinness and its unparalleled partnership with the Six Nations. However, the climate is changing and there is a part of me that worries rugby marketers are missing the huge opportunity that the current sporting climate presents.
Attraction of new fans, retention of current fans, attraction and retention of sponsors, stadium footfall and growth of grassroots are all going to be led by marketing efforts.
Annie Muggoch, Creative Account Manager, JWI Global
Last year saw Worcester and Wasps, two of rugby union's most famous clubs, go into administration. Meanwhile, January saw the vote of no confidence in RFUs Bill Sweeny after the controversial new tackle height rule. This screams to me that fundamental changes are needed from the ground up. There is talk of radical change taking place in World Rugby’s commercial strategy after the World Cup. However, my question would be, why after the tournament and not now? The renewed energy is needed pretty instantly, and the onus lies on the individual teams, their players, and their sponsors to stop shouting for the sake of it and create impactful noise.
Marketing is going to carry the comms and help to shape the response to these changes. Attraction of new fans, retention of current fans, attraction and retention of sponsors, stadium footfall and growth of grassroots are all going to be led by marketing efforts. With 2023 presenting three major rugby tournaments, rugby needs to place marketing high on the priority list.
This September’s Rugby World Cup brings endless opportunities to the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the teams, the players, and the brands involved. It is an open door, allowing the RFU to redeem themselves, to attract new audiences, and try new things. But the time is now…like, right now. Because if a World Cup isn’t the perfect time to shake things up, then when is?
So, we’ve covered why the change needs to happen now - but what do the focuses need to be?
We have seen the landmark sponsorship deal between TikTok and the Six Nations. However, beyond the tournament itself, utilisation of the channel needs work. There is opportunity to reach new audiences, develop conceptual strategy, and create more inclusive and accessible advertising for current and future fans. There has been a huge increase in rugby content on TikTok, and seeing this play out during the last Six Nations suggests that the potential - and opportunity - are there. However, the channel is still not being used as well as it could be when it comes to building player profiles, encouraging girls to take part in grassroots rugby, or building discussions around the more ‘serious’ topics in the game. TikTok and the women’s game are going to be one of the main routes for attracting new fans. With the footballing Lionesses’ unbelievable success across the channel, rugby should be aiming to achieve the same.
Like it or not, the game faces competition from other sports for fan attention. To remain relevant and competitive, evolution is needed and we all know TikTok is the place to do that - for now anyway.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup took place last year and, like the Euros, this was a huge opportunity to boost the women’s game, encourage young girls to partake, and increase fan footfall.
The women’s Six Nations kicked off on the 15th of April, yet, I can’t help but feel momentum has dropped since the end of the men’s tournaments. Sarah Beattie, CMO of Six Nations Rugby, is building out a powerful strategy for what the women’s tournament should look like. But it is not just these leading figures that need to be taking action.
Clubs, coaches of both male and female teams, and the RFU need to be seen to be treating the game as one entity. Last year the women’s Six Nations saw a 70% increase in match attendance and an increase in tv ratings by 135% - those stats and voices should be listened to.
Ensuring that male, female, national, club and grassroots stakeholders are all coordinated in their marketing efforts and communications is going to be vital to the game. Harmonious intentions will be what have the biggest impact over the next few years when it comes to achieving what is best for the sport.
For more difficult and complicated topics, marketing is going to be pivotal. Focus groups, expert opinions, fans’ voices and player backing should all be driving strategy and content development.
We need to prioritise meaningful long-term change around the sport as a whole and this means marketers need to listen intently, before deciding cohesively, how to communicate. For example, 280 clubs currently back the vote of no confidence in the current RFU CEO - what is the plan of action? Why? As a brand, what is your stance on it and what are you doing about it? Lead with intent to make a real impact.
We are seeing incredible campaigns come out of the sport, but the nitty gritty, day-to-day comms that will have lasting impact need attention. If we keep the points above front of mind, and set harmonious intentions on where we want the sport to go and how we want to make people feel about the game, then there is never-ending potential.
We could wait another few years to actually get this all moving, or we could jump at the opportunity that 2023 presents. By acting now, marketers will see an increase in fan engagement, commercial opportunities and community.
I trust that the future of rugby marketing and rugby as a whole is a progressive and innovative one with increased fan engagement, commercial opportunities and community. It is a future I have every intention of being a part of.
But right now, there’s a world cup to get ready for - so let’s not kick the issue down the line any longer.
A Creative Account Manager with a drive to deliver standout creative campaigns for transformative brands. My professional - and personal - passion for marketing, branding and advertising is born from experience. My work has taken me around the world - from working as a Casting Assistant for HBO’s Game of Thrones in Croatia, to organising banquets and exhibitions in Sweden. I’ve worked in a range of roles across the creative industry, and this breadth of experience has equipped me for the dynamic and diverse world of marketing. My love for the marketing and advertising world developed further whilst I was working at a sports production agency. Here, I found myself helping on and off the set for brands such as The FA, Santander, British Lions and Vodafone. At JWI, I am responsible for running global campaigns for a variety of brands. On a day-to-day basis, I instruct and lead on the development of new business, creative briefs and pitches. This means collaborating with multiple stakeholders, to guide and manage the creative process. I pride myself on my effective communication skills and strong client relationships. But above all, I pride myself on my ability to combine creativity with insight, to deliver leading campaigns with impact in mind. Developing a concept from a simple idea, bringing it to life, and launching it to the world - that is what drives me.
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