CSM Live has designed, produced and is managing a two-tier fanzone, with bars and rugby challenges, for British Airways at Twickenham. It will help to celebrate their 100-year anniversary and ramp up the excitement and enjoyment around England’s home games.

Last Sunday saw England return to Twickenham with a convincing 44-8 win over France in the Guinness Six Nations, following another bonus point win over Ireland in their first fixture of the tournament.

Celebrating their centenary milestone, and as the Principal Partner to Twickenham Stadium and the Official Airline Partner to England Rugby, British Airways entertained thousands of fans of all ages before and after the game. The fanzone activation has two challenges for fans to test their rugby skills and have a chance to win some notable prizes – including free BA flights, match tickets and signed memorabilia.

Additionally, there are two branded lounges, the Avios Lounge, which all fans are welcome to visit, and the BA Lounge, offering an exclusive area for British Airways Gold and Silver members to enjoy a complimentary drink and a view of the West Fan Village.

The British Airways fanzone activation will be live at all of England’s home games including 9th March – England v Italy and 16th March – England v Scotland, and fans are encouraged to share their experiences with the hashtag #BAGameDayLive.

Paul Hicks, Director of Experiential and Events at CSM Live, said “We’re delighted to be helping British Airways engage with their audience in a very real, relevant and entertaining way. Working with their team to land at the right creative direction and seeing it brought to life has been great.”

Mitch Caputo, British Airways’ Global Partnership Portfolio Manager from British Airways, stated “The fanzone looked amazing and we were thrilled to welcome everyone aboard on Sunday. CSM Live have done a great job and we can’t wait for the next two games.”

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Professional rugby team Saracens are adding their considerable weight and sense of fun to Harrogate Water’s recycling message. Saracens are staying hydrated in defence of their Premiership title with Harrogate Spring Water – whose PET bottles are made using more than 50 per cent recycled content.

The partnership will include humorous social media video activity featuring players playing a game of flipping bottles but with a serious message about recycling.

Harrogate Water marketing manager Erin Boswell said: “We are thrilled to become ‘Preferred Water Supplier’ to Saracens, one of the rugby world’s greatest clubs. Healthy hydration in elite sport is essential for peak performance, something for which Saracens are renowned in the Premiership and European Champions Cup.

“Having professional rugby stars joining our online recycling campaign is a real boost for our latest recycling initiative. We are also proud to be using more than 50 per cent recycled content, the highest use of UK post-consumer recycled PET of any water producer.

“We are an active partner of Keep Britain Tidy and together we are behind the Incredible Shrinking Bottle recycling campaign, urging consumers to ‘twist it, cap it, recycle it’. The more we can spread the recycling message, the more recycled material will become available, enabling us to increase recycled content even further. It’s all about creating a real circular economy.”

Saracens partnerships manager Emily Marshall said: “Healthy hydration is an integral part of the health and fitness regime at Saracens and as a club, we are striving to be better at recycling. We are delighted to support Harrogate Water, a great British company with international appeal that is leading the way in recyclability and sustainability.”

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The UK’s best-selling canned peas brand, Batchelors Peas, has partnered with Betfred Super League rugby for the third year running.

The Betfred Super League is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern hemisphere, with 11 English teams, one from France and others from Wales and Canada compeiting.

As an Official Partner for the 2018 season, Batchelors Peas will support the league with an on-pack promotion across 21 million cans of Bigga Peas, Chip Shop Style Mushy Peas and Original Mushy Peas.

To extend the appeal beyond traditional sports fans and resonate with every shopper, this year’s headline prize is a trip to Canada to watch Toronto Wolfpack, the Canadian team which competes in the Betfred Super League, along with £1,000 spending money. Additional prizes that will be drawn throughout the season include signed shirts and tickets to Dacia Magic Weekend, Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Final, Betfred Super League Grand Final and England International games.

As an Official Partner for the 2018 Betfred Super League, Batchelors will also be providing special offers and match day activity led by the Batchelors’ mascot, Can of Steel.

The on-pack activity will be supported with a program of press competitions, radio activity, digital and social media activity.

During its season-long partnership, Batchelors Peas will feature in all Betfred Super League match day programmes, on pitch perimeter boards and on all official competition interview backdrops at over 250 games. This will reach a total of 1.2m at matches, as well as over 350k TV viewers per week over the course of the season via Sky Sports and BBC Sport.

Commenting on the partnership, Dean Towey, Marketing Director at Princes, says: “After a successful two years, we are really looking forward to continuing the partnership for a third year. Being an Official Partner of the Betfred Super League is a great platform for us to position Batchelors Peas as a modern, family brand that supports active lifestyles.”

The campaign aims to drive increased usage of mushy and marrowfat peas amongst existing and new consumers through the promotion of the products as the ideal accompaniment for fish and chips and other family favourite meals.

The Betfred Super League season kicked off on Thursday February 1^st.

The Batchelors brand was founded in 1895 and includes Marrowfat, Mushy and Garden Peas for retail and foodservice. Princes Ltd. manufactures Batchelors Peas under license from Premier Foods Limited.

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Crabbie’s, the Halewood-owned ginger beer brand, is running a Rugby Rewards on-pack promotion which benefits both consumers and the amateur clubs they support.

The promotion runs until May 31st 2018, and consumers have the chance to win prizes every week, including 55 inch, Sound Bars, Fitness Trackers and Crabbie’s branded merchandise including key rings, mini rugby balls, sunglasses, beanie, canvas bags and bottles and cans.

To enter, consumers need to enter a code found on limited-edition promotional packs of 330ml and 500ml Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer Original and Scottish Raspberry, on the Crabbie’s promotional website, www.crabbiesrugby.co.uk. In addition to allowing entry into the consumer draw, the codes are also worth points to participating rugby clubs.

As part of the entry process, consumers are asked which rugby club they want to give the points they collect to (there is a ‘no club’ option). Amateur rugby clubs which are registered with the rewards programme can use points given to them by consumers to trade in for Crabbie’s-branded equipment including rugby balls, training bibs, contact pads and tackle bags.

The promotion was created for Crabbie’s by integrated agency ATOM Marketing.

Anja Weise-O’Connor, senior marketing manager for Crabbie’s at Halewood Wines & Spirits, said: “Thanks to limited-edition packaging the promotion gives retailers the opportunity to increase sales, as well as maximise opportunities for repeat purchases with the weekly prize draw, which will run for the duration of the season.”

The brand says its previous “Try and Win” promotion saw more than 34,000 entries.

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Greene King, the official beer sponsor of English cricket and grass-roots rugby, is hosting a major sports-themed nationwide on-pack promotion, created and implemented by Farnham-based marketing agency Ten Feet Tall.

Appearing on 250,000 bottles of IPA, IPA Gold and IPA Reserve, the promotion is running off-trade and is supported by a TV spend in excess of £250,000.

Each bottle wrap showcases one of 10 ‘Great Sporting Moments’, from England’s 1966 World Cup victory to Saracens’ European Double in 2017, and the series of collectable labels features not only football, cricket and rugby but also golf, motorsport and cycling.

Customers are driven online to read not only the full story behind the sporting triumph, but also to discover whether the unique code on their label means they have won a summer-themed gift from the £50,000 prize fund.

Ten Feet Tall MD Ed Hughes says: “Our marketing expertise in the sports and sponsorship arena combined with Greene King’s legendary support of both professional and grass-roots sport make for a winning combination.”

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Shaving brand Gillette is celebrating its partnership with the British & Irish Lions rugby team with a new film featuring international rugby player George North plus a promotion offering the chance to win an ‘ultimate’ trip to New Zealand to watch the Lions in action during their upcoming tour.

The film, ‘The Honest Player’ (which can be viewed on Gillette’s YouTube channel), features North and historic moments from previous Lions Tours and celebrates the importance of preparation and precision for men to be their best – a common value shared by both Gillette and the Lions, the brand says.

The film features the Gillette Fusion range, with five high-performance blades on the front for a close, comfortable shave and a precision trimmer on the back to help men shape their own style.

Gillette & Venus Brand Manager Matt Thomas says: “The sponsorship of the British & Irish Lions is something we’re very proud of.  At Gillette, we aim to help men look, feel and be their best by preparing them for what lies ahead. The idea of preparation is synonymous to both Gillette and the famous rugby team, and this is something we wanted to portray in our film with George.”

Gillette will bring the partnership to life in all major retailers across the UK through a competition offering consumers the chance to win the ultimate trip to New Zealand to watch the Lions.

Gillette is owned by Procter & Gamble, which operates in around 70 countries worldwide. In addition to Gillette, the P&G portfolio includes Always, Ambi Pur, Ariel, Fairy, Febreze, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Lenor, Olay, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, SK-II and Vicks.

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Brewing giant Heineken will be giving away tickets to the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019 as part of its latest deal with the sport’s governing body, World Rugby.

The new agreement with World Rugby sees international premium beer brand Heineken continue as an official partner of rugby’s leading global tournament. Heineken’s relationship with World Rugby – which the Dutch drinks company says is one of the most recognisable and longest-standing partnerships in sport – dates back to 1995. The new deal encompasses Rugby World Cup 2019, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 and the World Rugby Awards 2017.

As a Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2019, Heineken will continue its popular match traditions across the 12 venue tournament, such as the Heineken Coin Toss and the Heineken Back Stage Stadium Tour. The partnership will also include exclusive pouring rights, LED pitch boarding exposure and tickets giveaways. To celebrate, Heineken has released a short film that features ambassador and rugby legend Scott Quinnell sharing his Rugby World Cup memories, with a hidden twist.

Hans Erik Tuijt, Global Sponsorship Director, Heineken, says: “Heineken has enjoyed a close association with rugby for over 20 years. Rugby World Cup will again enable Heineken to create engaging experiences for fans at the tournament and at-home in the 20 participating countries and beyond. This partnership compliments our other unique global platforms; Formula One, UEFA Champions League and James Bond.”

Heineken says the World Rugby partnership plays an important role in supporting the brand’s global business growth objectives. During the last Rugby World Cup, in the UK in 2015, the brewer teamed up with newspapers and media sites, on-trade operators and retailers to run a wide range of promotional activity linked to the tournament, including rugby scarves and kit give-aways and competitions to win tickets and special VIP experiences at various matches, including the final.

World Rugby Chairman, Bill Beaumont, observes: “Heineken is a brand steeped in Rugby World Cup history and we are delighted to be extending one of the most well-known and successful relationships in the sport. With the pool draw, match schedule and ticketing launch all taking place this year, 2017 is an important year for hosting preparations. We are delighted that we will be embarking on this exciting journey with the full support of Heineken.”

Heineken claims to be the world’s most international brewer with a portfolio of more than 250 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. It operates 167 breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries.

Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan is the ninth edition of rugby’s showcase global event and the first in Asia. The world’s top 20 national teams will play in 48 matches hosted across 12 match cities for the right to lift the iconic Webb Ellis Cup and be crowned world champions. Rugby World Cup is the sport’s financial engine, generating approximately 90% of World Rugby’s revenues for reinvestment in the global game over the four-year cycle. The record-breaking success of England 2015 is enabling World Rugby to invest £245.8 million in the sport by 2020, eclipsing the previous 2013-16 £201 million investment injection by 22%.

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UK brewer Greene King has just launched a year-long experiential and social campaign to celebrate the new look and taste of its capital-inspired ale, London Glory, by engaging the city’s inhabitants through the launch of its interactive What’s The Story campaign.

To drive awareness for the ale, a stand-out branded taxi with a ‘writer in residence’ in the driving seat was positioned across key high footfall locations in London including Queen Street, Spitalfields Market and The Stoop, Twickenham, in the three days up to and including the Harlequins versus Northampton Saints match at The Stoop on February 6^th 2016.

Greene King partnered with London-based rugby union team Harlequins as part of the marketing campaign, and used the match as the new look beer’s official launch date.

Londoners were invited into the taxi to tell stories about their home city over a free pint of London Glory, giving participants the chance to enjoy 15 minutes of fame when their tale was broadcast to the Greene King brewery’s social audiences through a dedicated social media campaign.

Prompting brand engagement and trial, over 5,000 people sampled London Glory across the three days culminating. Those who visited the London Glory Taxi were rewarded with a free sample of ale in exchange for a social media post using the dedicated #whatsthestory hashtag which reached over 300,000 people to date across the three days.

Chris Houlton, managing director of Greene King brewing and brands, said: ‘’The London Glory experiential activation was designed to really engage the people at the heart of the brand and celebrate the wonderful diversity of our capital city. The wider Greene King partnership with Harlequins offered a natural opportunity for us to engage with a new and responsive audience, particularly via social media.”

The #WhatstheStory campaign continues over the coming weeks with captured content shared and amplified across Greene King’s social channels, including dedicated stories from Harlequins rugby players, in addition to a series of consumer incentive prizes, including once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to share pints with Harlequins players, hosted via leading consumer media.

The branded taxi will return for a range of further experiential activities.

The campaign will drive momentum across the year as it continues to celebrate and amplify the very best and most glorious elements of the UK’s capital city.

Greene King, the pub retailer and brewer, was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It employs over 40,000 people following the recent acquisition of Spirit Pub Company. It operates around 3,100 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland. Its leading retail brands include Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Chef & Brewer and Flaming Grill.

Greene King also brews ale brands from its Bury St. Edmunds and Dunbar breweries, and is the UK’s leading cask ale brewer and premium ale brewer with brands such as Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven Best.

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Coca-Cola Enterprises is launching a rugby-themed mobile shopper marketing promotion, Try To Win, offering consumers the chance to win a number of prizes instantly.
Designed to appeal to its target 16-29 year old demographic, the instant win promotion is running in convenience stores and offers prizes including limited edition rugby balls and LCD TVs. Shoppers have to answer rugby-related questions correctly in order to be entered.
The promotion is running across 500ml bottles of all four Coca-Cola variants in a range of different retailers including Nisa, Costcutter and Spar stores.
It aims to engage with rugby fans and their families, while encouraging new shoppers to get involved in the sport at the point of purchase.
Pierre-Luc Petard, Senior Manager Digital Shopper Marketing at Coca-Cola Enterprises, says: “This is a fantastic way to engage and entertain Coca-Cola consumers through a simple but fun mobile experience. Capitalising on the shopper trend towards gamification, this rugby-themed experience is delivered in-store to surprise and delight shoppers.”
Coca-Cola is an Official Sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2015.

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