The Rugby World Cup (RWC) kicked off in Japan earlier today with the host nation playing – and beating – Russia in an entertaining opener.
To celebrate the start of the competition, Publicis Italy has launched its first global ad to promote the event for sponsor Heineken.
The premise of the spot sees a fan cheering out of time from the rest of his fellow supporters and promotes the message that you can still enjoy the event even if you don’t know the rules.
The work was created from the insight that non-fans are often turned off by rugby as it looks too complicated to be enjoyed. But Heineken’s fresh perspective is that fans of the sport are so inclusive, everyone can have fun watching together – whether you’re a hardcore or a newbie.
“We wanted to tap into a fanship moment and make it bigger.”
“We wanted to tap into a fanship moment and make it bigger,” said Bruno Bertelli, global CCO of Publicis Worldwide. “Invite everyone to watch the Cup not just the fans because we know during RWC the enjoyment comes from sharing a game and beer as much as from what happens on the field. For us it was important to make RWC accessible to a wider audience with our first Heineken global rugby sponsorship TVC.”
For the first time in Rugby World Cup history, the tournament is taking place in Japan, which will host more than 500,000 visitors from across the globe. The tournament will prove that rugby crosses all divides and has the potential to bring people together – no matter where you come from or how much you know about the game.
