The Campaign

Branded content in NZ is still in it’s infancy, while there have been noteworthy pockets of success these seldom extend to the global stage. Brands in the local market are still driven by traditional methods and channels yet the kiwi culture rewards a challenger approach and appreciates a clever twist. Sponsorship as a method of generating branded content remains uninspired and seldom extends beyond naming rights and VIP hosting. Brand activity for entertainment purposes is limited.

Results

Challenge TUI is New Zealand’s favourite beer brand, but not the most consumed. We needed to extend its awareness to a broader consumer group. Cricket is close to the heart of Kiwis and is a summer institution for families and friends, not just ‘hardcore’ cricket fans. Objectives ‘Catch a Million’ was created to provide fans meaningful interaction with both the brand and the game, leverage the value of TUI’s cricket sponsorship, drive brand awareness, and volume consumption. It was to become the most talked about activation of summer, ensure brand exposure, drive mass participation in stadium and entertain cricket fans at home for the entire summer series. The Kiwi bloke’s belief in his own cricket skills manifests itself in banter and analysis of every dropped ball. ‘I could have caught that’ is a common cry. Our strategy was simple, turn passive unengaged fans into active participants. Execution Involvement was easy: Catch a clean one-handed ‘six’ at the cricket while wearing an official TUI orange T-shirt to instantly win $100K. (Total pool $1.2m - one catch per match). Shirts were available instore with product and for purchase at the ground. TUI became the ticket to the biggest game in town. Crowds in the stadiums turned TUI orange as 1 in 4 fans donned T-Shirts. Commentators, even betting agencies, shifted focus from the pitch to what TUI was making happen in the crowd. Media interest grew exponentially after the first catch. We amplified this by facilitating interviews with the lucky catcher, seeding the catch video and photographs. To keep momentum we supplied additional content to media including catch reels, footage of the near misses and tips on best spots to catch. It proved to be a game changer for sports sponsorship, literally changing the way people watched and interacted with the game.

The Kiwi males’ belief in his latent skills meant when TUI chose to leverage it’s cricket sponsorship, offering $100k per catch, spectators wasted no time becoming active participants. The audience was drawn to the activity through a wide array of channels. In addition to broadcast footage, many channels created new content for their own audiences, generating awareness and taking the brand along for the ride. TUI created an opportunity for spectators to participate in live cricket the content generated entertained and engaged a much wider audience and, in turn, drew many more along to become a part of the action.

TUI eclipsed all other sponsors and became NZ cricket’s exemplary promotion model. 1 in 4 adults wore TUI T-shirts at games. Gate numbers up 54% after first catch. Increased consumer engagement with the game, shifting measured cricket fans passion for the game from 15% to 20%, a 3 year high. Drove volume growth from average of +5.1% to +12.2% for Dec/Jan periods - campaign period. Auckland region delivered >30% growth with Auckland City growing +78%. TUI sales and volume share at best level in 2 years as a result of the campaign. 6m+ impressions on TUI Facebook page during campaign. 10.3m media impressions in NZ. 120m globally. Frontpage NZ Herald. Full-page feature on best places to catch. National primetime current affairs show “Campbell Live” catching segment. National breakfast programme interviewed winners. Sports show “Crowd Goes Wild” interviewed players for catching tips. Global coverage - Sky Sports Australia, FOX News, The Daily Mail, ESPN feature “Plays of the Week” (2nd time NZ sport featured). Hamilton (city where catches taken) renamed “catch capital” of NZ.