Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

With the Alt Blacks, Steinlager took its first-ever step into the gaming world. A world where we could turn fans of all shapes, sizes, genders, and skill levels into the rugby heroes of their dreams, give them the chance to play in a live eSports test match against world champions, South Africa, and live the dream of every Kiwi – pulling on the black jersey. We turned the fans into the heroes, and got Steinlager in front of a whole new generation of fans.

Background

Steinlager has always appealed to an older, mostly male audience of loyalists, but has never really broken through to an audience beyond that, in particular the 18–34-year-old audience, and female audiences. Steinlager also sponsors the world-famous All Blacks – a team that Kiwis of all ages, genders, and backgrounds dream of playing for. So, we created the Alt Blacks: a new team that gave regular Kiwis the chance to play a test match in a black jersey for the first time ever, regardless of age, gender, or complete lack of sporting ability. This was the moment every Kiwi has dreamed of.

Describe the creative idea

The black jersey. It’s every Kiwi’s dream. A dream that most of us will never live. So, we gave regular Kiwis the chance to play in a black jersey for the first time ever by creating a new team: the Alt Blacks. With the developers of the popular video game, Rugby Challenge, Steinlager went into the gaming world. In this world, we could turn anyone into the rugby hero of their dreams, so they could play in a test match versus world champions, South Africa, in front of millions of fans – something that could never happen in the real world.

Describe the strategy

The dream of playing for the All Blacks and pulling on the famous black jersey is a dream that every Kiwi grows up with. A dream that no one could pass up if given the chance. This was the perfect opportunity to use Steinlager’s sponsorship of the All Blacks to appeal to every New Zealander – regardless of age, gender, or complete lack of sporting ability. A new audience far greater than Steinlager’s typical audience. We used a familiar face to Kiwis, All Blacks coaching legend, Sir Graham Henry, to put out a call from entries and select a squad of 23 regular Kiwis to play for the Alt Blacks. A call that thousands of Kiwis answered, and millions tuned in to watch around the world.

Describe the execution

We used social media to invite Kiwis to put their hands up for selection in the Alt Blacks. Thousands jumped at the opportunity, sharing videos of the unique skills they could bring to our black jersey, providing us with amazing user-generated content. Then we got All Blacks coaching legend, Sir Graham Henry, to select a squad of 23. Each player was recreated as a full-detail, virtual rugby hero for the video game, Rugby Challenge, along with our very own Alt Blacks jersey. Our team quickly became heroes around the country, appearing on billboards, social media, and in the media – our very own team of influencers. Then, in the ultimate test of our team’s stardom, we played our own game on the same day as the All Blacks game versus South Africa. Our game streamed to an audience of over 4 million fans – more than the All Blacks game.

Describe the outcome

Our live eSports match went head-to-head with the All Blacks game – the ultimate test of our team's newfound stardom. The All Blacks are famously hard to beat, but our game streamed to an audience of over 4 million fans – more than the All Blacks game. As a whole, our campaign reached 3x the population of New Zealand and achieved our ultimate goal of bringing Steinlager to a new audience, as we achieved our highest awareness with people aged 18-34 in the past decade. In the end, we didn’t just make a team that lived the dream. We made a team that beat the All Blacks.