THE ALT BLACKS

Grand Prix

Case Film

Presentation Image

TitleTHE ALT BLACKS
BrandSTEINLAGER - LION
Product / ServiceSTEINLAGER
CategoryB02. Brand Integration for Games
EntrantDDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Idea Creation DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Placement MEDIACOM NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
PR MANGO COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Production 2 FLYING FISH Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Post Production DDB NEW ZEALAND Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Josep Jover DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa Art Director
Jacob Newton DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa Copywriter
Gary Steele DDB New Zealand/Aotearoa CCO
Sean Brown Mango Communications Aotearoa NZ  General Manager
Melissa Ching DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Agency Integrated Producer
James Conner DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand Creative Director
Christie Cooper DDB Aotearoa/New Zealand Creative Director
Johannes Gertz DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Digital Delivery
Trent Hall DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Content Creator
Kathryn Hollis DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Mac Designer
Musonda Katongo DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Senior Designer
Kristina Lindsay DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Account Director
Gordon Moir DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Retoucher
Emmanuel Odorisio DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Senior Full Stack Developer
Dean Pomfrett DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Digital Design
Lucinda Sherborne DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Planning Director
Jenny Travers DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Group Account Director
Mark Tretheway DDB Group Aotearoa New Zealand Head of Motion Design
Milon Williams DOP & Editor Audio Engineer
Margot Rudolphe DDB Group New Zealand Account Manager
Natassja Cox DDB Group New Zealand Planner
Julz Lane DDB Group New Zealand Print Producer
Kelsey Watson DDB Group New Zealand Digital Designer
Marcin Sulewski DDB Group New Zealand Motion Designer & Art Director
Ethan Wilson DDB Group New Zealand Motion Designer
Mike Hammond DDB Group New Zealand Senior Editor
James Moore Flying Fish Executive Producer
James Solomon Flying Fish Director
Drew McGeorge Flying Fish DOP
Malcolm Campbell Flying Fish Stills Photography
. . Wicked Witch Game Developers
Kat Day Mango Communications Aotearoa NZ  Group Business Director
Max Burt Mango Communications Aotearoa NZ  Senior Account Director
Jessica Morris Mango Communications Aotearoa NZ  Account Manager
Jade Kaukau Mango Communications Aotearoa NZ  Digital Director
Stephen Larsen MediaCom Business Director
Alice Franklin MediaCom Group Account Director
Amy McKinnon MediaCom Senior Account Manager
George Coslett MediaCom Senior Digital Account Manager
Jeremy Meech Steinlager Brand Director – Beer
Jeremy Meech Steinlager Brand Director – Beer
Kerry McKenzie Steinlager Senior Brand Manager
Kate Butler Steinlager Digital Brand Manager
Matt Monk Steinlager Digital Marketing Manager

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.

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