World Rugby: SVNS Global Press Office
The Brief
Having rebranded its Rugby Sevens format to SVNS, World Rugby asked us to deliver a global press office function to bring to life the festival experience of attending a SVNS tournament event to its global audience. With the aim of being seen as the boutique Glastonbury product of sport in lifestyle and news media, we needed to activate our collective across 5 global markets to drive awareness, create hype and sell tickets.
Campaign Execution
With stops in every corner of the globe, the campaign needed to ensure a consistent brand message, coupled with local market nuances, to identify the new SVNS brand and drive consideration to purchase tickets.
With the tournament boasting a party atmosphere on and off the pitch, our press office revolved around communicating the lifestyle elements of the event from live music acts to roving entertainment, local cuisine offerings and beach club party zones, all alongside world class rugby.
Working with our Collective of local market publicists in markets including South Africa, Australia, USA, Singapore and Spain, we delivered consistent in-market communication to local lifestyle and news media. A combination of features and listings coverage in key local what’s on articles, as well as social media posts and more helping drive ticket sales.
The campaign messaging saw us dial up the lifestyle stories behind the athletes on the pitch, securing profile pieces in the likes of GQ and Men’s Health, while further feature coverage was generated through spokesperson interviews outlining the gender parity in the tournament and the growth of women’s rugby.
Results
Over 140+ pieces of coverage were secured across the 5 key markets, helping generate sell-outs in avid rugby locations Cape Town and in Perth (the first time SVNS had been hosted there), as well as generating a buzz in emerging fanbases such as Los Angeles and Madrid. With well over half of coverage appearing in tier one media, and three quarters including a CTA link to buy tickets, the campaign helped shift the dial, well and truly cementing SVNS as sports biggest party ahead of a big moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics.