All Eyes on New Zealand 
With the 2011 Rugby World Cup just over a month away, the marketing machine that surrounds such an event has sprung into life. Most notably is the release of the new official team merchandise that will be worn by each team during the competition. Ireland donned their new kit against Scotland this weekend. Puma have put a huge amount of research into the new products and have claimed that the new Irish jersey is the most technologically advanced jersey that has ever been worn by the team. This may be true, but it it is a statement that is being echoed by many other brands that will be represented at this years World Cup.
As much as the pitch is a showcase for high quality rugby, it is also the prime opportunity for the elite brands of World Rugby to battle and see who has made the most innovative and advanced product. Adidas have supplied the All Blacks with their gear for a number of years, and are still waiting for the ultimate pay off they have been expecting since the Adidas logo graced the left breast of some of the worlds most naturally gifted rugby players the game has ever seen. Richie Mc Caw is the odds on favorite captain to lift the
World Cup, but history has shown us that New Zealand's track record is something the proud nation is quick to forget.
For Adidas to still go on such tag lines as "I believe in a black jersey" the All Blacks simply must succeed this year. As fantastic a team as New Zealand are, it will be very hard for their current sponsors to stand by them if they are not successful.
A nations hopes rest on the shoulders of the team, and no one will buy a piece of Adidas clothing that has the silver fern embroidered on it if they lose, as they will want to distance themselves from the pain that losing a World Cup at home will create.
The Irish jersey is promoted as a high performance jersey. I believe this feeds off the Irish feeling of "what if". We all know that we have a very special group of players, but even so we know it will take something remarkable. This jersey lives up to this feeling and is marketed as giving the players something extra on the pitch, a sixteenth man so to speak. This seems to be working well because sales of the new jersey are quite high and people are buying into the ethos that surrounds it.
The All Black on the other hand is plain and simple, and represents something more than performance on the pitch, it represents a nations pride. Unlike most teams kit,it never changes. And this is how it is marketed, a simple yet incredible identity that rugby fans and players around the world have come to love and fear.
Winning the World Cup will justify this form or marketing, a loss however will destroy it, and maybe people will start wondering if maybe space age materials are more important on the pitch than national pride. All that is certain is on the pitch it is as much Puma versus Kooga as it is Ireland versus Australia, and brand executives around the world are hoping that their teams are celebrating tries, and not huddled under their posts.
It is an interesting fact to consider that no matter how much work a brand puts into their team ,months and even years of hard work can be destroyed in only 80 minutes, but that is the nature of sport.
The above video is a fine example of getting it very very wrong!
Posted by Paul Maher
As much as the pitch is a showcase for high quality rugby, it is also the prime opportunity for the elite brands of World Rugby to battle and see who has made the most innovative and advanced product. Adidas have supplied the All Blacks with their gear for a number of years, and are still waiting for the ultimate pay off they have been expecting since the Adidas logo graced the left breast of some of the worlds most naturally gifted rugby players the game has ever seen. Richie Mc Caw is the odds on favorite captain to lift the
World Cup, but history has shown us that New Zealand's track record is something the proud nation is quick to forget.
For Adidas to still go on such tag lines as "I believe in a black jersey" the All Blacks simply must succeed this year. As fantastic a team as New Zealand are, it will be very hard for their current sponsors to stand by them if they are not successful.
A nations hopes rest on the shoulders of the team, and no one will buy a piece of Adidas clothing that has the silver fern embroidered on it if they lose, as they will want to distance themselves from the pain that losing a World Cup at home will create.
The Irish jersey is promoted as a high performance jersey. I believe this feeds off the Irish feeling of "what if". We all know that we have a very special group of players, but even so we know it will take something remarkable. This jersey lives up to this feeling and is marketed as giving the players something extra on the pitch, a sixteenth man so to speak. This seems to be working well because sales of the new jersey are quite high and people are buying into the ethos that surrounds it.
The All Black on the other hand is plain and simple, and represents something more than performance on the pitch, it represents a nations pride. Unlike most teams kit,it never changes. And this is how it is marketed, a simple yet incredible identity that rugby fans and players around the world have come to love and fear.
Winning the World Cup will justify this form or marketing, a loss however will destroy it, and maybe people will start wondering if maybe space age materials are more important on the pitch than national pride. All that is certain is on the pitch it is as much Puma versus Kooga as it is Ireland versus Australia, and brand executives around the world are hoping that their teams are celebrating tries, and not huddled under their posts.
It is an interesting fact to consider that no matter how much work a brand puts into their team ,months and even years of hard work can be destroyed in only 80 minutes, but that is the nature of sport.
The above video is a fine example of getting it very very wrong!
Posted by Paul Maher
In my opinion Adidas are showing little belief in the Black Jersey by charging an outrageous fee of $220 for the jersey in New Zealand when it is available at a fraction of the cost both in other markets and online. They have faced much criticism over the past week but have yet to comment. You mention that Adidas will find it difficult to stand by the All Blacks should they suffer a loss, but are the All Blacks not finding it difficult to stand by Adidas and their unrealistic costs?
ReplyDelete