Are you ready to tackle the rugby world?

Global fan interest in rugby continues to grow, in part because of the location of European tournaments since 2015, and in part because of its addition to the Olympic sport roster. Now, as the sport approaches back-to-back global tournaments in the United States in 2031 and 2033, our eyes are on the relationship between the U.S. market and rugby, as the sport continues to rise as one of the fastest-growing properties in the world. The question: are brands ready to lean in and join the rising tide?

?A “new” values-based platform for brands.

Since 2015, rugby has been driven institutionally by World Rugby, an international federation and global movement comprised of millions of fans and players. World Rugby’s stated purpose is to make rugby more relevant and accessible, with their vision being one of a global sport played by everyone.

World Rugby’s espoused core values are discipline, respect, integrity, passion, and solidarity. Collectively, those values are incorporated within the World Rugby Playing Charter, a document that aims to ensure that Rugby maintains its unique character both on and off the field of play.

In 2010, World Rugby became a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), and the sport returned to the Olympic Games programme at Rio 2016 with rugby sevens. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the rugby matches will take place at the Stade de France.

Thanks to these values and inclusivity that World Rugby are focusing on, the sport is becoming the perfect platform for resonance of a corporate and purpose culture. Brands like Capgemini, Macron, HSBC, Emirates are already global partners.

An event fit for brand integration.?

The sport’s calendar crescendos every four years at The Rugby World Cup (RWC), which, despite only hosting a single sport, lasts an incredibly long 44 days. For comparison, the 2021 Summer Olympics lasted 17 days and the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup spans 29 days. The differences don’t stop there. Unlike the Olympic & Paralympic Games, hosted in and around a single city, the Rugby World Cup is distinguished by matches in many locales across a country.

Japan’s 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC) was the first to be held on the continent of Asia. The event, held in 12 distinctive cities, achieved a ticket sell-out rate of 99 percent, the highest ever in RWC history. While most tickets were purchased by fans residing in Japan, spurred on by their country’s run to the quarterfinals, 28 percent of tickets were sold to international fans.

RWC 2019 recorded a whopping 1,704,443 stadium spectators, generated a total of ï¿¥38.9 billion (ï¿¡259 million/$271 million) in ticket revenues, and 63,000 hospitality packages purchased. Plus, 242,000 people visited Japan from other countries specifically to watch RWC.

Success for the 2019 event went well beyond ticket sales, setting records in both cumulative TV audience and social media video views. TV broadcasts attracted a total of 857.28 million viewers, a 26 percent increase from RWC 2015. It also produced extraordinarily strong results for digital viewing, including video content and streaming. Videos published on social media during the period were played 2.04 billion times, while 5.81 million Twitter posts included the #RWC2019 hashtag.

Over the last four men’s Rugby World Cups, Google searches for “Rugby World Cup” have spiked during the month the event was held. For brands looking to capitalize on a partnership with the Rugby World Cup, it is best to show up prominently during the actual event, which offers plentiful opportunities to support fans and create memorable brand moments.?

A promising future

More future hosts have already been chosen. Three women’s and two men’s Rugby World Cup locations are confirmed, creating the opportunity for a golden decade in the sport.

• RWC New Zealand 2021: Originally scheduled for 2021, but postponed due to the pandemic, the Women’s Rugby World Cup will take place next month in New Zealand from October 8 through November 12. It promises to be the greatest celebration of women’s rugby the sport has ever witnessed.
• RWC France 2023: The Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place in France from September 8 through 28 October 28 of 2023, expecting record attendance.
• England: Rugby World Cup 2025 (WOMEN’S)
• Australia: Rugby World Cup 2027 (MEN’S) and Rugby World Cup 2029 (WOMEN’S)
• USA: Rugby World Cup 2031 (MEN’S) and Rugby World Cup 2033 (WOMEN’S)

?Are you ready for RWC France 2023?

• France hosted the RWC in 2007 and will host the event again from 8 September to 28 October 2023.
• In 2007, the event hosted 2,263,223 spectators. For 2023, 2.6M tickets have been made available for purchase. Over the last two Rugby World Cups, ticket sell through rates have been 98% and 99%, so it is expected that 2023 will generate record attendance.
• The stage is set for the biggest talents in the men’s game: 9 stadia around France in iconic cities such as Paris, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille. France 2023 Rugby Tour will be highlighted by the presence of Rugby Villages with several sports animations opened to all, in presence of players and ambassadors.
• France is unquestionably the touristic destination in Europe, which offers rich cultural activities and delicious gastronomy, paving the way for very strong fan engagement in market. In past years, the French team has demonstrated a great game with French flair and produced amazing players such as Antoine Dupont (1,74 m, 85 kg) elected Best World Player in 2021 by World Rugby.
• RWC 2023 is the perfect trial run event as France prepares for Paris 2024!

?We are prepared to show our partners that Rugby is not just an afterthought. The sport is at its peak potential to grow. Are you?

Learn more about GMR’s purposeful partnership capabilities at gmrmarketing.com or send me Thomas OUDART or Ludovic POUILLY a message here on LinkedIn.

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