Early September saw AIG Life activate its New Zealand Rugby Union primary partnership through the launch of an integrated, digital-first campaign called ‘This Is For Them’
Unveiled on 2 September, the marketing push – which marks AIG’s first UK sponsorship campaign with the New Zealand All Blacks – sets out to celebrate the selflessness of the side and to serve as a reminder that the best things we do in life are the thing we do for others.
The campaign, which was developed in harness with agency Octagon (with media handled by Intermarketing Agency), is spearheaded by a 90-second manifesto film fronted by All Blacks icon Sean Fitzpatrick and features six current players.
Supporting the hero video is a set of five additional 60-second spots, running online, each telling the story of what motivates the All Blacks: Family,
Teammates,
Heroes,
Fans
and for The Game itself.
The campaign also includes a set of social content pieces featuring AIG athlete ambassadors Richie McCaw and Sir Clive Woodward and a suite of digital, print and out of home assets.
AIG Life Marketing Director Sue Helmont explained that AIG’s UK campaign is inspired by the ethos of every All Blacks player.
“The All Blacks live and breathe a philosophy of selflessness and responsibility – their saying is that you must leave the jersey in a better place. This really resonates with AIG Life because the insurance that someone buys from AIG is about leaving a legacy to protect and look after others,” said Helmont.
“Yet the reality is people don’t like to talk about death and the life-altering moments when this insurance is needed. Consumer advertising campaigns for life insurance are rare in the UK as a result. But it’s our families, the people around us and the people we love that motivate us and who we try to do right by. The best things we do in life, we do for others. That’s what we’ve learned from the All Blacks through our sponsorship of New Zealand Rugby and that’s the approach we’ve taken with our campaign.”
“As father, husband, and former All Black, I connected with this campaign on a number of levels,” commented AIG Life ambassador Sean Fitzpatrick.
“It’s an honest and sincere insight into what the All Blacks play for and took me straight back to being in that changing room. Importantly it reminds us all that acting with others in mind is at the heart of living a fulfilling and meaningful life. I’m truly proud to be a part of it.”
Josh Green, Executive Creative Director at Octagon UK, added: “It’s not often a brief comes into an agency and changes the way you think about the world. This one did for almost every single one of us who touched it. We all have a ‘them’ in our lives and this was a brilliant reminder to never take them for granted.”
Comment:
Sports marketers have long debated whether the All blacks are the only true global rugby union brand with genuine cross-border reach and true international engagement and AIG Life’s decision to run an All Blacks activation in the UK – on the territory of rivals England, Wakes, Scotland and Ireland – shows which side of the debate it sits on.
This is AIG’s second local market All Blacks campaign outside New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup and follows in the footsteps of its August Japanese road safety initiative (see case study).
as well as All Blacks sponsor Air New Zealand’s ‘Air All Blacks’ campaign (see case study) and also a New Zealand rugby related blood donation drive called ‘The World’s Biggest Reserve Bench’ (see case study).
Links:
AIG Life
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aig-life-limited/
New Zealand All Blacks
https://www.facebook.com/AllBlacks
https://www.youtube.com/user/nzrugby
Octagon
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