To leverage spiking interest in the sport around the 2019 Rugby World Cup, bookie TAB launched a campaign called ‘Try Time’ which sought to change betting behaviour: a promotion which gave punters permission to back every team and not just their beloved All Blacks.
The Totalisator Agency Board (TAB), which was established back in 1951, is now operated by the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) which is the organisation responsible for all racing and sports wagering in New Zealand.
The integrated campaign, created by agency Hello, set out to build a persuasive generational bonding story around a Kiwi father and son who realise they could back every team in every game through the tournament because ‘No matter who scores, you score with TAB Try Time.’
The campaign, which debuted on 18 September ahead of the opening games of The Rugby World Cup, followed a father and son’s journey across all eight weeks of the Japan 2019.
The campaign rolls-out across TV, large format digital out-of-home, digital and social media with the addition of real-time Facebook Messenger banter between the father and son.
It started with a look back to the inaugural World Cup in 1987 and then followed the pair’s betting experience right through the tournament.
The final spot featuring an All Black legend.
The campaign and promotion was created for a TAB team which included Head of Content & Promotions Nick Tedeschi, Brand & Campaign Manager Jane Lawrence, Production & Design Manager Rhyce Barker, Digital Marketing Specialist Brandon Palmer, Head of CRM Luke Butterfield and Retail Campaign Manager Samantha Brown.
It was conceived and developed by agency Hello: The Conversation Company where the team included Managing Director James Polhill, Creative Directors Gilda Kirkpatrick and Damon O’Leary and Design Director Nick Smith.
Others working on the initiative included Clockwork Films Director Alex Feggans, Executive Producer Vicky Ryan, Producer Peter Mayo, DOP Alex Dufficy, Editor Tim Mauger, Editor Nathan Pickles, Production Designer Joseph Leary, Grade/Online Toybox, with sound by Factory Studios and MBM General Manager Annabelle Wilkinson, Group Business Director Edd Lucas and Business Manager Roxanne Merritt.
Hello Managing Director James Polhill explained that the “ambition was to create a strong campaign with the offer at heart from the outset of the pitch” and the agency and client hoped the country would connect with the two lead characters.
“The campaign didn’t shy away from putting the offer front and central. We wrapped it up in an entertaining vehicle and proved once again that humour mixed with emotion, delivers strong business results. We’ve had a strong year with our clients and this latest result is a fantastic way to end the year.”
Alex Feggans, director at Clockwork Films added: “I love the characters and the interplay between them, so having the opportunity to bring them to life with the agency was a lot of fun. I think people will relate to the dynamics of the their relationship and enjoy watching their journey.”
Comment:
According to the agency and the brand, this was the most effective campaign in TAB’s history – generating a record $32.9m of business through the tournament.
They claim that it attracted more active customers – new and current – betting more often and on more games than in any other previous sporting event, becoming their most successful sporting event of all time at
The promotion resulted in total turnover increasing 66% more than the 2015 Rugby World Cup and it also surpassed the company’s previous record sporting event (the 2014 FIFA World Cup).
More than 1,000,000 bets were placed by 50% more customers than the 2015 Rugby World Cup: despite the All Blacks being knocked out earlier than expected (in the semi-finals) fans/punters remained engaged and active right through to the end of the tournament – setting new turnover records and exceeding all engagement expectations.
“We’re proud of the work and the campaign has really hit the mark,” claimed TAB head Of Content And Promotions Nick Tedeschi.
“Following the commercial success of the [previous] Super Sixes campaign, the promotion was designed to drive betting activity across the eight weeks of the competition, and test a few loyalties along the way as punters hunt the biggest try tallies.”
Tedeschi added that TAB knew the offer was strong and so set ambitious numbers in terms of KPIs for the campaign.
TAB CEO John Allen said: “TAB Try Time was an interesting concept for punters and ultimately proved to be a hugely popular promotion exceeding all our expectations. I’m thrilled to announce it’s officially our most successful sporting event of all time.”
Whether it is truly a surprise that a rugby tournament beat a football tournament in a nation as rugby mad as New Zealand is open to debate.
Another debate might be whether the campaign might have had even better results if the creative had been more original and authentic.
After all, there are plenty of creative similarities here between this promotional campaign and the famous 2011 Steinlager ‘White Can’ campaign.
Its been a busy creative and marketing month for TAB as November also saw the company launch a memorable ‘Long May We Play’ campaign in Australia celebrating iconic Australian sporting moments and timed to leverage interest around the Melbourne Cup (see case study).
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/user/tabnzealand
https://www.facebook.com/TheRacesNZ/
https://www.instagram.com/tab.nz/
Hello: The Conversation Company
https://www.hellolimited.co.nz/
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