Media: Strategy Analysis - Pushing Adidas' rugby credentials.

 
Brand: Adidas Rugby 
Client: Adidas 
Brief: Promote Adidas' involvement as the kit supplier and sponsor to 
both the British & Irish Lions and All Blacks rugby teams this summer in 
an impactful way 
Target audience: Young sports fans and all rugby fans 
Budget: pounds 1 million 
 
AGENCIES 
Media planning: Howard Nead and Jennifer Harden at PHD 
Media buying: PHD 
Creative: 180 Amsterdam 
PR: Hill & Knowlton 
Interactive TV: Weapon 7 

Due to budgetary constraints, this type of ad campaign has traditionally been delivered in print format. However, the success of the 'Jonny and Becks' TV commercial from two years previously had shown that rugby promotion can translate well to television.

Alongside the creative agency, 180 Amsterdam, PHD set about persuading Adidas that, even on a limited budget, it could produce an impactful campaign based on just the rugby players themselves.

180 Amsterdam's concept of 'last man standing', involving both the British & Irish Lions and All Blacks squads in a full-on contest set in a park, delivered this perfectly.

The execution seemed to work best in its longest format, so the challenge was to create a long-form television ad within that limited budget.

PHD's task was therefore to ensure that the target audience received as much exposure to the commercial and film as possible - and to achieve this it needed help.

The agency put together a shortlist of potential media partners and quickly found a willing ally in Sky, which was intending to use its exclusive coverage of the Lions tour to promote its sports channels. PHD set about devising ways of working together under the umbrella strategy: to ensure that the ad could be seen on as many screens as possible.