Canterbury Rugby Roadshow Completes Journey Across Britain

The Canterbury brand roadshow has completed its three month journey across the British Isles, engaging over 20,000 fans in rugby experiences during the build-up to and throughout Rugby World Cup 2015.

Starting in Exeter on August 6th and finishing at the Rugby World Cup 2015 Official Fanzone in Trafalgar Square for the closing stages of the tournament, the roadshow made a total of 14 stops across England, Wales and Ireland, over 12 weeks and 25 dates.

Over 7,000 fans took part in the Canterbury Speed Test, which tested their acceleration against the time set by Canterbury ambassador Sam Burgess while 6,000 took part in the Diving Try Experience, which allowed fans to celebrate their own Rugby World Cup 2015 try. A select number of fans were also given the chance to star in a bespoke ‘Diving Try Ad’ created using Vine, with the films amassing a total of 62,000 loops through Twitter, turning supporters into celebrities overnight.

Two different changing room areas made up the central structure of the roadshow which took fans on a journey from the grassroots level of the sport through to the experiences of the professional player. Inside, a special Canterbury Commitment Wall gave passionate rugby fans the chance to express what the game meant to them, with over 8,000 messages left during the tournament.

In total, the roadshow was exposed to over one million people in key locations across the tournament, including official Rugby World Cup 2015 Fan Zones in Twickenham, Cardiff, Newham, and Trafalgar Square. In addition to this, a specially designed ‘Motion Map’ that documented each stop on the roadshow’s tour reached over 730,000 people via Twitter, providing a snapshot of each location’s activity for fans to check out online.

The experiential activity brought to life the dedication of fans and players from the grassroots to the professional level, cementing the brand’s commitment to the game of rugby over the past 111 years.

Describing the Canterbury roadshow, Canterbury CEO, Chris Stephenson, said, “We wanted to create a rugby experience that would completely immerse fans in the sport while bringing to life Canterbury’s brand values of commitment across all levels of the game. From the ‘Speed Test’ to the specially designed changing rooms, visitors were able to take part in and contribute to the sport they love in a truly interactive way.”

Andy Long, CEO of Pentland, added “The Canterbury roadshow gave us an opportunity to connect with the rugby consumer during the sport’s greatest competition and I was delighted to see fan’s enjoying an experience that was truly interactive. After spending many years playing the game, I was lucky enough to take part in the Diving Try Experience myself and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to literally play my own part in the tournament.”

Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, England Rugby said “The Rugby World Cup presented a unique opportunity for brands to engage with rugby audiences across the British Isles in new and innovative ways. Canterbury has successfully celebrated and placed fans at the heart of their campaign, with the results of the roadshow proof that through unique fan led activation, brands can connect with audiences in a meaningful way and share their passion in celebrating rugby.”

After kicking off in Exeter, the Canterbury brand roadshow visited Bath, Leicester, Belfast, Galway, Cork, Dublin, Twickenham, Cardiff, Newham and Manchester before visiting Trafalgar Square in London for the Rugby World Cup 2015 semi-finals and Final.