O2’s ‘Red Roses: An England Rugby Dream’ leverages England Rugby partnership around the Women’s Rugby World Cup

Seeking to shine the spotlight on the world’s top ranked women’s international rugby union side England, Rugby Football Association (RFU) primary partner O2 rolled out an integrated, multi-channel campaign titled ‘Red Roses: An England Rugby Dream’ ahead of the 2021 Rugby World Cup. 

Working in harness with creative agency VCCP London and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, the activation set out to educate and inform the English public on just how good their team really is, to rally awareness of and support for England’s women’s rugby team, the Red Roses, who are taking on the world’s leading side – including Australia, Canada, France and hosts New Zealand over the six weeks. 

The social-first campaign sought to educate and inform the English public how good the team really is and to encourage them to set their alarm clocks (as games in New Zealand will start as early as 3am throughout the tournament) and the hero spot shows the hard work and dedication it takes to ‘wear the rose’ with exclusive, never before seen footage.

The activation programme began when the telco commissioned a multi-part documentary titled ‘Wear the Rose: An England Rugby Dream’ which aired on ITV earlier in October and which is available on ITV Hub. The docu-series was also posted across brand and team channels on 29 September and was then followed by additional episodes which rolled out on 4th and 5th October.

The films were created by an embedded camera crew which followed the Red Roses as they prepared for the biggest tournament in rugby. The documentary style films show viewers the hard work and dedication it takes to wear the rose and represent the team at the highest level through exclusive and never before seen footage, viewers will experience the highs and lows of selection and life off the pitch with the world’s number one ranked team. 

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The spots acted as the initial spearhead for a multi-channel activation programme showcasing the team’s more playful side and building support for the side through an extensive range of video and picture-led content – including player profiles, interviews and fun challenges – running across social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. 

It also adds to O2’s umbrella Red Roses activation, earlier this summer O2 used its Priority loyalty and member benefit scheme to organise an open training session at Twickenham Stadium which gave the British public a rare opportunity to watch the Red Roses train and meet the players and pose for selfies. 

This work is further supported through the ongoing, long-running ‘O2 Inside Line’ online content series which will provide fans with exclusive, behind-the-scenes access and all the latest news from inside the team’s camp: including live streams via England Rugby’s social channels to help connect fans with the players even though they are on the other side of the world.

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Plus, part of O2’s activation looks to drive greater attendance at future Red Roses games, including giving its Priority users exclusive discounts on Red Roses tickets for the TikTok 2023 Women’s Six Nations with the team playing France at Twickenham Stadium for the first stand-alone Red Roses fixture.

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“The Red Roses are one of the best performing teams currently in world sport and we want everyone to know about them,” commented Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships at Virgin Media O2 Gareth Griffiths. “Over the next six weeks, O2’s social media platforms will be sharing original and engaging content to highlight these incredible athletes and personalities. We’re calling on the English public to Wear the Rose, get behind the team and show their support to cheer them on to greatness.”

VCCP Creative Directors Ben Hopkins and Morten Legarth added: “It takes a brand like O2, who has been such a steadfast partner of the Red Roses to connect the whole country to these incredible athletes and to help get them the recognition and support they deserve. What we love about this campaign is that we’re able to show how this remarkable team are not just writing history for rugby, they’re building on the unstoppable momentum that is changing the perception of women’s sport all around the world. History is being written. Come on the Red Roses!” 

Jenny Mitton, Director and Women’s Sport Lead M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, also commented: “O2’s commitment to parity spend in 2020 was a ground-breaking move in women’s sport and sent a clear message that the mobile operator was setting out to use its Wear the Rose platform to drive genuine change for the women’s game. Wear the Rose: An England rugby Dream has given the Red Roses mainstream visibility on ITV and throughout the tournament O2 will make this team unmissable when they flood social media with their stories. O2 back this team, and so should you.” 

Comment 

The Red Roses activation is part of O2’s ongoing England Rugby tie-up – which is now in its 28^th year – and which this year saw O2 pledge to equally fund the men’s and women’s national rugby union teams. 

As the year-delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup finally kicked off in October in New Zealand, the Red Roses had already notched up an impressive recent record with 25 consecutive victories – the most of any male or female rugby team in history. 

The squad seeks to continue this success and add to what has already been a hugely successful year for women’s sport in England with The FA’s Lionesses’ UEFA European Championship win in summer 2022.

This case study originally appeared on Activative: which offers clients creative and strategic intelligence to fuel game-changing sports and sponsorship marketing. www.activative.co.uk