Ogilvy Appointed NZRU Advertising Agency
3 December 2007
Ogilvy Appointed NZRU Advertising Agency
The New Zealand Rugby Union has today announced that it has appointed Ogilvy as its exclusive advertising agency.
The NZRU chose Ogilvy after a four-way pitch for the account.
“The Ogilvy proposition is that of a business partnership between the agency and the NZRU and that is what we were looking for,” said NZRU Commercial Manager Fraser Holland.
“They identified our needs and offered a clear strategic direction for us moving forward. Offering more than traditional advertising, we’re confident their solutions and ideas will assist us in invigorating interest in rugby whilst growing our revenues, which will ultimately benefit the entire game of rugby. ”
Ogilvy Managing Director Greg Partington, who led the pitch, is thrilled with his agency’s appointment and said he looked forward to commencing work on the account immediately.
“We are incredibly proud to have been appointed to work for the NZRU and we look forward to working with them on exciting new interactive and in-ground initiatives aimed at connecting with rugby fans,” said Partington.
“Ogilvy achieved this win for a variety of reasons, but mainly because of our determination to forge a legitimate and successful business partnership with the NZRU.
Partington said Ogilvy looked closely at the business model of the NFL for their strategic direction, but also cited Ogilvy Action, Asia Pacific’s sports promotion arm, as a rich source of insight in this specialised space.
“This is the beauty of being part of such the respected, global communications brand that is Ogilvy,” continued Partington.
“Ogilvy Action meant we could draw on a specialised resource with established international links and powerful kudos in the global sporting business.”
Mr Holland also thanked Saatchi & Saatchi for the work they had done with the NZRU in recent years.
“Saatchi are hugely committed and passionate about rugby in New Zealand. They have helped us immensely in transitioning rugby into the professional era and we look forward to continuing a rugby relationship through their many clients and their new association with the Hurricanes.”
ENDS