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British & Irish Lions Marketing

Doom Bar celebrates British and Irish Lions fixture against the All Blacks by recreating historic 1924 fixture

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By Tony Connelly | Sports Marketing Reporter

June 23, 2017 | 4 min read

As the British and Irish Lions prepare for their biggest test yet against the All Blacks, their official beer partner Doom Bar is showing its natural affinity with sport by creating unique rugby experiences for fans who couldn't travel to New Zealand for the Tour.

Doom Bar

Doom Bar has created a special event to celebrate the Lions fixture with the All Blacks tomorrow

The British & Irish Lions Tour is a unique moment in the global sporting calendar and tomorrow morning- UK time- marks the Lions’ most anticipated fixture on their journey when they take on the All Blacks in Auckland.

With the games on the tour taking place early UK time, Doom Bar has had a challenge on its hands in activating the partnerships. In an attempt to get round this the brand created a ‘pub finder’ function on its site which allows fans to insert their postcode to see which Doom Bar pubs are opening their doors early to show the fixture.

To this end Doom Bar is hosting a free Lions inspired rugby event at the home of Cornish rugby, the Camborne Rugby Club, following the fixture. A Doom Bar select team led by former England captain and Lions player, Phil Vickery, will take on a Kiwi team representing the All Blacks.

Fans can come along to watch the free fixture at 12:30pm and will receive a complimentary pint upon arrival when they register on eventbrite.

Nicholls says the idea for the match was inspired by a historic game that took place at Camborne Rugby Club 1924 when the All Blacks took on Cornwall.

The match will be accompanied by a four-part content series chronicling the origins and history of Cornish rugby, the story of bringing the team together and then the match itself.

Rugby has deep roots in Cornwall’s history and Doom Bar has embraced this affiliation from its inception through to today where it is one of the biggest beer brands in the UK.

“Back in 1994 it was six of us with a couple of transit fans and 100 outlets in Cornwall,” says James Nicholls, senior brand manager at Doom Bar. “From those very early days we started to sponsor local rugby clubs and we’ve built on that as we’ve grown.”

With its sponsorship of the Lions, the brand is looking to tell the story of this journey to consumers and show them that the brand is a fan as well as a commercial partner. In doing this the brand is attempting to ensure its partnership offers rugby fans the chance to feel part of the tour, despite being over 11,000 miles away.

“The intent behind this is to drive the message of the pride of the association with the Lions and then hopefully increase footfall to our pubs with the pint finder.”

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