A Ball for the Planet
Brief
The rugby ball market is around 11 million balls per year, and is dominated by one brand, which has every major sponsorship contract in World Rugby – the top 20 rugby-playing nations. Our client, Rhino, has a global reputation in rugby, but only in contact equipment, so our job was to find them brand cut-through in the rugby ball sector, positioning them as a global player, with a truly global stance.
Solution
While the rival brand focus heavily on smart tech with a chip in the ball – something only available to the very highest end, and of no obvious benefit to the everyday player – we decided to focus on one element of the Rhino offering that is unique to them: balls made from recycled rubber.
The fact is the rugby ball market might be huge, but nearly all of them end in landfill, so a ball made from recycled rubber (80%) is genuinely the only ball that makes the difference. This is truly ’a ball for the planet’. Brands typically focus on elite-end ball (costing £100), but we chose one ball that would be sold for under £10 – we even got Rhino to sell them individually rather than in bundles (of 20), so it could be accessible to individuals as well as clubs.
There were five key elements to the ’A Ball for the Planet’ campaign:
Attention-grabbing hero content
Our hero video was shot in India, this was unique in the ball market where people like to pretend a ball is hand-stitched by an English cobbler, whereas in fact almost every rugby ball is made in the same part of India. This meant Rhino not only came across as honest and authentic, but made the video feel truly global, going against the grain of traditional rugby videos set in traditional rugby countries.
The ’behind the scenes’ back story
We went into fine detail about the process, which also highlighted Rhino as trying to also make a difference in India – which has huge environmental challenges – by recycling rubber.
Authentic storytellers with their own tales to tell
Adding depth to the narrative, we worked with the Kolkata-based Jungle Crows, who starred in the video, a rugby team formed of Indian street children that Rhino has supported for a decade.
UGC ’proof of quality’ content
Supporting the hero content, we used Rhino partners to launch ’A Ball for the Planet’ skills competiton, with 100s of balls being given away in exchange for players of all levels and ages, showing their skills online.
A multi-point push for change
Sporting Eric went out to organisatons, governing bodies, and clubs (and even Rhino’s global offices), using the content to inform, and encouraging them to switch from standard balls to recycled balls. While the entry-level ball was used in the campaign, an entire range of recycled balls was behind it, laddering up to an elite-level ball.
Results
First, the money...
Global sales of recycled balls grew by 17%
And the coverage...
A Ball for the Planet gained coverage in national titles and also the video shown repeatedly on Rugby Pass, the world’s biggest rugby media platform - it was shown at half-time during every game of the Asia Rugby Championship, accounting for millions of unique views.
Then, future sales...
– Asia Rugby, the governing body for 36 rugby-playing nations in Asia, committed to going green and using recycled balls for all competitions.
– Germany and Netherlands were among the tier 2 nations that also committeed to going green.
– A recycled Rhino ball was used for one of the most historic fixtures in rugby, the annual Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge universities.
A burgeoning reputation
Being seen as responsible brand, but also one that produces world-class rugby balls, played a role in Rhino securing the ball contract for the top ten rugby-playing universities in England and Wales, and an ever-growing list of historic clubs sides turning to Rhino. In addition, such has Rhino’s reputation in balls grown, they have just secured the contract for supplying the world’s top side, the Springboks. The rival now only has 19 of the top 20 sides, Rhino has No.1.
Future legacy
As part of our campaign, Rhino as a brand committed to going fully green by 2030 in terms of selling only recycled balls, we’ve also helped develop a network of recycling centres which will create a full 360 recycling process, and the success of recycled balls has led to a new wave of recycled products including kicking tees, water bottles and bags.
And, a happy client...
““A Ball for the Planet was game-changing for the Rhino brand, it truly changed the way people thought about us within the rugby ball market, confirming us as a major player.”