Heineken extends sponsorship of Rugby World Cup

Heineken has extended its sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup to 2015, which will see the beer brand continue to ramp up its online marketing around the tournament.

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The beer brand, which will continue to be the game’s official beer supplier and worldwide partner, first sponsored the tournament in 1995.

Through the extended partnership Heineken will continue to have access to a package of worldwide rights, including using Rugby World Cup 2015 event marks and designations in promotional tie-ins and digital content rights across social media platforms.

Heineken said it would bring “further exciting and innovative opportunities” for the 2015 tournament, which will be held in England, particularly across online.

Alexis Nasard, chief commercial officer at Heineken, said the relationship continues to be a “perfect match” for the brand.

Nasard said the move “allows us to be a genuine part of our consumers’ conversation in a consistent but surprising way. It also gives us the continued opportunity to extend our messaging and execution around “Enjoy Heineken Responsibly”, the brand’s global responsible drinking programme.”

This year’s Heineken sponsorship activity included a campaign, called This Is The Game, which featured former rugby player Will Carling, Stephen Fry and Rio Ferdinand. Fans were able to engage with the brand across sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

The 2011 edition saw Heineken double its followers on Twitter and pass one million views on YouTube by the end of the tournament.

Heineken also sponsors UEFA Champions League and earlier this year launched Star Player, its interactive mobile app.

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