Visa in Sponsorship Deal with Planet Rugby
Visa International, the world's leading payment service and global sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2003, has agreed a sponsorship deal with Rivals Digital Media (RDM) and its brand leading rugby site, Planet Rugby (www.planet-rugby.com)
The deal will involve Visa's four Rugby World Cup Ambassadors, John Eales, Francois Pienaar, Zinzan Brooke and Gavin Hastings, and will engage the consumer in a unique and innovative way.
RDM will utilise Skinkers technology to provide virtual desktop icons of Visa's Ambassadors who will provide news, statistics and live scores amongst a whole host of interactive content for rugby fans across the world in the lead up to, and during, the tournament. These will be available to
download from www.planet-rugby.com as well as from a viral campaign closer to the tournament.
Visa will also sponsor Planet Rugby's shop, where users purchasing merchandise on a Visa card will receive a 5% discount on their next purchase, and live chats with Visa's Ambassadors during the tournament are being planned.
Alongside the usual mix of advertising formats across the site including banners, buttons, towers and skyscrapers, the various aspects of Visa's sponsorship will also receive cross promotion across Planet Rugby's homepage, inclusion in set editorial site features and promotion in both Planet Rugby's
daily (Mon - Sat) and weekly newsletters. Various competitions will additionally run across the site throughout the tournament using Visa's access to tickets and the World Cup trophy as prizes.
In a change of tack from the previous 1999 Rugby World Cup, where Planet Rugby combined 14 different sponsors, RDM has decided to work with 5 sponsors for the 2003 tournament. Each sponsor will receive exclusive category sponsorship and an advertising package including a comprehensive mix of
integrated editorial, branding and promotion across the Planet Rugby site to ensure they receive heavyweight branding and impact.
Karen Hughes, senior vice president brand management, Visa EU said: 'The Internet will be a vital information source for rugby fans across the world but especially in the UK given the time differences involved. We wanted to create a communications platform that was both innovative and engaging for
consumers. Our sponsorship of Planet Rugby achieves these aims and empowers those who download our virtual desktop icons to choose what information they will receive and when. We are very excited about its potential.'
Iain Linkleter, commercial director for Rivals Digital Media commented: 'We are delighted to be able to announce Visa as the first of these headline sponsors at this stage in the year, and look forward to bringing several other big names on board over the next couple of months.
'Planet Rugby is widely recognised as the world's largest rugby union website, receiving around 300,000 unique users per month, so it is undoubtedly one of the first resources for anyone looking for rugby coverage online and we're expecting October and November to be massive traffic boosting months
for us.'
For further information please contact:
Stuart Wareman - Total Sponsorship - 020 7803 2306
The deal will involve Visa's four Rugby World Cup Ambassadors, John Eales, Francois Pienaar, Zinzan Brooke and Gavin Hastings, and will engage the consumer in a unique and innovative way.
RDM will utilise Skinkers technology to provide virtual desktop icons of Visa's Ambassadors who will provide news, statistics and live scores amongst a whole host of interactive content for rugby fans across the world in the lead up to, and during, the tournament. These will be available to
download from www.planet-rugby.com as well as from a viral campaign closer to the tournament.
Visa will also sponsor Planet Rugby's shop, where users purchasing merchandise on a Visa card will receive a 5% discount on their next purchase, and live chats with Visa's Ambassadors during the tournament are being planned.
Alongside the usual mix of advertising formats across the site including banners, buttons, towers and skyscrapers, the various aspects of Visa's sponsorship will also receive cross promotion across Planet Rugby's homepage, inclusion in set editorial site features and promotion in both Planet Rugby's
daily (Mon - Sat) and weekly newsletters. Various competitions will additionally run across the site throughout the tournament using Visa's access to tickets and the World Cup trophy as prizes.
In a change of tack from the previous 1999 Rugby World Cup, where Planet Rugby combined 14 different sponsors, RDM has decided to work with 5 sponsors for the 2003 tournament. Each sponsor will receive exclusive category sponsorship and an advertising package including a comprehensive mix of
integrated editorial, branding and promotion across the Planet Rugby site to ensure they receive heavyweight branding and impact.
Karen Hughes, senior vice president brand management, Visa EU said: 'The Internet will be a vital information source for rugby fans across the world but especially in the UK given the time differences involved. We wanted to create a communications platform that was both innovative and engaging for
consumers. Our sponsorship of Planet Rugby achieves these aims and empowers those who download our virtual desktop icons to choose what information they will receive and when. We are very excited about its potential.'
Iain Linkleter, commercial director for Rivals Digital Media commented: 'We are delighted to be able to announce Visa as the first of these headline sponsors at this stage in the year, and look forward to bringing several other big names on board over the next couple of months.
'Planet Rugby is widely recognised as the world's largest rugby union website, receiving around 300,000 unique users per month, so it is undoubtedly one of the first resources for anyone looking for rugby coverage online and we're expecting October and November to be massive traffic boosting months
for us.'
For further information please contact:
Stuart Wareman - Total Sponsorship - 020 7803 2306