“This is new rugby.” In its latest advertising spot, unveiled on the occasion of the World Cup, Adidas strives to dust off a bicentennial sport… in one minute flat. Electro soundtrack. Jerky sequence of chisteras and overflowing frames in the street, on the beach or the roof of public housing bars. Happy mix of brand ambassadors – Antoine Dupont, Cameron Woki, Damian Penaud… -, amateur players and young extras, duly styled, bob, parka and tracksuit flocked with the three stripes.
The equipment manufacturer of the All Blacks, and of the XV of France next year in place of Coq sportif, is playing the generational card to the fullest. Exit rugby of the bell towers, which smells of the South-West and the third halves watered with gaillac. Place that of the cities, of the suburbs, where we juggle with an oval ball as with a round ball. The codes of football, Adidas’ preferred terrain, shine through in each image of the clip. Does this mimicry herald a revolution in the way rugby is sold? Lionel Maltese and Jean-Philippe Danglade, professors at Kedge Business School, dissect the new marketing methods around this sport, which seeks to open up to a new audience.
“Rugby and football, same marketing battle?”
For Lionel Maltese, comparison is not right: “The rugby brand, its audience, the way of consuming this sport are different from football. The notion of authenticity is much stronger. Look at the history of anthems: we have wanted to touch it, by introducing a little novelty with these cannon chants, and it didn’t please. The values of rugby – combativeness, team spirit, respect for the opponent, solidarity… – are also unique, and that is why they are of great interest to the business world. We will never see in football a guard of honor from the rival team at the end of a match.”
However, he points out, rugby’s sphere of economic influence is less: “Without Germany, China or the United States, the market is much smaller in the eyes of Nike, Adidas and others. D “as much as most clubs, in rugby nations, remain in a commercial logic very focused on the region.” Even the territory, as in Ireland, where certain teams bear the name of their province: Munster, Ulster… As for the profile of the fans, it is also the antipodes: “Rugby fans are often considered to be very good connoisseurs , ‘geeks’ in short. In marketing jargon, we call them ‘alphas’. There are some sports, such as rugby, baseball or hockey, which require an in-depth understanding of refereeing, technique, offensive or defensive phases. Football, from this point of view, is easier to understand.”
The current challenge for rugby therefore consists of attracting “bees”, says Lionel Maltese, these millions of consumers who are not aware of all the subtleties of the game but who can be seduced by the charisma or individual story of rugby. so-and-so. The emergence of new athlete brands, associated with the personality of a player – Antoine Dupont, Fabien Penaud, Romain Ntamack or Grégory Alldritt – is thus inspired by advertising strategies proven for a long time in football. “We have had a dip in recent years in French rugby, notes Lionel Maltese. Thierry Dusautoir or Imanol Harinordoquy were exceptional players, but without any real impact off the field. There, a new generation is emerging and taking the spotlight, on background of plural media coverage enabled by social networks. At a time when French football is becoming less exciting – we only talk about the transfer window, business or money – rugby has a card to play.” Even if the counter-example of handball, in which France has excelled, with one of the biggest stars of French team sport, Nikola Karabatic, calls for caution. “The image of a ‘gym sport’ has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the major equipment manufacturers, who have not rushed to promote it. There is no one ‘handball’ style of clothing, unlike basketball, rugby or golf”, estimate the two teachers at Kedge.
“Antoine Dupont, the antistar”
All it took was a missed tackle from the Namibia captain for the whole of France to hold their breath. Before uttering a – small – “phew!” of relief. Operated on for a maxillo-zygomatic fracture, Antoine Dupont said he was “touched but not sunk” and impatient to reunite with his teammates, even if the date of his return to competition remains unknown. Essential to the animation of the French XV, is the 26-year-old scrum half the new Zinédine Zidane? By making him replay, in his last spot, the famous locker room ritual (“left leg, sock, shoe”…), Volvic does not hesitate to make the comparison between the two men. But beware of a hasty conclusion, warns Jean-Philippe Danglade. “Let’s wait for the final. The Zidane effect has also been measured by the number of goals scored in the World Cup,” insists the expert, for whom the Dupont phenomenon nevertheless remains unprecedented. “He stands out for his anti-star positioning, while he was voted best player in the world in 2021 and best player of the Six Nations tournament this year. His communication is a skillful storytelling centered on his strong ties with his brother, his family “It’s different from the stories that have been told around other players, whose stature, moreover, did not always reflect the real role in the national team.”
His colleague agrees: “Sébastien Chabal was a UFO, he was not a very great player, but he knew how to manage his image and his extra-sporting marketing well. Philippe Sella or Serge Blanco, they left their mark on rugby French, by changing the way of playing. Antoine Dupont is also a ‘game changer’, like Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson or Dan Carter were. But in addition to being spectacular, in defense as in attack, he arrives with a story, that of a young man, who successfully returned from an injury, and who is not afraid to go to coal, while remaining himself. This story, finally, benefits from a setting scene that we knew more in football or formula 1 until now, and not in rugby: the documentary, Canal + style.” Dupont is not the only one to see his “brand” so skillfully worked: that of the coach of the XV of France, Fabien Galthié, does not go unnoticed: “He knows how to capture attention with his look, his glasses, his way of speaking, between anecdotes and more serious remarks, he was a consultant in the media let’s not forget, everything being legitimate because of his past as a player and captain. Few teams in team sports have such personalities. He stands out from the crowd, a bit like the coach of OM, European champions in 1993, Raymond Goethals.” Minus the cigarette in your mouth.
“The All Blacks remain one of the most attractive brands”
By overcultivating their brand image and responding to the wishes of their sponsors, are players and rugby clubs taking the risk of losing their soul? This is the theory defended by Mourad Boudjellal. At the beginning of September, the former president of the Toulon Racing club harshly judged the New Zealand All Blacks team at the opening of the World Cup, beaten by France 27 to 13. “We sold the All Blacks brand. […] This logo has become diluted. At the time, it was rare to see the All Blacks play. It was rare, and it won. Today, it’s less rare to see them play and often, they lose,” tackled the businessman at the RMC microphone.
An analysis that leaves the two Kedge Business School professors skeptical. “Every national team experiences up and down cycles, like Brazil in football or the United States in basketball. The performances of the All Blacks are more due to this phenomenon and a generational trough, than to a question of marketing. felt coming in the run-up to this World Cup. However, the New Zealand XV remains one of the most attractive brands in world sport, it’s a myth. Sponsors will always be interested in it.” , insist Lionel Maltese and Jean-Philippe Danglade, without denying the sometimes deleterious influence of equipment manufacturers on the results of athletes, especially in individual sports. “Marketing can have harmful effects, like forcing a tennis player to tour outside of the calendar,” agrees the second. Faults from which rugby still seems immune.
“After France 1998, France 2023?”
Can there be a “XV de France” brand, which would be exported all over the world, like there is an “All Blacks” brand? “If we win this World Cup, at home, for the first time in history, what’s more in very beautiful stadiums renovated since Euro 2016 football, yes, it has this potential, affirm the two specialists in economics of sport. France 1998, in football, has become a brand, despite a horrible mascot and the ambient skepticism at the time. With many injured, moreover, a bit like today in the XV tricolor . In the event of victory, France 2023 will achieve the same status.”
No question, however, of selling the skin of the bear… “Rugby, like American football, is one of the most interesting shows in terms of competitive interest. There may be dominant nations, the result always remains open”, concludes Lionel Maltese. The mano a mano which South Africa, title holder, and Ireland, the world’s leading nation, have just engaged in, bears witness to this.