The campaign launches on the 24th March with a 30-second spot.
England Rugby and Disney UK have joined forces to create a national advertising campaign to promote this year’s galactic-themed Marriott London Sevens taking place at Twickenham on the 16th and 17th May.
The campaign includes a television ad featuring Star Wars characters facing up to the England Sevens team, print and social media, digital and PR to promote the galactic themed weekend of exciting sevens rugby.
The campaign launches on the 24th March with a 30-second spot which will air for seven weeks across a number of TV channels including Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior as well as Sky Sports, Dave and Channel 4 for VOD.
Darth Vader’s appearance at Twickenham Stadium has been captured in the TV ad which airs from today and can also be viewed on YouTube. Catching several people off guard including a startled C-3PO, Darth Vader stood face-to-face with the England Rugby team who were unmoved by the notorious villains. A showdown between the forces of light and dark saw neither give an inch, ensuring the real action will be seen between the international teams on the pitch in May.
Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer said: “We’re very excited to be working with such a well-known and respected brand as Disney on this year’s Marriott London Sevens, especially as this is a first for a UK Sports’ Governing Body. The theme for 2015 is ‘galactic’ and the famous faces from Star Wars will really help bring this to life in and around Twickenham Stadium and help us engage with a new audience. To be working with such a globally recognized entity as Star Wars reflects both the growing profile of sevens and the popularity of the event.”
Anna Hill, Chief Marketing Officer, Disney UK & Ireland added: “It’s been great fun to work with England Rugby to develop a one-of-a-kind campaign that will excite rugby and Star Wars fans in the UK, and the campaign is brilliantly brought to life by the Star Wars characters in this memorable and expertly-produced ad. It’s another great example of the ground-breaking campaigns we can create for brands.”
View the TV ad here
The deal was developed by England Rugby and Disneymedia+, the integrated ad sales, promotions and marketing solutions arm of Disney UK & Ireland.
www.englandrugby.com/marriottlondonsevens
–ENDS–
Editor’s notes:
Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens is a variation of the traditional Rugby Union game with seven players instead of the usual fifteen. Rugby sevens has grown in popularity, featuring in the Commonwealth games and soon to be an Olympic sport as of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Those attending the Marriott London Sevens will be able to see for themselves the excitement of this fast-paced game first hand and watch out for some potential Olympic stars.
HSBC World Sevens Series
The HSBC Sevens World Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments featuring national sevens teams.
Teams compete for the HSBC Sevens World Series title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament. New Zealand had originally dominated the Series, winning 12 out of 15 series since the inception of the World Series in 1999.Fiji, South Africa and Samoa have each won titles respectively.
The current season’s circuit 2014/15 consists of nine tournaments in eight countries, and visits five of the six populated continents. Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, New Zealand, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Scotland and England each host one event.
Marriott London Sevens
The Marriott London Sevens is the ninth and final tournament on the HSBC Sevens World Series. The event is the largest two day tournament on the series. In 2014 the Saturday of competition sold out a week in advance and the total attendance is set to break new records in 2015, going beyond last year’s 113,051. On Sunday 17th May the winner of the Marriott London Sevens and the overall series winner will be crowned. The top four nations in the HSBC Sevens World Series will automatically qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Get dressed up
The atmosphere at the Marriott London Sevens is part of what makes the tournament so successful and each year has a theme for fans to embrace. This year will see a ‘galactic’ theme with many fans set to use space as the inspiration for their outfits.
Star Wars
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the latest instalment of the Star Wars saga, will be in cinemas worldwide from December 18, 2015.
Media Contacts
For more information please contact:
Oli Miller, TVC Group Oli.Miller@TVCgroup.com /0207 380 8000
For press enquiries relating to the Star Wars saga films please contact:
Ashleigh Richardson, Disney UK ashleigh.richardson@disney.com / 0208 222 1602
For press enquiries relating to Disneymedia+ please contact:
James Hall, Disney EMEA james.w.hall@disney.com / 0208 222 2171