Since rebranding in 2022, Sage have aimed to be positioned as a young and fresh brand who are relevant to key audiences and sports fans. To do this, sport sponsorship and social media have been utilised, as well as securing high-profile talent to expand the reach of the partnership.
Across Sage’s key markets, sport is a consistently popular interest, and rugby is a primary passion point. Research demonstrated that rugby is at the intersection between sport and technology, with more than 1 in 3 people interested in both.
Social media, in particular TikTok, was seen as a key vehicle to reach prospective customers. As title sponsor of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, TikTok’s desire to grow the women’s game perfectly aligned with Sage’s values and would also enable Sage to reach their key market of Dynamic Investors, who have previously been identified as active TikTok users.
Objectives for the partnership included increasing brand visibility on TikTok, as well as utilising the platform to drive saliency and relevance with its audience. Building confidence around Sage was another key objective, which would be achieved through consistent messaging, while leveraging trusted partnerships to drive added fame.
This partnership saw Sage create a unique and innovative partnership with TikTok, achieving significant favourability with Sage accounting for 34% of all rugby TikTok views during the Guinness and TikTok Six Nations championships. Commercially, Sage Group achieved its peak share in over 13 years in June 2023.
