Black Ferns’ brand value rises
The brand value of the Black Ferns will have ‘‘skyrocketed’’ thanks to their Rugby World Cup win, one marketing expert says.
Associate professor in marketing at the University of Auckland Bodo Lang said there was ‘‘no doubt the brand value of the Black Ferns has skyrocketed’’ following their successful World Cup campaign.
There were a couple of reasons for this, he said. The audience’s awareness of the Black Ferns would have increased dramatically.
‘‘Both consumers as well as potential sponsors have had the opportunity to learn more about the pieces that make up the Black Ferns’ brand, which is of course the players, their personalities and the values they portray.’’
Second, the Black Ferns’ strong performance on and off the pitch, players’ media skills and authentic personas, and the team’s ability to capture New Zealand’s imagination, had meant that the Black Ferns were now a much-liked brand.
‘‘Because of the way that the players have conducted themselves, it is also clear that the Black Ferns are unique compared with the All Blacks. They possess different qualities and make them quite a different sponsorship proposition.’’
Putting these strands together, the Black Ferns’ brand value and attractiveness to sponsors had increased dramatically, Lang said.
It was likely that future sponsors would still be New Zealand-based, because of the relatively smaller footprint of women’s rugby compared with men’s rugby. But that did not preclude the possibility of an international sponsor showing interest, he said.
Brands most likely suited to sponsoring the Black Ferns included those that were progressive and had more of a female target market.
‘‘Most importantly, the Black Ferns have shown that, despite a far from ideal build-up, they can beat those who were thought to be the best in the world and become world champions themselves.’’
Lang’s colleague, Michael Lee, agreed the Black Ferns were in a good position for international sponsorship.
‘‘The viewership stats during this women’s Rugby World Cup final would probably be a determining factor for any major corporate looking to secure a sponsorship deal,’’ he said.
More than 1.3 million New Zealanders watched the 34-31 win over England in the final on Three and Spark Sport on Saturday – along with a record-breaking crowd of 42,579 at Eden Park in Auckland.
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