• October 21, 2011

Heineken has extended its contract as worldwide partner and official beer supplier for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.

The beer company first sponsored the Rugby World Cup in 1995. That, coupled with its 16-year title sponsorship of the European club rugby competition The Heineken Cup, makes the brand one of the sport’s largest partners. 

Under the agreement, Heineken maintain access to a package of worldwide rights, including use of Rugby World Cup 2015 event marks and designations in promotional tie-ins, pouring rights at all official Rugby World Cup outlets and digital content rights to use across social media platforms.

While the cumulative global TV audience of Rugby World Cup is over four billion, digital media has been an integral part of this year’s tournament. Heineken’s Rugby World Cup 2011 sponsorship campaign, entitled “This Is The Game,” included digital content featuring rugby legends Will Carling, Zinzan Brooke, Matt Burke, Scott Quinnell and Rob Henderson, as well as entertainment and sporting celebrities like Stephen Fry and Rio Ferdinand. Fans have been able to engage with the content across its online platforms, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

RWC 2011 resulted in Heineken doubling its followers on Twitter and exceeding one million views on YouTube by the end of the tournament.  The total number of tweets mentioning the official RWC hashtag, #RWC2011, has reached over 1 million. --Tanya Irwin