Heineken extends its support of the Rugby World Cup

21 October 2011 | Posted in Sponsorship, Rugby, Europe | By Tom Love

Heineken has renewed its sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup to cover the 2015 edition of the tournament in England.

As the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup approaches, the Dutch beer brand has announced that it will continue as the official beer supplier and a worldwide partner of rugby union's showcase event for a further four-year period.

A renowned investor at all levels of the game, Heineken first partnered the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and, since 1996, has served as the title sponsor of the Heineken Cup, Europe's premier club rugby competition.

Under terms of the agreement, Heineken will receive exclusive pouring rights in and around the 2015 Rugby World Cup stadia, be entitled to utilise event marks and designations in promotional tie-ins and acquire digital content rights across various social media platforms.

Though financial details of Heineken’s renewed commitment were not released, in 2009 the brewer's sponsorship of the 2011 tournament was estimated to be worth US$10 million.

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"As the world’s most international premium beer brand, we are delighted again to be an integral part of the world’s premier rugby tournament for 2015," said Heineken chief commercial officer Alexis Nasard. "Rugby World Cup is the world’s third largest sporting event, with a truly global reach. It is a perfect match for Heineken, and allows us to be a genuine part of our consumers’ conversation in a consistent but surprising way.

Mike Miller, International Rugby Board (IRB) chief executive, added, "The International Rugby Board is delighted that Heineken is renewing its Rugby World Cup sponsorship agreement as this furthers an already long-standing relationship with a partner that understands and shares our values and vision."

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Finally, Heineken global brand activation manager Hans Erik Tujit said, "We are proud to be continuing our partnership with the Rugby World Cup. The event provides us with a unique opportunity to continue to share stories and further develop our relationship with the growing international rugby audience. The success of our activation be it on TV, digital and in store during the 2011 New Zealand tournament reinforces Heineken's decision to continue to partner with the Rugby World Cup. We look forward to making the RWC 2015 in England an even bigger success.”

A feature on the 24 owners behind this year's Heineken Cup features in the November 2011 edition of SportsPro. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.

Picture shows Heineken brand ambassadors Will Carling and Zinzan Brooke with the IRB's Bill Beaumont and Hans Erik Tuijt.