Advance planning is laudible in most instances, especially in the field of marketing, where the opportunity to strike fast to exploit a potentially lucrative situation is greatly enhanced if one has had the foresight to put in place prior publicity material to plug one’s achievements.
So when one of the main sponsors of the English rugby team, Nike, saw that the team was one victory away from winning the Grand Slam, and that all that stood in its way was an aging underperforming Irish side which had incurred the wrath of every referee it had encountered this season, it clearly saw the opportunity to sell some commemorative Grand Slam kit on the backs of that imminent success.
It, therefore, commissioned a TV advert featuring several members of the English team in various heroic poses and proudly trumpeting the legend “England: Grand Slam Champions 2011.”
Sadly, when the English Chariot parked itself in Dublin, it found that someone had removed its wheels and stuck it up on blocks. Not the first visitors to the Irish capital to suffer this fate!
So, of course, the ad had to be scrapped.
But alas, some clown in the publicity supply chain had earlier been a little cavalier with their e-mail account and had sent around a message, with the ad attached, referring to the campaign that would take place “when we’ve beaten Ireland.”
Inevitably, it ended up on You Tube, whence it has been removed on the instructions of a red-faced sports-equipment manufacturer, but where it continues to turn up like a particularly contagious rash.
Oh the embarrassment!
In the wake of England’s comprehensive defeat last Saturday, its ultracompetive manager Martin Johnson urged his players to “Wear this defeat like a scar”. I shudder to think what welts and bruises are being worn by whoever was responsible for letting that howler into the public domain.
Love it!
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The short weeks are done and dusted, with six more games in the regular season before we head into finals. The Crowd extended their…
The Melbourne Rebels may have traded while insolvent for more than five years, giving rise to potential breach of director duty claims for the…
The ACT Brumbies’ struggles against New Zealand opposition in 2024 has been a shock. The side is heavily laden with Wallabies and has strong…
He was born 1905, 1904 or 1908 according to various reports, in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, and is remembered as one of the great Māori players.
And then, there were two. The NSW Waratahs and Fijian Drua will meet at Ballymore to decide who lifts the Super Rugby Women's trophy,…
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
