Rugby World Cup 2011 – Return on Investment
-Media Monitors
The RWC 2011 proved to be a significant media event across all major sectors of New Zealand. Rugby aside, there were always high expectations for New Zealand to “perform” during the tournament, whether it be economically or culturally.
We have been working with a number of clients to help them measure their media profile and performance before, during and after the tournament using our media analysis tools. These have included daily summative reports to help clients wade through the mountain of media items every morning to large scale qualitative reports examining how different regions, organisations and sponsors were portrayed in national and international media, and how their key messages and objectives fared.
So far there have been close to 11,000 media reports on international news sites mentioning the tournament. The RWC has been a rare opportunity to showcase the whole of New Zealand through the number of host cities and fanzones across the country. One of the things we were particularly interested in was which city or region had the most coverage on international online news sites.
Auckland was the most frequently mentioned host city/region across New Zealand press, broadcast and global internet coverage. But, Wellington had the highest levels of fanzone coverage in international online sites. Mentions of the Wellington fanzone were seen by a potential 8.6 million people outside New Zealand with New Plymouth coming in as the second most mentioned fanzone with a potential audience of nearly 1.4 million.
What these quick stats demonstrate is that media coverage can be unpredictable, especially when there are so many different interests fighting for space. Making sure that key media objectives are measureable and having a plan in place for evaluation helps to cut through high volumes of coverage and help demonstrate return on investment during such a major national occasion.
Jarrod P Smith, Country Manager, New Zealand
Principal Sponsor