Six of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team have opened up about their innermost motivations as part of an advertising campaign for a UK division of shirt sponsor AIG, which encourages UK consumers to rethink life insurance.
AIG Life, the UK life insurance arm of AIG, has leveraged its sponsorship of the All Blacks for the first time to create This is for Them – a UK campaign aimed at rugby fans. It features halfback TJ Perenara, lock Patrick Tuipulotu, hookers Nathan Harris and Dane Coles, winger Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett talking about how family, fans, teammates, the game and their heroes motivate them to be the best they can be.
The campaign is an exploration of All Blacks innermost motivations and taps human emotion to prompt thinking about the legacy we can all leave to protect and look after others. At its core is a reminder that the best things we do in life, we do for others.
Sue Helmont, Marketing Director at AIG Life, says This is for Them has been 18 months in the making and is inspired by the All Blacks belief that they are merely the guardians of the jersey they wear; that they do justice to those who went before them and those who come after.
“The All Blacks live and breathe a philosophy of selflessness and responsibility – their saying is that you leave the jersey in a better place. That really resonates with AIG Life because the insurance that someone buys from AIG is about leaving a legacy to protect and look after others,” says Helmont.
“Life insurance is probably one of the most selfless things someone can buy because the person buying it will never benefit from it. It’s bought solely to leave a legacy for others. Yet the reality is people don’t like to talk about death and the life-altering moments when life insurance is needed. It’s a perfectly
understandable human reaction. And consumer advertising campaigns for life insurance are rare in the UK as a result.
“But it’s our families, the people around us and the people we love that motivate us and who we try to do right by. The best things in life, we do for others. We learned that through our sponsorship of the All Blacks, and that’s the shared story we have in this campaign,” she adds.
Home nations rugby fans attending the August friendlies might have spotted a snippet of what AIG had planned as a teaser campaign ran across a range of outdoor digital screens and advertising boards close to the Twickenham, Murrayfield, Principality and St James’s Park stadiums in August.
AIG launched its campaign on social media on 2nd September by showcasing the main 90-second This is For Them video narrated by New Zealand rugby legend Sean Fitzpatrick. The film features six of the current All Blacks players telling stories of what drives them: family, teammates, heroes, fans and being in the game itself.
In it, Perenara talks about his roots at his local park and the strong bonds that exist within the All Blacks team, while Tuipulotu, in his softly spoken voice, speaks about the importance of family in his life, and the journey his grandparents made from Samoa to New Zealand. Harris’ boyish love for the game really comes through, as does his dedication to his young family, while Coles talks honestly about the type of person he wants his kids to look up to, as well as the selfless culture of the All Blacks. Ioane talks about the legacy of the All Blacks jersey, his supportive family and how crucial the fans are to his performance, while Barrett, brother of fellow All Blacks Beauden and Scott, discusses his strong family ties and his love of the game.
This Is For Them was filmed in New Zealand during the All Blacks down time to provide an honest insight into the true motivations of the players, which, unsurprisingly, is driven heavily by their families.
The campaign, which appears online and across social media channels ahead of Japan, also encourages rugby fans to share what drives them and how far they will go to support others, while its AIG brand ambassadors Sir Clive Woodward and Richie McCaw are involved too. It is also opening a free prize draw that will see one fan win a personal training session with former All Black Nick Evans. The film and information about the campaign can be viewed on www.aiglife.co.uk/sponsorship.
