Long before the whistle blows, there is a game. This is not a game of 15 men, but a game of millions. A game that the whole country plays in the buildup to the tournament. The players use the support and pressure of their nation to fuel their preparation. To win the mental game they must transform expectation and pressure into motivation and focus. They must They must turn the hopes and dreams of their country into performance on the pitch. In this game, we are all players and it’s ours to win.

The Game Starts Here would expand upon and strengthen the brand’s previous pre-game territory, exploring the months and years of preparation leading rugby players and national fans put into their game, unearthing player rituals national suffering or quiet confidence amongst three of rugby’s biggest nations in the lead up to the sport’s greatest competition.

This was Beats’ biggest campaign to date including TVC’s, online films, print, OOH, fanzone activations, editorial partnerships, parody content, pre-active and reactive social content.

On the eve of the RWC we launched three epic films which quickly went viral. Further content ‘extensions’ sustained fan interest on a global scale throughout the tournament highlighting and reacting to key moments. A cover of the rugby anthem, “Jerusalem”, was released exclusively on Apple Music to critical acclaim. A grime battle with YouTube channel, SBTV featured leading UK Grime artists laying down the challenge to rival nations.

An online ‘cookery show’ featured French rugby legend Sebastien Chabal literally roasting that day’s opposition spawning revenge responses from other rugby rival icons. A bespoke Haka was created for All Blacks legend, Richie McCaw, its creation chronicle in an online documentary. During the final, we celebrated 'King Richie' with a series of projections across famous London landmarks.

Total content views surpassed 100m

PR reached 663m impressions

eCom traffic surged by 63%.

Sales increased by an unprecedented 25%.

454,000 new fans joined our social channels to stay with us as we continue our journey.

Over the launch of the tournament, #TheGameStartsHere ranked second out of all major rugby campaign hashtags including official sponsors. Online sentiment was 95% positive.

“Take a bow @beatsbydre #RichieMcCaw advert is fantastic & great insight into an epic competitor” Barbarian FC

“Jacob Collier’s version of Jerusalem is actually incredible.” Zach Fox

“Beats' first foray into a sport without a huge North American following clearly proves it’s got the skills and style to tackle any global game.” FastCo.Create

“By sharing their personal stories, the headphones brand is universal in its message, engaging a wide demographic with great success.” Campaign

“The verdict is clear. Beats and Rugby go hand in hand”, IL Etait une Pub.