adidas is a key sponsor of the All Blacks. Each year, they print a commemorative poster on the announcement of the new All Blacks squad, 40 000 of which are gifted to the fans. In 2006, adidas wanted a concept that would reflect the powerful bond between the All Blacks and their fans. adidas also wanted to grow sales of All Blacks apparel by 15%Target audience: The fans. Which basically means, 4 million New Zealanders, plus kiwi expatriates, and rugby fans around the world.

Sales of adidas All Blacks apparel over exceeded the target and went up by 24%. All 8000 posters quickly sold out. In fact, many are now traded on auction sites around the world for around US$400 and rising. It was featured on TV news programs, in The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers around the world generating millions of dollars of editorial comment; not to mention hundreds and hundreds of blogs and sites.

The solution was a world first: we created a limited-edition poster that not only featured the players but also included their actual DNA. Each player in the 40-strong squad donated blood which was thoroughly sterilised and then embedded into the poster during the printing process.

8,000 were made and the poster, suitably named “Bonded by Blood”, was displayed at point of sale, and was available only to those fans who bought an All Blacks jersey. Each poster also came with a numbered certificate of authentication - with each member of the All Blacks receiving the one matching their jersey number. The ‘Making of’ was shown in-store on plasma screens.