During the Rugby World Cup there will be several battles going on in addition to the one on the pitch. There will be the fans singing in the stands and banter in the bars before and afterwards. The media and various sponsors will be fighting for people’s attention both through traditional media and online. Even the teams themselves will be fighting for attention or to be more precise have already started. Here is quick look at some of the hashtags being used but the different teams.
England #CarryThemHome
France #SoutiensLeXV my friend @BarrettBigFan translated it to #SupportTheXV !
Scotland #AsOne
Wales #IAmWales
Ireland #ShoulderToShoulder
New Zealand #TeamAllBlacks
Australia #StrongerAsOne
South Africa #HomeGroundAdvantage
Argentina #LosPumas translates to #ThePumas
Most of the teams have adopted new hashtags specifically for this tournament and there is a couple of clear themes coming through. A lot of the countries are looking to make the supporters feel like part of the team either I am the team or shoulder to shoulder or being one with the team. I guess this is media marketing 101, getting people to associate themselves with the team/brand.
I’m not sure what South Africa’s one is supposed to work but I think it’s about getting the fans behind the team. This is similar to the English and French approaches which is about supporting the team rather than part of the team.
Then you have the Pumas and All Blacks who have decided to stick with their existing hashtags. This is particularly interestingly in the All Blacks case, as they are renowned for their media machine. It appears that they have decided to just invest in their current brand rather than building something new.
That’s just the official ones from the teams but a lot of us will be using specific hashtags for games, #ENGvFIJ for example. Also I expect the media outlets will try their own hashtags to attract attention. Clearly the Rugby World Cup sponsors will also have campaigns going and then team sponsors will be getting in the act too. For example the England sponsor O2 have ask me to volunteer as part of their #RoseArmy. We are 100 England supporters who are encouraging people to #WearTheRose and support the team via online posts and videos.
As long as it all stays good natured, all these hashtags should increase the social media noise and add to the banter that’s going on which will be fun. If you know of any others please add them below so that all supporters can get involved with their teams.
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