Sponsorship of New Zealand's national cricket team: Radio Pillow

The objective was to promote National Bank’s sponsorship of the New Zealand National Cricket Team (The Black Caps) during the
2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. However, as games were being played in a different time zone (and therefore being
telecast when our customers were usually asleep), we gave them a branded radio pillow so they could listen to the cricket all night
from the comfort of their own bed.
Strategy (Please state the main objective of the entry as concisely as possible):
As World Cup matches were being played in a different time zone to New Zealand, we were faced with a difficult promotion. How do
you promote matches being held while most of our customers would be sleeping? Any promotional activity we did during the day
would not have been effective during the actual overnight matches when our customers were most engaged with the team we
sponsor. We therefore wanted to create something that would stay with them all night, through every game of the World Cup,
reminding them of our involvement. The answer was to give them a branded radio pillow gift that would allow them to listen to the
cricket all night from the comfort of their own bed.
Synopsis (Please state the main objective of the entry as concisely as possible):
The pillows were to be handed out over several weeks during the lead-up to the World Cup. The response was so overwhelming
however, that every pillow was gifted in just 2 weeks. Constant media coverage (TV and radio) and word-of-mouth has given the
pillows cult status in New Zealand.