Henman To Raise Awareness For Japan World Cup
Henman Communications has been appointed by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) to raise awareness for Japan ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
The agency will deliver social media and a digital marketing campaign with Welsh rugby legend, Shane Williams, during the 6 Nations rugby tournament.
JNTO has asked Henman Communications to leverage Shane’s experiences to enhance awareness of the sporting landscape in Japan with the Rugby World Cup heading to the country in 2019 and Olympics in 2020.
The Henman Communications team has created a filming content plan, aimed at producing a series of videos. The campaign was created and developed by Andrew Wilson, Shane’s agent at Cloud9 Management.
Henman Communications has also collaborated with the production team at Button Down, who had previously filmed a short video series called Shane Williams: Big in Japan. Henman Communications implemented the strategy and content behind the six short videos.
With Facebook ascertained as the best social media channel, Henman Communications also implemented a paid-for advertising strategy, in order to maximise the collateral from the Shane: Big in Japan Facebook page with all straplines from the press directing traffic back towards it.
Henman Communications will continue their work with the JNTO across the remainder of the 2018 6 Nations Championship – advising on social media strategy and aimed maximising press coverage – with the ultimate aim of promoting Japan as a tourist destination.
Richard Henman, Henman Communications CEO, said: “It is great to be working alongside the Japan National Tourist Organization at such an exciting time for Japan and Japanese sport – with the rugby World Cup in Japan just next year, and the Olympics in 2020! We really enjoyed managing the media for this event with Shane Williams – who was the model pro throughout! We were especially glad to be able to use our expertise and leverage our extensive network, in order to get some of the UK’s top national sports publications to attend.
“We’re looking forward to the Six Nations Championship and will continue to use our extensive understanding of the sports industry to position the Japan National Tourist Organisation favourably – with their commercial goals at the heart of all our marketing and PR activities. “
Matthew Joslin, Japanese National Tourist Organization spokesperson, said: “We at JNTO are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Shane Williams to promote what will be not only a milestone event for rugby in Japan, but also a milestone event for rugby worldwide, as the Rugby World Cup is held for the first time in an Asian country.
“Enthusiasm for the Brave Blossoms both at home and abroad has been electrifying ever since their astonishing victory over South Africa in the Rugby World Cup 2015 and, with the UK being Japan’s largest European market for inbound tourism, we are looking forward to seeing the sport become yet another source of inspiration for people from the UK looking to make their first visit to Japan.
“With such a diverse array of venues, from Sapporo in the north to Kyushu in the south, we hope that the Rugby World Cup 2019 will provide UK rugby fans with plenty of opportunity to explore the length and breadth of Japan and enjoy the kinds of amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences that only Japan can offer.”
