Asahi Super Dry, Japan’s number-one lager, is helping retailers maximise sales from high value rugby fans with a £2m campaign to support its status as the official beer of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
The campaign will include high-level media advertising and influencer marketing, backed by tournament ambassador Ellie Kildunne, as well as expansive physical and digital on-trade support.
Retailers will be supported with a new suite of themed PoS, including shippers, gondola ends, free-standing display units and screens, as well as digital marketing solutions.
In addition, fans will be able to win tickets to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 matches and branded prizes, such as hats, cool boxes and midi rugby balls, with an on-pack promotion running until September.
Rolling out across all formats of Asahi Super Dry and Asahi Super Dry 0.0 per cent bottles and cans, as well as glassware, the promotion encourages fans to scan QR codes to play a mobile game for a chance to instantly win prizes.
Outside of the off-trade, Asahi Super Dry will drive global awareness with branding at the games, including LED perimeter boards and media backdrops, as well as through digital and outdoor advertising and experiential activity. The brand will also run a programme of money-can’t-buy experiences, with hospitality at matches and fanzones across the country.
Partnerships with SPORTbible, Hypebeast and the official Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 podcast will further elevate the brand’s status. Ellie Kildunne, meanwhile, will star in the Asahi Super Dry’s "Rugby Like Never Before" campaign, which will make Women’s rugby more visible and more accessible than ever across the UK.
Women’s rugby is continuing to go from strength to strength, now boasting 1.5 million fans in the UK alone. Women’s domestic sport achieved its most-watched year last year, with 44.7 million viewers, up +19 per cent vs 2022 and 350k tickets are expected to be sold for the 2025 tournament.
"The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 is set to be a landmark event, and we're committed to helping our retail partners fully capitalise on this," said Rob Hobart, Marketing Director at Asahi UK. "Our £2m campaign offers comprehensive support, from high-impact media to a suite of new PoS materials and digital tools, designed to drive footfall and sales.
“We’re also giving fans incredible chances to win, fostering a deeper connection with the tournament and Asahi Super Dry, both in-store and at home."
In the off-trade, Asahi Super Dry is the fastest-growing scale lager brand, growing at +22.4 per cent, vs -1.7 per cent for total lager and delivering £8m of growth in the latest year.
