Reshaping Rugby
THE CHALLENGE
2degrees had long been seen as the telco that champions fairness — but louder competitors and declining Share of Voice weakened that perception. Meanwhile, a major inequality persisted in New Zealand sport; despite being world champions, the Black Ferns and women’s rugby were still overshadowed, receiving less than half the coverage of men’s sport.
As sponsor of Super Rugby Aupiki, 2degrees saw an opportunity to live its purpose by tackling gender inequality in sports. Objectives for OMD were clear:
- Rebuild 2degrees’ reputation for fairness.
- Make the 2024 Aupiki Final the most talked-about and watched women’s rugby game ever.
THE IDEA
To help New Zealand “see the game differently,” OMD created the world’s first live sports broadcast designed entirely for TikTok — a vertical, mobile-first production built for how fans watch sports today.
This wasn’t a repurposed TV feed; every element was designed natively for the platform, including:
- Vertical multi-camera production
- Real-time commentator–fan interaction
- Split-screen analysis and TikTok-first graphics
- Short-form player storytelling
The result: the Aupiki Final became an interactive national event and a reimagining of how women’s sport can be experienced.
THE IMPACT
The campaign reignited 2degrees’ Fighting for Fair platform and set a new benchmark for women’s sports coverage.
- 60 earned media pieces
- +33M total reach
- 18,200 virtual attendees (9× 2023)
- 186,000 live engagements (10 per viewer on average)
- 92,870 total viewership (+34% YoY)
- 3,640 in-stadium fans (nearly double)
- +3% lift in Kantar Corporate Reputation Index
By turning intent into action, 2degrees and OMD reshaped how the nation sees women’s rugby and proved what’s possible when a brand leads with purpose, creating what’s next in the process.