The Green-Haired Tongans
Paddy Power approached us a few months before the Rugby World Cup, asking us whether we could help them to ‘make some noise’ during the tournament.
The brand was renowned as a maverick organisation that backs the underdog. We identified that the biggest underdog in England’s group was the Tongan rugby team. We set to work…
Dye for The Cause
Tongan hardman Epi Taione agreed to change his name to Paddy Power. However, we wanted something more to create some REAL noise.
The whole team agreed to dye their hair in the corporate colours of our client for the televised crunch match against England. The Tongans went green!
The IRB banned the green hair and demanded they dye the hair back to the original colour. We dyed it back.
Paddy Power received amazing global coverage and business increased!
Sensational Coverage - Sensational Results
• Rugby betting increased by 493% v last World Cup (Source: Paddy Power).
• Paddy Power enjoyed over £1m worth of value through PR coverage (Source: TNS).
• Voted one of the most memorable moments of the Rugby World Cup by The Guardian.
• Highest 'buzz' rating than any other bookmaker (Source: You Gov).
• The Tongans received their largest sponsorship deal through Paddy Power, and we continue to work with Epi and the lads...
The green-haired Tongans meant business