All Black Everything: New Zealand’s Powerful Rugby Brand

The Music City Miracle. The Band is on the Field. The Miami-Duke Debacle. Americans love watching football players lateral the ball. Of course, that is the foundation of an entire sport.

Rugby – the fastest growing sport in the world.

And the biggest event in rugby – The Rugby World Cup – concluded last week with favorite New Zealand reclaiming their crown after winning the event in 2011. The championship match between New Zealand and Australia was watched by over 120 million people worldwide (more people than watched the Super Bowl in the U.S. last year).

New Zealand’s rugby team, nicknamed the All Blacks, is not only a champion on the field, but off the field in the world of branding. The All Blacks have developed an iconic brand built around their silver fern logo and all black uniforms, which date back to the 1890’s. The brand was recently valued at $124 million with tremendous growth expected thanks to the addition of 7s rugby at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The opportunity for growth is not lost on the All Blacks. In a recent interview Steven Tew, chief executive officer of New Zealand Rugby, noted that the All Blacks have “ambitions to sell more licensed products and be a better-known brand.”

The All Blacks have lucrative endorsement deals with Adidas and AIG, among others. The AIG deal alone is worth an estimated $52.77 million.

So, it should come as not surprise that the All Blacks have multiple federal trademark registrations in the United States protecting their name and logo. A team after our hearts.

Now, get pumped to watch some rugby highlights by checking out the All Blacks pre-World Cup final haka.

Ready for highlights? Enjoy!