Vulgar and crass examples of Rugby Football Union marketing: Exhibit #01

By An 8cm Plastic Model of Ex-England Centre Will Carling

Greetings to my fellow rugby enthusiasts. 

It’s me again, The 8cm Plastic Model of Ex-England Centre Will Carling.   

Nope, I’m not actually Will Carling, I’m just an 8cm Plastic reproduction of the Great Man’s image.  You can read more about me here and here.

Anyway, welcome to a new series looking at vulgar, kitsch, crass and poor marketing in rugby football union.

Our starting image is one which adorned (amongst other things) the cover of the 2011 and 2010 Six Nations Media Guides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It ticks many boxes when it comes to tacky and cheap rugby marketing images:

• Group of ‘fans’ randomly (and not very convincingly) cheering something?  Check.
• At least one woman?  Check.
• At least one non-white person? Check.
• At least one or more fans not in official gear (France and Scotland here) as the agency producing the advert were unable to get rights from sponsors/unions?  Check.
• Vomit inducing ‘rugby is our life’ feel?
• Image not needing to exist at all as they could have simply used existing photographs of real rugby players playing real games in real Six Nations championship? Check.
• At least three people in image who you wish to punch in the face?  Check.
• Passionate clenched fist pose?  Check.
• Facepaint? Check.

Seriously, look at this image.  It almost made this plastic reproduction of a famous ex-English rugby captain abandon the sport he loves just so as not to be in anyway associated with the sport it is advertising.  

We plan to collect and mock such poor examples of marketing and advertising in rugby union on The East Terrace. 

We welcome feedback from our readers who have their own adverts or images that make them want throw their match programme in the bin or put a fist through their computer monitor.  So, if you have any email them to us at stafford@theeastterrace.com.

Oh, and don’t bother mentioning the infamous Irish ad for Guinness (‘This is Rugby Country’).  That pile of twee goes without saying.  We’ll cover that.

Let us keep our game classy. 

Tally-ho!