BOUCLIER DE BRENNUS, THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY

TitleBOUCLIER DE BRENNUS, THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY
BrandLIGUE NATIONALE DE RUGBY
Product/ServiceEVENT FINAL OF THE TOP 14 COMPETITION
Category A05. Live Broadcast / Live Streaming
Entrant FF PARIS, FRANCE
Idea Creation FF PARIS, FRANCE
Credits
Name Company Position
Thomas Otton LNR Head of Communications
Caroline Bocquet LNR Communications Manager
Romain Matthieu LNR Communications Manager
Fred & Farid Fred & Farid FF Founders / CEO
Olivier Lefebvre FF CEO - Partner
Julien-Pierre Mallet FF Creative Director
Yann Rougeron FF Art Director
Yann Rougeron FF Copywriter
Jim Tran FF Digital agency producer
Arthur Gaudrie FF Digital Agency Producer
Caroline Tang FF Digital art director
Seydi Barak FF Agency Producer
Thibaut Grevet .. Director
Hunter Daly Hunter Daly Photographer
Benjamin Weil Benjamin Weil Editor
Father Father Father Music producer
Big Boss Studio Big Boss Studio Big Boss Studio Digital producer

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

In France, it has been said that rugby has a traditional image and is considered too elitist to gather a lot interest, while other sports such as football attract more spectators. That's why in 2018, the French National Rugby League decided to win back its fans and captivate them by arousing new interests. To do so, the league unveiled a completely new campaign consisting of a film and a digital device that is a tribute to the legendary Shield of Brennus, entitled "The Weight of History".

Background

Shield of Brennus is a trophy awarded to the winners of the French rugby union domestic league. This trophy has been the dream of rugby lovers in France for 127 years. This "piece of wood", as some call it, weighing about twenty kilos and decorated with a copper circle, has been the Grail of all the great players in the history of rugby in France since 1892. It's so hard to win that when players finally touch it with their fingers, they take it with them wherever they go. This is why this French sports monument has been the subject of extraordinary stories that the French National Rugby League wanted to tell throughout a campaign. This epic film tells the extraordinary story of this desired object and tries to win back many fans who left rugby for other sports like football. The film "The Weight of History" benefited from a unique cross-media orchestration because it was broadcast for the first time simultaneously and live during the halftime of the final of the French Rugby Championship, the elite of rugby and one of the most watched sporting events in the world. The film was screened live on all the giant screens of the Stade de France in front of 78,442 people and received a standing ovation. A live facebook broadcasted the broadcast on the French National Rugby League page. At the same time the film was broadcast on several French television channels and social networks. In total, more than 12 million people were able to discover the Great Story of the Brennus Shield during the same evening

Describe the creative idea

The Bouclier de Brennus, or Brennus Shield in English has been the dream of rugby lovers in France for 127 years. The French National Rugby League unveils a cinematic piece paying tribute to this legendary Shield of Brennus. "Brennus, The Weight of History" is a biopic that tells the story of this mythical trophy in the form of a heroic film. Shot in black and white, filmstrip, these unique 86 seconds present the story of an icon that has stood the test of time. This cinematographic work is a false track told by an unknown narrator before revealing his real identity: the unsinkable Shield of Brennus.

Describe the strategy

37,7 % of French people are interested in rugby, followed by tennis 36.6% and football 34.6%. The problem is that since 2016, French rugby has mainly been talked about for non-sport related issues. The phenomenon is reflected on the attendance of stadiums which are decreasing since then. That is why, in 2018, the French National Rugby League wished to widen its base of supporters and transform the interested ones into hard-core fans. The league used a sport icon as an emotional catalyst. The Shield of Brennus, a centennial trophy that the winners of the French rugby championship have been highlighting every year since 1892. This allowed them to generate interest from curious fans without neglecting the hard-core base. Thanks to this Shield star strategy, sales of tickets for the championship’s final have exceeded their objectives.

Describe the execution

This film directed by Thibaut Grevet was shot with real film, in black and white. This treatment was chosen to create a visual object which the audience could enjoy beyond the stadiums and thus showcase this sport to the greatest numbers. The story of the Brennus Shield is so incredible that it is impossible to say everything in 86 seconds. So, we chose to pull its history’s thread on an interactive archive platform that bears the name of the Shield's motto, www.luduspropatria.fr, translation of the Latin "games for the people". The platform showcases the shield’s history, chapter after chapter the user discovers hundreds of testimonials of players, historians, old photos and videos.

Describe the outcome

The campaign’s engagement is excellent, 5 months after its launch the movie is still getting viewed hundreds of times a day with a rebound rate of more than 20%. The league has invested about 100K € for the overall project. A feat for such a small budget in view of the results. The campaign was unveiled on social networks and TV following the semi-finals of the championship on May 30, 2018. As to the film, it was broadcasted live at the Stade de France just before the Final in front of 78,442 spectators and got a standing ovation. The website had more than 30,000 connections in June alone and continues to attract the general public daily, who is curious to know more about this unusual piece of wood.