Every 12 years the All Blacks go head to head with the Lions in what has become an historic and highly anticipated tour.

Air New Zealand decided to seize the opportunity to leverage their sponsorship of the All Blacks driving brand love and record breaking sales launching Project Blackout.

Knowing that many brands would feature the All Blacks in their campaigns during the Lion’s tour, Air New Zealand took the bold initiative to ‘own’ anticipation for the tour by launching 365 days out.

Although Air New Zealand wasn’t an official sponsor, the early launch cemented partnership awareness, and it made their campaign stand out from the crowd (leveraging every owned channel from inflight PA, ground crew, on board lollies and trade engagement).

Project Blackout provided a platform for Kiwis to show their support, encouraged sharing of content to win prizes resulting in ongoing response and ultimately cemented the relationship between two iconic brands.

During the tour, the landing page evolved to launch an exclusive Project Blackout book and win campaign – this was the first time to include the promotion of full price fares – a bold move in a price-led market.

Phase 3 featured a world first activation that drove game-day fans to blackout Eden Park with virtual paint. And for the first time, fans could participate in real time via the website, driving high engagement nationwide.

Project Blackout broke the convention in sponsorship marketing to not only build awareness but to drive conversion. The campaign achieved incremental sales revenue and leading with innovation drove high nationwide engagement too.