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Telecom marketing director Kieran Cooney - Source: Close Up
Telecom is not backing away from launching a controversial ad campaign encouraging New Zealanders to give up sex to support the All Blacks during next month's Rugby World Cup.
The "Abstain for the game" campaign, set to start at the end of next week, is being introduced by the Telecom-sponsored official All Blacks fan site BackingBlack.
The campaign, which involves a video fronted by former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, will see participants receive black rubber finger-rings to show they back the All Blacks in the World Cup.
The idea has been criticised by advertising experts, but Telecom's marketing director Kieran Cooney told TV ONE's Close Up that the company is standing by the campaign.
Asked if it will go ahead no matter what the reaction, Cooney said the campaign can be run in several ways.
"This was built around Facebook, this was built around online. So it allows us great flexibility. That's the way BackingBlack has already been. It's a Facebook site," he said.
The campaign will run with the slogan "Touch, pause and don't engage".
The initial concept reportedly included plans for signs above urinals reading "Think of your mum in a bikini - Abstain for the All Blacks" but these were later dropped.
Cooney said the point of the campaign was "to try and find a way to get the fans to rally in behind the All Blacks in a fun way."
Asked if he was seriously expecting people to give up sex for six weeks, Cooney said: "No. We don't care what people do in their own space. What we actually want to do is create some positive movement behind the guys."
Ad man David Walden said the campaign is rubbish and "unfortunate".
"I think there are two things in New Zealand that are pretty sacrosanct. One are the All Blacks and the other's sex," Walden said.
"And when you're trying to link those two things together and put a big corporate like Telecom alongside it, whilst we kind of get the joke, I think it's a bad joke and I think it's flopped."
Walden is CEO of TBWA Group of companies, which represents Telecom's opposition 2Degrees.
Walden said he used to run Telecom's advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, and they are a very good agency, but this time they've missed the mark.
"I think they have done their client a disservice and I don't think it's great for the fans."
Cooney said he didn't think the idea has flopped, but it had been "pre-leaked" with some misinformation. He said he is proud of the ad and also maintained that All Blacks coach Graham Henry and the NZRU "loved it".
Rugby blogger and communications consultant Matthew Jansen told Close Up the ad is not very funny "and that's a fatal flaw when you're trying to do something tongue in cheek".
Jansen said the problem for Telecom sponsoring the ad is that it's not going to make any difference for the average viewer.
"They're just going to switch off or go and make a cup of tea or something. It's not funny, it doesn't engage the attention."
Cooney said Telecom is aware that one joke doesn't appeal to everyone.
"It was going to appeal to some people and not to others."
Walden said All Blacks fans will be the laughing stock when they walk into a bar wearing one of the black rubber finger-rings and are confronted by "some Aussie".
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Post new commentioneeye said on 2011-08-18 @ 19:15 NZDT: Report abusive post
WifeandMum is entitled to her opinion and so are all of the others. Her comment leaves me to beleive that she wants to get a life as she is trying to supress freedom of speech, stick to your Law. Telecom are out of order and are idiots to come up with such a childish and stupid advertisment statement.
geofreyraa said on 2011-08-18 @ 15:38 NZDT: Report abusive post
I thought it might actually be beneficial to our country by reducing the number of teen-pregnancies and abortions.
DF said on 2011-08-18 @ 15:36 NZDT: Report abusive post
Clearly Sean will endorse anything these days for money. Surely when he was filming this he must have had an inkling of just how cringeworthy it was.
Sosoome said on 2011-08-18 @ 15:03 NZDT: Report abusive post
HI, Another Telecom decision by committee -ALL agreeing with the boss. A person did not need to be clever to see thiscampaign had failure all over it Money in the bag for Sean - well planned Sean!
kelvynstevens said on 2011-08-18 @ 12:32 NZDT: Report abusive post
Many rugby followers and especially those fans visiting from overseas will take the RWC very seriously. I hope the half wits who see every thing in life as a "bit of a laugh" don't become the public face of the RWC. There is a genuine and serious interest in the rugby and fans and supporters of the game should not let it turn into a joke.