HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens 2018 names PR and social partner

Rugby Singapore has named Elite Step Asia (ESA) as its communications, public relations and social media agency for the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens tournament, scheduled to occur on 28 and 29 April 2018. In a statement to Marketing, a spokesperson for Rugby Singapore said that work for the campaign is expected to roll out in the next couple of weeks.The appointment follows a pitch called in September, which stated that Rugby Singapore, the commercial arm of Singapore Rugby Union, was also on the lookout for a creative and marketing agency for the tournament. Earlier this month, Rugby Singapore selected Brand New Media, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings, to undertake creative and marketing duties for the tournament.ESA will work closely with Rugby Singapore, the Singapore Rugby Union and Brand New Media, to craft and communicate a marketing strategy that promotes a uniquely Singaporean persona for the Singapore leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The six-month campaign will include traditional and social media outreach targeting local, regional and international audiences.Headquartered in Hong Kong, ESA is a sports and event marketing agency with a core focus on PR, content marketing, event and media management, as well as sponsorship sales and activation. It specialises in rugby marketing and activation in the region and will work with its local team in Singapore for the 2018 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens campaign. ESA previously collaborated with the Singapore Rugby Union on the hosting of numerous tournaments featuring the Singapore men's and women's teams from 2008 to 2015.The agency has also been the communications partner of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens for more than 20 years, leading the promotion and management of the Asia Rugby seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side championships. It was also involved in the hosting of the Bledisloe cups from 2008 to 2010, the British and Irish Lions match in 2010, as well as numerous Super Rugby and other professional rugby engagements in Asia in the recent years.“ESA was appointed through a rigorous selection process, and we have brought on board a partner that understands Singapore rugby, embraces our aspirations for the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens and has a track record of performance around rugby marketing across Asia," David Lim, chairman of Rugby Singapore, said in a statement to Marketing.“ESA will focus on leveraging its strength in the game and its understanding of the Singapore market to create an event that is unique to Singapore. We will ensure that the game and its supporters are at the forefront of our efforts to build the Singapore Sevens into one of the can’t miss events on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series,” ESA MD Sean Patrick Moore, said in a statement to Marketing.