"Asahi" logo, a woman gesturing to a man in a cap reading a sheet, and a kneeling woman holding a rugby ball on turf
Submitted by The Goat AgencyAgency IPI Score 57/100

Asahi Super Dry Boots On, Boots Off Instagram Series

Influencer Marketing

The Goat Agency paired two England rugby players with two creators in an Instagram series for Asahi Super Dry's WRWC sponsorship, and reports 370K engagements from the work.

800KImpressions
370KEngagements

Case in 60 seconds

Asahi Super Dry sponsored the Women's Rugby World Cup and needed that sponsorship to build awareness and real association with women's rugby, while the competitive lager market made it hard to join the tournament without losing the brand's own identity.

Sports fans engage more with players as people than with the match itself, because The Goat Agency's IBEX analysis of previous sporting events found the best performing sponsorship content centred on players' lives beyond the field.

Boots On, Boots Off bridged a player's passion on the pitch and her passion off it, pairing two WRWC players with two creators who shared those interests so Asahi Super Dry sat inside the conversation rather than in front of it.

England players Ellie Kildunne and Holly Aitchison featured in rugby routine films on their own and Asahi's Instagram, then met creators Robyn Gunn and Wumni Bello over photography and fashion, and all four reflected on rugby's evolution over pints of Asahi Super Dry. Milly Pickles and Elz the Witch documented matches as fans, while influencers attended The Open Arms Experience, an Asahi hosted pub event.

The Goat Agency reports 800K impressions and 370K engagements, and says the Boots On, Boots Off content outperformed the more rugby-focused content, while the page lists a Bronze at the Global Influencer Marketing Award for Best Influencer-Led Content Series.

Strategy Breakdown

People who show an interest in sport, reached through creators whose content embodied photography and fashion, with the wider aim of building Asahi Super Dry's association with women's rugby and the WRWC.
The page frames women's rugby as a culture the brand had to earn a place in, so the series built association through the players' personal passions rather than through tournament advertising.
The lager market is competitive, so Asahi Super Dry had to join the WRWC conversation while keeping its own identity rather than reading as one more beer sponsor.
Asahi Super Dry is cast as the supporting act, present in the pints shared between players and creators rather than as the subject of the content.
IBEX analysis of previous sporting events showed that the best performing content focused on players beyond the field, from pre-tournament anticipation to community-driven content during the event.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram

Partners

  • The Goat Agency

Creator role

  • Ellie Kildunne
  • Holly Aitchison
  • Robyn Gunn
  • Wumni Bello
  • Milly Pickles — creator
  • Elz the Witch — creator

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Impressions800K impressions
Engagements370K engagements

Why The Goat Agency's strategy worked

  1. 1

    A sponsor can enter a sport through the players' interests away from it, because content about hobbies such as photography and fashion reaches people who would not watch rugby-focused content, which the agency reports performed less well.

  2. 2

    Pairing athletes with creators matched on a shared interest gives the brand a natural place in the conversation, so the product works as the supporting act rather than the subject of each episode.

  3. 3

    Casting creators whose audience intersects with sport interest connects the sponsorship to new audiences while keeping it relevant to the tournament, which is why the agency selected Robyn Gunn and Wumni Bello through IBEX audience data rather than follower scale.

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