Mickey Mice, surgeons, musclemen, vampires, men in tutus … yes, it’s Rugby Sevens weekend in Wellington. And that means teams of people dressed thematically and wandering the streets of the CBD. Welcome to a brand of rugby where the games themselves are virtually the backdrop for the actions and celebrations going on in the crowd and beyond the stadium.
But there are also some important lessons for the marketers amongst us. Here are my seven out-takes from the madness:
- Sometimes the event is strongest when it carries the name but isn’t actually the focus. In other words, it becomes the platform or prompt for a wider circle of participation. That wider circle may be where the money is.
- As per yesterday’s post – if you change the format, you also challenge the expectations of what must take place. In the case of Sevens, the change of game format has evolved into a social prompt for an audience-wide costume-party.
- If you give people genuine permission to behave differently, the initial hesitancy will give way to an atmosphere where people strive to outdo one another.
- Interpretations will vary dramatically. Once they can see what’s in it for them, some will always push the permission harder than others.
- If they are going to go out on a limb, most people would rather do it with someone else. There’s security, presence and confirmation in numbers.
- People may watch what’s going on rather than participating directly. That doesn’t necessarily mean they disagree or disapprove. In fact, even their tacit approval can be highly constructive.
- By Sunday it will be all over again for another year. As soon as you remove the event/atmosphere that fosters such behaviour, people quickly revert to type.
