levelUP® presents
RUGBY+
Reimagining athlete-led campaigns
Reach high-value audiences through elite athletes with creator impact to meet short-term campaign objectives.
7.7M+
Combined following
415M+
IMPRESSIONS
7.1%
Avg. engagement rate
80+
Elite athletes
The challenge & the opportunity
A known problem. A simple fix.
Reaching Gen-Z and Millennial audiences takes more than a traditional sponsorship package aimed at awareness & visibility.
The media buying challenge
Fragmentation
Authentic, high-engagement reach & attention is scattered across multiple dispersed sports channels.
Aggregated reach
Elite international athletes operating as one digital media ecosystem.
Talent friction
Talent deals typically lean towards long-term endorsements, rather than rapid, brief-ready media buys.
Turnkey talent
World Cup winners, Lions, Prem Rugby and PWR athletes built into your content, with no separate contracting. All ready to meet your brief, whether with one athlete or many.
Publisher limits
Publishers offer reach, but authentic talent-led integrations requires separate talent procurement & contracting.
Audience fit
Talent which can reach affluent, digitally active audiences, delivering across multiple brand verticals based on rugby + lifestyle passions.
Introducing Rugby+
Elite athletes. Macro creator reach. Authentic passions.
You buy targeted, scalable, engaged audiences as well as personality-led content. Rugby gives these athletes credibility and visibility, but their real digital pull reaches well beyond the pitch and into passions that have nothing to do with rugby.
AN EXAMPLE OF ROSTERED ATHLETES
ENGLAND
Fin Smith
RED ROSES
Meg Jones
IRELAND
Conor Murray
SCOTLAND
Blair Kinghorn
INTERNATIONAL
Rieko Ioane
LEGEND
Bryan Habana
Rugby is what they do. Rugby+ is who they are.
| Traditional athlete deal | Rugby+ media product | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying model | Yearly endorsement | Brief-ready media inventory & short-burst campaign packages |
| Audience focus | On-pitch rugby performance | On-pitch performance + lifestyle passions |
| Creative layer | Static brand placement | Co-created native social content & media usage |
| Brand alignment | Endemic sports brands only | Lifestyle, FMCG, consumer tech & luxury (+ endemic too obviously) |
ROSTER RELEVANCE
AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS WITH RELEVANT COMMUNITIES
The Rugby+ proposition offers authentic connections to relevant communities via customised content and aggregated reach across a roster of international and domestic rugby icons, and broader through our distribution network.
7.7M+
FOLLOWERS
Combined social followers across the roster of male & female athletes.
415M+
IMPRESSIONS
Modelled historical content exposures.
7.1%
Average engagement
Follower-weighted Instagram engagement across roster.
45%
AGED 18–34
58% male / 42% female Modelled share of the adult audience
01
AUDIENCE CONNECTION
Appealing to an affluent, digitally-savvy audience of rugby and lifestyle fans.
02
Cultural cross-over
Strong affinity with verticals outside of endemic rugby, including fashion, tech, fitness, travel and gaming.
03
Trust & authenticity
Macro-creator influence and fan interest, backed by elite athletic credibility.
How to work with us
BRIEF TO RESPONSE
01
Send us your brief
Target demographic, budget parameters and core themes, e.g. product launch, brand alignment or seasonal promotion.
02
We build the response
Optimal athlete mix, available inventory, audience data and transparent CPM/CPE valuations, after checking athlete appetite, availability and conflicts.
03
WE DELIVER THE PROPOSAL
Including custom content concepts, athlete approvals, scheduling & distribution media plan.
OFFERING TURNKEY MEDIA INVENTORY
Brief-ready packages
We will develop flexible packages built around your brief, delivering scroll-stopping content and targeted reach.
01
Talent access
Talent available for custom content creation. 1-day production shoot.
02
Hero production
Custom storytelling content in line with your brief.
03
Athlete distribution
Co-created content posted natively on athlete handles.
04
Paid usage & whitelisting
Rights to boost via roster accounts or the wider network for pinpoint targeting.
LET'S MEET OUR STAR TALENT
Hero profile · @finsmithh
Fin Smith
The modern playmaker
On-pitch precision meets urban style & culture
Who
England international and Northampton Saints fly-half. One of the brightest young stars in world rugby, known for poise, decision-making and modern creative flair.
The Rugby+ dimension
The new generation of athlete-creator. Off the pitch: streetwear and high fashion, consumer tech, coffee culture and urban lifestyle are his passions.
Audience demographics
Gender
56% Male
44% Female
CORE AGE · 29+
Top markets
Engagement rate
10.4%
*Based on last 90 days
Lifestyle passions
POTENTIAL BRAND VERTICALS
Core audience
MILLENNIAL URBANITES
56% male / 44% female
Primary platforms
@finsmithh
WHY RUGBY+
England rugby credentials, with interests in football, padel and life beyond the pitch.
FOOTBALL FAN
TRAVEL
TIME WITH FRIENDS
Hero profile · @thanksmeg
Meg Jones
The game changer
Elite athleticism meets vibrant creator energy
Who
Red Roses international, Olympian and World Cup winner. A fearless leader who brings energy, charisma and elite performance to every arena.
The Rugby+ dimension
Meg breaks the mould. She's deep into fashion, gaming and esports, health and wellness, outdoor adventure and inclusivity culture.
Audience demographics
Gender
56% Male
44% Female
CORE AGE · 32+
Top markets
Engagement rate
10.4%
*Based on last 90 days
Lifestyle passions
POTENTIAL BRAND VERTICALS
Core audience
YOUNG, HIGHLY ENGAGED, MULTI-GENDER
Fitness, gaming & lifestyle seekers
Primary platforms
@thanksmegjones @thanksmeg
WHY RUGBY+
England rugby credentials, with interests in football, padel and life beyond the pitch.
PERSONALITY
Fashion & style
Travel & lifeRoster passion verticals
Match the brief to the passion
80+ athletes mapped across diverse lifestyle territories. Our aim is to offer the right mix of talent against your campaign objectives (examples below).
Food, culinary & nutrition
High-protein nutrition, artisan coffee, culinary experiences, meal-prep
Example talent
Outdoor, travel & adventure
Automotive, outdoor apparel, travel tech, active lifestyle gear
Example talent
EXAMPLE OF OUR WORK
DEFENDER
ANTHONY WATSON × MARO ITOJE × HENRY POLLOCK
Showcasing 3x athlete's affiliation with Land Rover, we created and produced a series of films demonstrating how the Defender was a core part of their lifestyle.
All content created by levelUP
CAMPAIGN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
AUDIENCE REACH
Three ways to put the campaign in front of audiences, from one athlete's feed to the full network.
Individual player
Example: Fin Smith
One athlete, one authentic voice. Content lives natively on their own channels.
IMPRESSIONS
23M
*Over last 90 day period
Roster of players
Multiple Rugby+ athletes
A coordinated drop across several athletes for reach across different communities.
IMPRESSIONS
415M
80+ ATHLETES ROSTER
BROADER NETWORK
PARTNER CHANNELS
Roster content amplified through clubs, publishers and partner creator channels.
IMPRESSIONS
2.6BN
BROADER NETWORK
The Rugby+ advantage
Why media buyers choose us
0
extra negotiations
Guaranteed talent access
Athletes are locked in, aligned and ready to activate.
4x
WATCH TIME & RECALL
Superior engagement
Native creator content outperforms sponsored editorial and branding.
100%
pre-cleared
Compliance & guardrails
Category conflicts and rights checked before we respond to a brief.
1
ONE CONTRACT, ONE CONTACT
Turnkey delivery
Rapid turnaround built for fast agency timelines, delivering athlete-led content to meet brand needs.
And we don't stop at rugby
MORE SPORTS. MORE ROSTERS.
Elite rugby talent today to answer your briefs, with talent from other sports coming soon.
Football
Cricket
Olympic sportsContact & briefing enquiries
Got a brief?
Get in touch with the levelUP® partnerships team