History made as ASB gifts naming rights to Eden Park for this Sunday’s Bledisloe Test to a Fish and Chip shop from Kaikōura via WiTH Collective

| | 12 Comments

Extending its ‘Borrow The All Blacks’ campaign, which launched in July, ASB and WiTH Collective have gone one step further by giving one lucky ASB small business customer the opportunity to ‘Borrow Eden Park’ for this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup test match in Auckland.

 

Last week ASB made history by securing weeklong naming rights to the iconic stadium. For the first time in 117 years the Garden of Eden was set to be renamed ASB Park… or so New Zealand thought. Instead of keeping the naming rights for themselves, ASB announced it would gift the opportunity to a Kiwi business in need of a helping hand.

For the entire week leading up to the game and the test match itself Kaikōura’s family-owned fish and chip shop, Coopers Catch, will be the new naming rights sponsor of what will be known as Coopers Catch Park.

Coopers Catch owners and avid rugby fans, Jason and Natasja Hill, were stunned this week when ASB’s executive general manager of business banking Tim Deane dropped by unexpectedly to give them the news.

Hill says he still can’t believe it’s real: “It’s beyond any dream my wife Natasja and I had for our business. We’re so grateful to ASB for backing us in what’s been a really tough time, particularly for a town like Kaikōura that has been so dependent on tourism. We love our rugby and it’s an absolute honour to become part of New Zealand rugby history as the first business to borrow naming rights to Eden Park.”

Says Shane Evans, general manager brand and marketing, ASB: “Small businesses are the backbone of the New Zealand economy and supporting small business customers in innovative ways has been a priority for ASB this year.

“This has been a year like no other, and at ASB we knew our support for businesses had to go beyond anything we’ve done before. It’s about being innovative and having the courage to be bold and give new ideas a go. It’s during challenging times we can have the most impact by taking a chance and trying new things. For us, it was centred around responding to our customers who told us they needed help beyond the financial. That’s why in July, we launched the ASB Business Hub, an online resource full of tips and tricks to help small businesses navigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. We also announced our Borrow the All Blacks campaign, dedicating our largest sponsorship asset, the All Blacks, Black Ferns and Māori All Blacks, to promote small New Zealand businesses.

“Borrow Eden Park extends our support one step further. ASB and Eden Park have a proud, innovative history together and this campaign wouldn’t have happened without the team at Eden Park taking a chance on a pretty novel idea.

“Despite facing tough times, both this year with COVID-19 and since the earthquakes in the South Island a few years ago – Jason and Natasja at Coopers Catch have demonstrated impressive efforts and fierce resilience to get through. We knew they would be the perfect caretakers of New Zealand’s national stadium and wonderful ambassadors for small business.”

Says John Marshall, general manager of WiTH Collective at denstu: “The Borrow The All Blacks campaign has been a massive success so far and with 38 out of the 100 ads live we are excited to take the campaign to the next level with the ‘Borrow Eden Park’ idea. Giving away naming rights to one of the most iconic rugby stadiums in the world is huge. We hope the coverage helps Jason and Natasja’s business down in Kaikōura and proves once again ASB’s commitment to small business here in New Zealand.”

Creative directors of WiTH Collective at denstu Jack Delmonte & Hadleigh Sinclair said: “We’re stoked to be rolling out a campaign that’s making a real difference to small businesses. The reception from business owners to the Borrow The All Blacks initiative has been unreal. We’ve both got fond memories of smashing hot dogs on terraces at NPC and All Blacks games, and we can’t wait for fans to watch the All Blacks take on the Aussies at Coopers Catch Park, and the flow-on effects for the town of Kaikōura, and other small businesses around New Zealand.”

ASB
Shane Evans – General Manager, Brand & Marketing
Emma Barker – Head of Business Marketing
Jono Rea – Sponsorship Manager
Crystal Kaiwai – Marketing Manager – Business Banking
Liam Golds – Social Media Specialist
Jasmine Taggart – Social Media Specialist
Marise Hurley – Senior Media Relations Manager
Siobhan Enright – Communications Business Partner, Business Banking

WiTH Collective
John Marshall – General Manager
Claire Beatson – Head of Strategy
Jack Delmonte – Creative Director/Art Director
Hadleigh Sinclair – Creative Director/Copywriter
Matt Woods – Senior Copywriter
Chelsea Sietses – Senior Art Director
Kate Syms – Senior Account Manager
Tim Costar – Senior Content Producer
Steve Nute – Design Lead
Carl Dixon – Senior Designer
Shevonee Muthiah – Junior Designer

Carat
Hugo Winter – Group Business Director
Gemma French – Business Director
Tasman Bradley – Business Manager
Amy Greene – Media Strategist
Andrew Bittle – Investment Director
Meg Thomason – Investment Manager

Anthem PR
Joanna James – Executive Director
Diandra Cave – Account Manager
Charlotte Jackson – Account Manager

History made as ASB gifts naming rights to Eden Park for this Sunday’s Bledisloe Test to a Fish and Chip shop from Kaikōura via WiTH Collective