The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ represented a significant opportunity for Tourism New Zealand; with viewers expected to tune in across the world it was the perfect chance to showcase the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand.

But this was far from an open goal. The noise surrounding a global sporting event is seismic. We needed to cut through with a globally relatable story while being undeniably New Zealand.

Introducing… The Beautiful Game, in the most beautiful country on earth.

To mark the one-month countdown to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ we painstakingly produced a full-sized replica FIFA pitch (entirely by hand!).

Working with the Department of Conservation, the Runanga of Ngai Tahu, Arowhenua, Southland Football and Twizel Football Club, we staged an exhibition match the most beautiful - and distinctively Aotearoa - football pitch in the world on the tussocky plains at the foot of Aoraki Mount Cook in Mackenzie Country. It was crucial the pitch was created in a way that would be sympathetic to the land and leave no impact. After six weeks of painstankingly mowing and rolling the grass by hand, the painted white lines of our pitch were added using approved non-toxic paint before we invited two teams of local girls to play.

Our content-rich activation was perfectly calibrated to showcase the people and place of New Zealand via earned media outlets around the world.

Delivering 430 media articles, with an estimated advertising value of $17.3 million, and reaching almost two billion (that’s billion with a B) people around the world.  From Network 10 in Australia to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Washington Post to The Guardian; our story reached billions of people landing the key strategic message of New Zealand’s undeniable beauty.

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