Back

partnership

The DHL Stormers have been the premier provincial rugby team representing Western Province since 1883. Renowned for their strong performances and competitive spirit, the team has built a longstanding history in South African rugby.

With a passionate fan base, home matches are held at the iconic DHL Stadium, a special place for thousands of supporters from the Cape and beyond. The Stormers understand the importance of their relationship with the fans and not only to win games but also create unforgettable experiences for those fans by filling the stadium to capacity for every home match.

Their commitment goes beyond the field to the stands which is why they reached out to YDA to help maintain community engagement and inspire the next generation of rugby players and fans. The plan was to provide innovative marketing strategies that could help the DHL Stormers keep their legacy going and maintain the obsession with rugby in SA.

challenge

While this was a noble pursuit, there were a few challenges to overcome. In the spirit of the game we sat down to identify and tackle them.

The website tracking was not optimally set up, which got in the way of analyzing user behavior as well as we wanted to. Event tracking and conversion events needed thorough testing and confirmation with Ticketmaster, which meant a lot of adjustments and repeated testing to make sure the results were accurate. To enhance visibility and engagement, YDA implemented on-page SEO and landing page optimizations with a comprehensive new match schedule.

Also, key ticketing campaigns, including the Summer Series, Mid-Season Sale, and the highly anticipated Bulls vs. Stormers match demanded a robust digital strategy to maximize ticket sales because they were the premier events of the year. This would mean leveraging Meta remarketing and Google Search campaigns to reach a broader audience.

approach

YDA crafted and executed a robust optimization strategy to drive hype, brand awareness, and ticket sales.

Aside from repeatedly adjusting our event tracking and conversion tactics, we continued to refine the landing page and remarket to interested fans.
Our digital campaigns focused on key areas:

Google Search Campaigns:

We ran a comprehensive search campaign from December to mid-February, driving the majority of traffic to Stormers.co.za and Ticketmaster.

To make the most of related search queries, we focused on high-intent searches like “Stormers tickets”, ensuring ownership of key search terms that previously drove traffic elsewhere.

Meta Audience Optimization:

We also leveraged remarketing audiences, including previous ticket buyers, to re-engage potential attendees.

And, we enhanced targeting strategies to maximize conversions and ticket sales leveraging our knowledge of search and social advertising platforms.