With the Springboks and All Blacks set to face off at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium tomorrow, the rivalry is playing out beyond the rugby field – and the All Blacks’ social media strategy is proving particularly interesting from a brand perspective.
Phambili
The New Zealand side has been leaning into South African culture throughout its tour, using local music and language in its social content. Its latest post uses the word phambili, meaning forward, onward or ahead, alongside the phrase “we move forward”.
You don't have to be a social media aficionado to know that South Africans have a strong sense of cultural pride – and we tend to enjoy seeing our music, language, food and cultural references travel beyond our borders. There is something particularly satisfying about seeing another community pick up elements of South African culture and respectfully make them their own.
The All Blacks series of posts features recognisably South African sounds, including Mandoza’s Nkalakatha and Kwesta’s Spirit, as the All Blacks have documented their time in the country.
Black Ferns, New Zealand's women's rugby team, have leaned into the sporting relationship between the two countries. In one video, members of the team speak positively about South Africa's innovation on the field, describing the way the country is approaching the game as exciting to watch.
The approach has been met with a notably warm response from South African social media users, with local audiences praising the team’s social media presence and its willingness to engage with South African.
The All Blacks do not need much introduction in South Africa. They are one half of one of rugby’s most recognisable rivalries, and tomorrow’s Test is the third meeting in the current series.
Yet rather than simply exporting the All Blacks brand into the South African market, its social content is adapting to the culture around it.
The use of phambili is particularly effective because it carries both cultural and sporting relevance. The word communicates movement and progress, while “we move forward” also works as a natural pre-match message for a team preparing for its next challenge.
It is a relatively small execution, but it demonstrates a bigger principle in brand marketing: you don't necessarily have to change who you are to make your brand feel at home somewhere else.
The All Blacks remain unmistakably the All Blacks. But by incorporating the sounds, language and cultural references of the country they are visiting, their social team is giving South Africans another reason to engage with the brand – even when the brand will be trying to beat their team the following day.
On the field, there can only be one winner. On local social media, the All Blacks appear to have found a way to make the rivalry feel a bit more 50-50.
