Taking rugby out of the sports pages
Every project brings unique challenges and opportunities. One of GTA’s latest was promoting the sports documentary "Abbie Ward: A Bump in the Road" on ITVX. Our task was to secure coverage in women's lifestyle pages to reach a broad female audience and move the narrative beyond the sports sections.
The Context - “A Bump in the Road” follows Abbie Ward, a Bristol Bears Premiership Rugby player and England Red Rose, as she navigates pregnancy and returns to professional sport. The documentary’s themes resonate universally, especially with working mothers balancing career, family, and personal goals.
Strategic Approach - Emphasising the key themes of resilience, health, fitness, and the lifestyle adjustments female athletes make and utilising the opportunity presented by the Women’s Six Nations, we focused on an extremely targeted approach to a handful of key journalist contacts. Targeting a group editor enabled features across multiple titles in print and online which just one interview.
Crafting Narrative - Aligning the documentary’s themes with the interests and challenges of facing mothers generally meant the narrative struck a chord. Ward’s story provided insights into managing career pressures while ensuring family stability, engaging readers on a personal level. A candid interview emphasised the resilience and determination needed to overcome the dual demands of being a working mother.
Targeting Women - A mix of titles enabled coverage that spoke directly to a wide range of women and mothers, regardless of their familiarity with rugby. The platforms allowed discussions on Abbie’s emotional and physical challenges and highlighted relatable parallels between elite athletes and everyday women, enticing a broader audience to watch the documentary.
The Result – Impactful double page spreads of coverage spanning three national newspapers - Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People, and their online counterparts.
Interview with Rugby player Abbie Ward which appeared in