Rugby Football Union calls in Pitch for 2015 World Cup drive

England 2015, a subsidiary of the RFU, has called in Pitch for retained work following a four-way shoot-out.

The agency will seek to create mainstream interest ahead of the tournament, which will be the biggest sporting event staged in England since the Olympics and Paralympics.

Talking to The Daily Telegraph recently, England 2015's chief executive Paul Vaughan spoke of a need to focus on the 'passion' of the sport, as well as its inclusivity and legacy.

Although he added that the World Cup could not compete with the Olympics for scale, one well-placed agency source said lessons would be learned from the summer's spectacle.

'The opportunity here is to recreate the magical atmosphere surrounding the Games,' he said.

'There is definitely a sense that they will want to create a carnival feeling around it and capture the imagination of the British public.'

PRWeek understands that as well as a general media campaign, Pitch's PR work will revolve around key dates, such as this December's pool draw.

Work is also likely to focus on maximising the buzz around a series of high-profile matches this autumn, with England playing four southern hemisphere teams including Australia and South Africa.

Pitch, which declined to comment on the win, previously worked with the RFU on the fall-out from England's exit from last year's World Cup in New Zealand.

Pitch also works with Heineken, which sponsored last year's tournament.

This article was first published on prweek.com