NPC50

The NPC's 50th season campaign, built for the 14 provincial unions

(Client)
PU14
(Year)
2026
(Services)
Social Media Strategy
NPC50 Ranfurly Shield graphic: 97 ways the Shield could go

Fifty years. Fourteen unions. One campaign.

I built NPC50 for PU14, the 14 provincial unions, who jointly own the site, the content and the fan data. Strategy, UX, the site and an in season content engine, start to finish.

NPC50 put fifty years of the NPC in fans' hands. I built it for PU14, the 14 provincial unions working together, and the unions jointly own everything it made: the site, the content and the fan data.

Strategy and UX

  • The campaign strategy
  • Seven fan personas and journey maps
  • The voting model: fans 50%, players 25% and a media VIP panel 25%
  • Phase 1 union voting, then Phase 2 voting for the top 50, revealed in five blocks

The site: npc50.nz

  • 2,176 player profiles and 2,029 player photos
  • 244 moments and a 164 image gallery
  • 14 union pages, each with a register of every player to wear the jersey, with data from Rugby Database, the data partner
  • A Ranfurly Shield tracker that drew more visitors than any single union page
  • The supporter board and supporter rankings
  • History pages

Content

  • An in season weekly engine for all 14 unions, with Rivalry Tuesday and themed rounds
  • TikTok filters: Rank The Legends and Front Row
  • Reveal cards and cut line cards
  • A Flashback title sequence and 9:16 cutdowns
  • The VIP Ballot series: 47 graphics on the media panel's picks
  • The countdown and one week to go builds
  • The Spark 50 Year Quiz, a half time activation at six games
  • The campaign review for the union CEOs

Results

  • 152,881 votes
  • 62,646 site users, past the 55,000 stretch target
  • 37,621 shares
  • 5,929 registered supporters
  • 13,218 Google clicks