Telecom says the campaign, which has been watered down from its initial concept, is tongue-in-cheek, funny and in no way prudish. The rugby union is understood to have been irritated by it but officially says it meant to be entertaining and get people talking.
So, will it get people talking? Yes.
Entertaining? Hardly.
This campaign - with posters urging fans to "Touch, pause and don't engage" - will only once again divert attention from the build-up and is just a waste of time.
Firstly, I can't see how anyone abstaining from sex is going to make Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and the rest of the team play any better.
Secondly, it will just hold us up to ridicule. One marketing expert expects this to be controversial and an embarrassment for supporters. I think they're right.
Imagine the ribbing we're going to get from the Aussies over this.
And thirdly, the no-sex message is just plain, well, tacky.
There will be some people who will have a bit of a chuckle over it but at the end of the day will they still be finding it funny when they have seen the "don't engage" poster for the 20th time?
Just how much is all this costing Telecom? The PR gatekeepers at both adidas and Telecom have come up short over the past couple of weeks.
Surely, Fitzpatrick, one of the game's greats, can find better ways to help with the build-up.
What next? A campaign urging people not to drink during the Cup?
That'll help the ABs.
Yeah, right.
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