Brian O'Driscoll to promote Coca-Cola's Rugby World Cup 2015 tie-up

17-Dec-2014 - Last updated on 17-Dec-2014 at 15:44 GMT

Irish rugby hero Brian O’Driscoll is to front a new campaign for Coca-Cola as part of its deal to sponsor next year’s Rugby World Cup.

The soft drink brand has signed as a sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2015, in a deal which marks two decades as a partner of the tournament.

With next year’s tournament set to take place in the UK, bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) said it was expecting it to be the “biggest ever.”

O’Driscoll will be fronting activity in the lead-up to the campaign in a bid to inspire people to get more exercise.

“I'm really excited to be working with Coca-Cola for Rugby World Cup 2015 and see this as an opportunity to bring the game to a wider audience,” he said.

“As a former professional sportsman, I’m a passionate believer in the importance of leading an active, healthy lifestyle and understanding the benefits of physical activity. I believe we can really harness the excitement of rugby in 2015 to inspire people to move more.”

Coca-Cola first sponsored the Rugby World Cup in 1995 when it was held in South Africa. Since then it has featured at every tournament as either a worldwide partner or official tournament supplier.

“Through the sponsorship this year we will work with our customers to bring the tournament to life in outlets up and down Great Britain through excellence in activation to help maximise this significant opportunity,” said Caroline Cater, operational marketing director at CCE.

This Christmas the company brought back its Designated Driver campaign in pubs and bars with a record 12,500 licensees signed up to take part.