NZTR breathes new life into racing with launch of ‘The Grand Tour’ via Pitchblack Design

In the same way many global sports celebrate their majors, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is excited to launch ‘The Grand Tour’ Racing Festival, a celebration and unification of New Zealand’s 20 premier racing events across Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Waikato, developed by Pitchblack.

Thoroughbred racing events offer all the ingredients of a perfect day out, and The Grand Tour introduces a significant new audience to the thrill of race day by showcasing all the world-class entertainment on and off the track.

Pitchblack and MBM won a competitive pitch to help NZTR with the strategic positioning, naming, and branding of The Grand Tour, resulting in a campaign that’s bigger, bolder, louder, and designed to stand out in a busy sports entertainment market.

Says James Wendelborn, head of design at Pitchblack: “The design takes its inspiration from the distinctive jockey silks, with large geometric patterns and clashing colours – an on-trend aesthetic that helps racing feel relevant to a new audience.”

Says Dan Smith, general manager – customer, NZTR: “To grow attendance at racing events we were after a fresh, disruptive approach. We couldn’t be happier with the work produced by the Pitchblack and Jetblack team; the ideal campaign to achieve our objectives.”

The Grand Tour launches on Monday 29 August and runs right through until early April 2023.

Client: New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing
Agency: Pitchblack Partners
Production: Jetblack Productions
Photographer: Steve Boniface @ Match
Media: MBM
Sound: Beatworms