In an article in The Times last week (IPL auction likes Morgan a lot), Nick Hoult detailed the fact that only one English player attracted any bids in the annual scramble for overseas players to add star quality to the Indian Premier League. Swann, Bresnan and Trott languished penniless while Eoin Morgan went to Bangalore for $220,000.

Mr Hoult writes that “…as far as England’s players are concerned the future now looks to be a decision between Test cricket and the IPL.” The point he is making here is that because of the timing of England’s various tours relative to the world’s richest cricket competition, players cannot do both.

An inevitable consequence is that players will choose to specialise: to become expert one-day or Twenty20 players (presumably chastised for taking Indian coin) or to focus on “proper cricket” and the multi-day game. I believe this to be true, based on evidence much closer to home, where my 13-year old son recently announced his intention to reduce his limited over cricket for fear it will turn him into a batsman less effective at the three day game (which is as long as it gets for a 13-year old). Sage words, and I wish that more illustrious talents would abide by them.

Where my views diverge from Mr Hoult’s and, I suspect, from those of a great number of “purist” fans of cricket, is that I think it is a brilliant idea for players to specialise, to choose one format of the sport over another. In this way they will get better at what they do and provide greater enjoyment for us all. If this happens then it will hasten recognition from the game’s administering authorities that Twenty20, one-day and test cricket are essentially different “codes” of the sport requiring different skills, different players and different commercial models to support them. This means a greater range of opportunities for players, viewers and sponsors, and I think this is A Good Thing.

I point to rugby as evidence of this positive effect. Rugby union, rugby league and rugby sevens are different codes of the same game. Some fans enjoy all codes, others prefer one. Players occasionally swap from one to the other, or develop from one to the other, but most players choose to specialise. All shapes and sizes of player are accommodated across the three codes and sponsors enjoy a wider range of commercial opportunities. Rugby in its broadest sense is richer as a result; it’s even made it into the Olympics.

Twenty20 in 2020 has a nice ring to it. My only regret is that Garrett jnr, having made his choice, will not be opening the batting.

By Scott Garrett on January 29th, 2010

Tags: Cricket, ICC World Twenty20, Indian Premier League, Olympics, Sponsorship, Sponsorship consultants, Sport

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With the oustanding efforts of the England cricket team splashed across the media, Virgin Trains have boarded the bandwagon by given the Australians a fresh reminder of their loss with a touch of English humour.

This is not the first time that Virgin Trains have run ads featuring sports stars.  At the start of this year the company ran a  ‘Liverpool to London return faster than Robbie Keane” campaign.

By Simon Roche on August 26th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Ashes, Cricket, Default

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This summer, we at Synergy are working with Betfair, the online betting exchange, to bring their ECB partnership to life through a fun and entertaining online campaign. Ashes fever is sweeping the nation as ultimate rivals England and Australia battle for the Ashes urn. We’ve signed up Ashes legends Phil ‘The Cat’ Tufnell and Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie to go head-to-head in a series of (Synergy-inspired) challenges that can be watched on the dedicated website FANvFAN.com.  

The website, designed by Engine group company Altogether, offers more than just the videos with the chance to win tickets to each Test match, a chance to play alongside Tuffers and Dizzy and the opportinity to win £4,000.

The virals started in Cardiff with the pedalo race before moving on to Lord’s and the extreme lawn mower race. Our most recent visit was to Warwick race course as Dizzy and Tuffers galloped a furlong down the finishing straight.

The campaign is proving to be very popular and even made the top spot of Media Week’s Great Viral feature.   

Betfair Challenges - www.fanvfan.com

 Keep your eyes peeled as the adventures for our two cricketing legends continue!

By Caroline Ayling on August 3rd, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, Digital marketing, Sponsorship, Television audiences

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Bell’s whisky acted fast this week to leverage Ian Bell’s recall to the England cricket team. The Diageo-owned whisky brand announced its sponsorship of Ian Bell’s bat as he takes the stage in the third Ashes Test at his home ground in Edgbaston.

By Caroline Ayling on July 31st, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, Ashes, Brand marketing, Cricket, Sponsorship, Sport

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© Nick Potts / PA (Telegraph Media Group)

One highlight from the rather depressing cricket news today.

With England cricket fans still reeling from the devastating announcement of KP’s withdrawal from the remainder of the npower Ashes series, the above image found its way into two of the national broadsheets today.

PA photographer Nick Potts managed to capture and distill into one image the cloud of troubled thoughts surrounding England’s would-be captain at the present time. Standing in front of the sightscreen branded with title sponsor npower’s latest slogan, the hoarding rather ironically conveys: Home Team - Service and Repair - this summer… just what KP had hoped for and, unfortunately, was denied.

Don’t worry folks. He’ll be back.

By Lucie Bartlett on July 23rd, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, ECB, Sport

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In football especially, we’re used to seeing teams, governing bodies, brands and celebs attempt to make a few quid around major events by releasing a track which attempts to capture the zeitgeist, and there have been some brilliant moments - especially Three Lions, Nessun Dorma,  World In Motion, and the Nike-inspired A Little Less Conversation. Which brings me to The Ashes, the 2009 edition of which starts today, and two very new, and very different attempts to join the pantheon.

First up is Hey Hey Ricky by The Barmy Army (with a lot of help from Naked), which falls firmly into the ‘make a few quid’ category, the Barmy Army being, as The Times demonstrates today, something of a hand-to-mouth operation.

The track has a catchy riff (which many will recognise from the days when the BBC televised cricket) and some clever, light-hearted, Aussie-bashing lyrics. I have to say I hated the film though, with its clunky, gratuitous brand placements, and equally gratuitous Benny Hill meets Eric Prydz moments. But judge for yourself here.

Next up is The Duckworth Lewis Method, a concept album of cricket-inspired songs by Irish musos Neil Hannon (of the Divine Comedy) and Thomas Walsh (of Pugwash).

We shouldn’t be surprised, incidentally, that two Irishmen have turned their attention to cricket - after all, Ireland  bowled out the mighty 1960s West Indies for 25 back in 1969 (albeit with with more than a little help from Arthur Guinness the night before) and Samuel Beckett was a fan and played at first class level, and as such is the only Nobel Prize-winning author to feature in Wisden.

I’m sure that Sam would have approved of TDLM, and I’d be shoulder to shoulder with him. It’s barking mad, but utterly, utterly brilliant, and I unreservedly urge you to buy it.

By Tim Crow on July 8th, 2009

Tags: Branded content, Cricket, Default, Music, Product placement

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Girls playing cricket. It’s certainly sparked some debate at Synergy HQ this last week or so.

ICC World Twenty 20 Champions

After Paul Collingwood’s England crashed out of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Super Eights it was left to Charlotte Edwards’ mighty World Champions to claim yet another world title. Having watched a masterful display by Claire Taylor, 76 not out, in Friday’s semi-final against some rather butch Aussies I was right behind our girls to bring some winning ways back into the dressing room at Lord’s.

I arrived at the home of cricket yesterday bright and early, 9.35am to be precise. Thinking I’d get a prime position in the Warner stand. Wishful thinking - the stand was packed out! We managed to squeeze in somewhere up the back as the two teams came out for the national anthems.

I won’t lie, there were murmurs of what type of game was about to be played and could it ever live up to the excitement of the men’s game. A subject that had been hotly debated in the office last Friday. What followed was a masterful display of swing bowling by man of the match Katherine Brunt and fielding Jonty Rhodes would have been proud of. In fact one diving stop in the outfield caused the pin-striped suit next to me to jump up in admiration and recognition.

The atmosphere was actually electric (and that’s not just rhetoric) as the England attack ripped through a lukewarm Kiwi side. With 86 to win, our girls kept their heads and chipped away at the runs. Claire Taylor, later crowned player of the tournament, ensured England’s emphatic win and another World title. Now a little birdy told me this is apparently the first England team to have won a world title on home soil since 1966, so you’re in great company ladies.

I’d had my doubts on whether women’s cricket was something I could really get into, but watching an England team yesterday - highly skilled, full of camaraderie and actually winning - made me hugely proud. Well done ladies, I salute you. Now if you could go and show those boys a thing or two…

By Caroline Ayling on June 22nd, 2009

Tags: Cricket, Default, ICC World Twenty20

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BSkyB and npower, respectively broadcaster and sponsor of this summer’s much-anticipated Ashes Test cricket series, revealed their Ashes marketing strategies this week, which take radically different approaches.

Sky’s ‘It Can Only Be An Ashes Summer’ campaign, promoting Sky HD, wonderfully evokes the event’s rivalry and heritage, and features England icon Sir Ian Botham.  All good, and here’s the TV ad - created, incidentally, by our sister agency WCRS.

Conversely, npower will be using Aardman Animation characters playing village cricket, in a retention-focused campaign promoting a £100 discount offer, supported by experiential cricket events. So far so good, but I’m puzzled by npower marketing director Kevin Peake’s reported comments in this week’s Marketing Week, that the campaign will be ”targeted” and “niche” to “reflect the mood” of the country.

Eh? Much as I admire Kevin’s habitual left-field approach, the biggest, most eagerly-awaited sporting event of the summer, and the only time that cricket in this part of the world achieves genuine mass appeal, doesn’t strike me as the ideal time to go niche.

And as for ”reflecting the mood” of the country, surely it would be more effective - like Sky - to use The Ashes to tap into the public’s hunger for escapism? As Mike Atherton pointed out in The Times back in February, sport has always fulfilled this hunger, but especially in times of recession.

‘…interest in hockey, baseball and other [US] sports did not diminish during [the Great Depression]. If anything, it increased. The public’s appetite for fun, frolics and irrelevancy was proportional to their hardship. Seabiscuit, the great racehorse, became popular partly because the story was an unlikely one: a small horse with a poor gait and an alcoholic jockey struck a chord with those fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds. When Seabiscuit faced War Admiral in a race billed as the “match of the century”, an estimated 40million tuned in to listen.’

By Tim Crow on May 28th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Ashes, Brand marketing, Cricket, Default, Sponsorship

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By Tim Crow on June 18th, 2008

Tags: Ashes, Barclays Premier League, Cricket, ECB, ICC World Twenty20, Indian Premier League, New Product Development, Stanford Twenty20 for 20, UEFA Champions League

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