There is a fresh, vibrant and youthful look to the Twenty20 Cup this summer following a marketing and promotion campaign that has caught the public’s imagination on the eve of the new Twenty20 Cup competition, starting on Friday (June 22).
Working with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Whitestone has steadily built the Twenty20 Cup brand, which is entering its fifth season, through a strong central marketing programme over the last three years. This season’s campaign features a dynamic ‘Pop Art’ look that will be seen up and down the country. And the public is responding to the campaign: some counties are reporting that they have sold out all tickets in advance of the competition and others report that ticket sales are up on 2006.
Whitestone International – a specialist in business strategy, brand, marketing, communications and design in sport – believes that its strong relationship with Twenty20 Cup organisers, the ECB, has helped to define this well-known and popular brand.
Chris Lightfoot, Director at Whitestone, said: “We were delighted that the ECB wanted our input into the competition strategy way back in the autumn last year. Everyone recognised the popularity of this type of cricket and we wanted to build on the Twenty20 Cup experience. Working together, we examined what the competition is, where it is heading and crucially, what the audience wants to see and hear. Hopefully, we managed to capture the appeal of the competition and this in turn will drive attendance, both at the grounds and for television viewing.”
Whitestone was engaged by the ECB in 2004 to provide the main marketing and event materials for both the national and local promotion of the Twenty20 Cup competition. This work included: the creation of posters for the ECB and all county cricket clubs; notice boards and signage for all the matches; web banners for the ECB and county websites; ticket design for finals day in August, and PR and press materials, including national newspaper advertisements. Based on its success, the programme has now been rolled out for all the ECB’s domestic and international brands.
Whitestone has worked on a variety of levels with the ECB since 2003, from strategy to implementation, including building the different ECB brands and portfolio, competition marketing, corporate identity, sponsorship development and licensing and merchandising.
Tom Johnson, Marketing Executive at the ECB, commented: “We are really pleased with the look that has been achieved for the Twenty20 Cup competition this year, it is exactly where the game needs to be going and should appeal to a wide range of people. Counties are embracing the materials, which helps with the overall brand message and offers consistency to the competition.”
Whitestone is a growing company that supports and assists its clients in developing and activating their brands, intellectual property, brand communications and marketing programmes, in order to maximise impact and to optimise commercial potential, through revenue, relationships and value.
