13/08/2015

Marston’s Fan-Created, Anderson-Led ‘Ultimate England Ashes Team Talk’

Prior to this summer’s Ashes Marston’s Pedigree, England Cricket’s official beer, aimed to leverage its rights, capitalise on cricket fever and generate excitement through the ultimate England ‘Fan Team Talk’.

 

The bitter brand worked with brand ambassador and England swing bowler Jimmy Anderson to front its campaign to create the ideal motivational speech.

 

In late June, before the start of the Ashes test series against Australia, England cricket supporters were encouraged to submit their favourite motivational quotes – extracts that they would personally like to give to England’s cricketers.

 

The initiative, promoted across digital and social platforms, was incentivised by offering entrants a chance to win Ashes tickets.

 

The winners were chosen when Anderson personally chose his Top 10 and then put together in a frame and shared with the England team.

 

 

Activity ran across both Anderson’s own social platforms (@jimmy9),

 

 

as well as the sponsor’s channels.

 

 

Another part of Marston’s pre-Ashes work was an on-trade ticket competition based on an in-pub consumer vote for their favourite tipple in a competition between classic Marston’s Pedigree and Pedigree New World.

 

 

Marston’s also ran a prize-led leverage strands activating its cricket sponsorship was an on-pump Ashes promotion built around a competition to win a signed bat.

 

 

Cricket ambassadors Anderson and former England bowler Matthew Hoggard also created Marston’s Ashes content pieces – spanning personal appearances, ambassador product variants,

 

 

and various social media pieces across Facebook, Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

and celebratory Vines.

 

 

Comment

 

Perfect team talks and fan-created motivational speeches have long been part of the event lead-in activation for sports sponsors – think Carlsberg’s England 2010 World Cup ‘Team Talk’ campaign –

 

 

but perhaps Marston’s could have pushed its quote creators a little harder, linked consumer-created contributions to those from famous England sportsmen of cricket legends of the past.

 

Even a content piece with Anderson explaining his judging decisions might have provided additional opportunities.

 

From a broader perspective, the very nature of social media communication platforms means that emotional social media story-telling is more of a marketing challenge than simple shareable comic quips and quick-witted comment.

 

But the natural craft and story space for bitter’s like Pedigree means that if the brand can pull off its Ashes emotional highlights engagement approach could provide impactful engagement with Marston’s audience.

 

In late 2013 Marston’s announced the extension of its England Cricket commercial partnership as the team’s ‘official beer’ up until 2017.

 

Links

 

Marston’s Pedigree Website:

http://www.marstonspedigree.co.uk/

 

Marston’s Pedigree Google+:

https://plus.google.com/110768442921951386110/p

 

Marston’s Pedigree Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/marstonspedigree

 

Marston’s Pedigree YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PedigreeMarstons

 

Marston’s Pedigree Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MarstonPedigree

@MarstonPedigree

 

ECB Website:

http://www.ecb.co.uk/

 

 



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