Leveraging the England and Wales Cricket Board’s ODI kit reveal event and channelling the spirit of the 1992 kit (which carried England to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup), the team’s official kit sponsor launched an integrated #MakeYourMark created to appeal to a young and dynamic audience.
The activation, which launched a week ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on 22 May, debuted at the kit reveal event in London’s Shadwell.
The launch event, organised in harness with sport and entertainment agency Mongoose, was attended by New Balance ambassadors and England stars Joe Root, Danni Wyatt, Jason Roy and captain Eoin Morgan, as well as media, fans, influencers and celebrities at an event in Shadwell.
The event celebrated all things cricket and also included food from various different cricket nations around the world, as well as music from emerging indie band ‘Sports Team’.
The initiative aims to inspire England’s cricketers and build excitement amongst the fans and was spearheaded by a spot called ‘Now It’s our Turn’ featuring Morgan, Roy, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid.
In a nod to the heritage of the shirt, there are subtle references in the creative – including a poster featuring Sir Alec Stewart’s name (a member of the 1992 squad) and the number 163 (indicating the number of ODI dismissals he has to his name as England wicketkeeper).
The video rolled out with the England team’s ongoing, umbrella #MakeYourMark hashtag across the sportswear brand’s social channels such as Instagram,
View this post on InstagramNow it’s our turn. The 19-20 @englandcricket kit drops at 12am GMT. @nbcricket #NewBalance
and Facebook.
It was supported by additional content pieces including images from the launch event on New Balance platforms,
and across ECB channels too.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by We Are England Cricket (@englandcricket) on
The 2019 powder blue shirt, which features NB ICE technology and is lightweight, breathable and ultra-fast drying, was developed with England’s players working in harness with the New Balance development team to test and select fabrics that are both comfortable and enhance performance.
The shirt can be buttoned up using three press studs to give it a smarter look and features a navy blue collar and a navy trim around the base of the sleeves, as well as thin red stripes across the chest.
The flame red stripe is a nod to the T20 kit as the ECB feels it is important for the three England kits and teams to be connected.
“This summer represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the England team on home soil and having the support of the country will be crucial. Hopefully we’ll see the stands packed with fans all wearing the new shirt and cheering us on,” said Morgan.
Liam Burns, New Balance sports marketing manager, added: “The 1992 kit is one of the most-loved and iconic shirts in English cricket history and with 2019 being such an exciting year for cricket in the UK, it seemed the perfect opportunity to put a modern spin on the famous shirt.
“The buttons and the collar give the shirt a smarter feel and the heritage factor allowing fans to style the shirt away from the stadium, as well as showing their support at matches.”
Neil Fairbrother, a member of 1992 squad, whose original jersey was on display at the launch event, said: “I look back with great fondness at my 1992 World Cup shirt. I believe it is the most iconic of England’s World Cup shirts and I think it is fantastic that New Balance and the ECB have decided to model this year’s kit on the much loved shirt of 1992.
“We unfortunately didn’t quite manage to go all the way, but here’s hoping that the team can lift the trophy this summer and ensure this shirt eclipses ours and is remembered with even more love and affection.”
Comment:
New Balance, which also launched Cricket South Africa’s kit and World Cup ‘Seize Your Opportunity’ campaign in May (see case study), created this retro England campaign and kit celebrates 1992 – the first year teams took to the pitch in coloured kits
The New Balance kit campaign launch also coincided with the roll out of the ECB’s own ‘Express Yourself’ campaign to leverage the World Cup and attract younger fans to the sport in such a big year both domestically and on the global stage (see case study).
The ECB’s ‘Make Your Mark’ brand platform was originally launched in harness with agency Mongoose back in May 2018 to launch New Balance’s England ODI and T20 cricket kit and to appeal to a younger and more dynamic audience, whilst also maximizing the current fanbase (see case study).
The initial launch film debuted at the flash mob style launch event, which took place at Copeland Park (Peckham, London), where players, fans, media and influencers viewed the premiere of the new campaign film and then played a mass game of street cricket with New Balance ambassadors Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood.
‘Make Your Mark’ is a call-to-arms to make things happen, but to do it your own way.
The creative focuses on depicting cricket in its purest form and on telling stories of how players originally began playing the sport with wickets made out of anything they can find.
The England stars featuring in the hero film reflect on their early memories of the sport and the desire to play anywhere and everywhere possible.
Joe Root recalls his early beginnings in the sport: “My first experience of playing cricket was in the garden and in the driveway with my little brother. We would also go watch my Dad play league cricket on a Saturday and we’d be knocking a ball about on the side-lines whilst the game was going on.”
Dawid Malan was also familiar with the make-shift games as a child: “I think I was about two years old and there are photos of me in helmets and carrying about a cricket bat. And then growing up, we played in the backyard and made our own cricket strip and some of the games we had there with my brothers and neighbours were quite fierce!”
Danielle Wyatt on the family occasion cricket was for her as a child: “My Father and my older brother used to play at my local cricket club, Whitmore in Stoke on Trent. We would always play together as a family at home wherever and whenever we could, and I also played a bit at school. I’ve never looked back since then!”
That kit launch started a series of ‘Wall Wicket’ events around the country which will enable cricket to be played everywhere and anywhere.
The events were hosted in key cities in advance of England games this summer and aim to spread cricket beyond the grounds, inspiring people to take up the sport in its simplest form.
290 fans took part in that original flashmob, the campaign video and launch event was covered by 15 media outlets and the campaign included a bank of content to last 12 months of campaign activation.
‘Make Your Mark’ itself replaced New Balance’s initial England kit launch ‘My Future Self’ campaign from 2017 (see case study).
Links:
New Balance
https://www.youtube.com/user/NewBalanceUK
https://www.facebook.com/NewBalanceUK/
https://twitter.com/newbalance
https://www.instagram.com/newbalance
ECB
https://www.facebook.com/englandcricket
https://twitter.com/ecb_cricket
https://www.youtube.com/user/ecbcricket
https://www.instagram.com/englandcricket
Mongoose
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