CRICKET BEACH

Bronze Spike

Case Film

Presentation Board

TitleCRICKET BEACH
BrandCRICKET BEACH/COCA-COLA SOUTH PACIFIC
Product / ServiceCRICKET / COCA-COLA
CategoryA04. Best Use of Sponsorship
EntrantGEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company GEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency GEORGE PATTERSON Y&R Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Romanca Jasinski GPY&R Melbourne Agency Producer
Tom Marley GPY&R Melbourne Editor
Evan Roberts GPY&R Melbourne Copywriter
Ben Coulson GPY&R Melbourne Executive Creative Director
Chris Northam / Luke Simkins GPY&R Melbourne Art Director
Mat Cummings GPY&R Melbourne Account service

The Campaign

In summer, the biggest problem Aussies have is deciding whether to go to the cricket, or the beach. So we turned our biggest competitor into our ally and created Cricket Beach. This summer-long PR stunt combined 70 tonnes of sand, a few gigolitres of crystal clear water and a select group of beach-slash-cricket fans at our most prestigious sporting stadium, the Sydney Cricket Ground. Brought to life by Cricket Australia and their major sponsor Coke, fans could win a day at the beach, at the cricket, by simply buying any specially marked Coke. Cricket Beach soon took on a life of its own, gaining international attention through the broadcast and in the news. THis is typified by the $4,000,000 earned media is gained in the first match alone and the fact it was seen by millions of people across 9 countries.

The Brief

The goal for Cricket Australia is was simple; Get Aussies off the beach and back to the cricket by showing them that the cricket is the only place to be during an Australian summer. To be precise, change behaviour and rekindle the passion for cricket in lapsed fans and encourage new fans to attend. For Coca-Cola the goal was to leverage their sponsorship of the cricket to further position the brand at the heart of good-time summer fun.

Results

- Cricket Beach clocked up over $4,000,000 of earned media in one match. - 1500 lucky beach/cricket fans got to enjoy having their feet in the sand and their eyes on the cricket - It was also seen by millions of people in over 9 different countries.

Execution

The campaign launched with traditional media of TV, print and on pack advertising encouraging people to win themselves a spot on the sand. While that was happening, builders and engineers busying themselves at the SCG creating beach complete with a pool, 70 tonnes of sand, life guards, a BBQ and a bar. The Cricket Beach was unveiled to the media a week before the first match was scheduled to begin. Interviews and press releases were filmed pool side at the stadium and built the hype. Once the game began on Jan 3, broadcast and social media took over as the Cricket Beach featured heavily in-game and on all social media platforms. This ensured the PR campaign would remain a hot topic for the rest of the summer.

The Situation

In summer, the biggest problem Australians face is deciding whether to spend the day at the beach or at our favourite National sport, Cricket. Unfortunately for Cricket, the current team hasn't been very successful in recent times, which has resulted in a steady decline in match attendance. All the while, the Australian public continues to have a great time frolicking in the waves on our beautiful coast. This required a big behavioural change.

The Strategy

We developed a multi-channel PR strategy focused on combining all the best bits of summer at one place – the cricket. The hub of this concept was Cricket Beach, literally a beach at the cricket. There was sand, water, a bar and a BBQ all sitting on the boundary line at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Local and international media supported the story promoting the winners as having the ultimate summer day. From these channels we gained countless ambassadors including the players themselves and maximised the PR opportunities to the fullest with live news reports, in-broadcast features, interviews with celebrities all done live from the Cricket Beach itself. And like every other case study you’ll read, facebook and all the other social networks did their bit to spread the word as well.