Cricket Offers Value To Fans And Brands – 01/08/2006 Premiere Sponsorship Marketing, a member of WPP, and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) have formed a strategic alliance to explore and develop the commercial potential of cricket. The partnership will look at how best to harness the resurgent interest in cricket, understand the value and positioning of the game and where the game’s key property, the players, sit in this mix. SportZ, a new survey commissioned by WPP and Premiere Sponsorship Marketing, confirmed the growing power of cricket – one of the few sports in Britain which is both growing its fan base and is perceived as growing in appeal and ‘watchability’. This can be seen very clearly in the fan connection with the England Test Team. In 2004, 10% of sports fans stated that the England Test team was their favourite team in British sport – in 2006 this has nearly doubled to 19%. In addition SportZ identified cricket fans ahead of fans of any other sport in terms of their commitment, interest and passion for the game. When asked to rank their level of passion (scale of 1-10) cricket scored the highest with a score of 8.76, beating football – and this in a World Cup year! The SportZ survey conducted for the third year, in May 06, looks at sports, events and teams as if they were brands. The PCA’s Chief Executive, Richard Bevan said, ” This study is very valuable to the game and the players. It demonstrates that not only does cricket have a growing fan-base, but one that is very committed to its sport. From the PCA perspective this is hugely important as we look to develop our players as role models in sport and maximize their potential.” Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive of WPP commented, ” Cricket reaches a hugely important audience, has created some great role models for youngsters and is increasingly of interest to our clients and agencies.” David Farrow MD of PSM pointed out that it is not just the England Test Team that is a spectacular success, ” Twenty 20 has a higher ‘vitality’ index than any other event measured in the survey including the FA Cup and the Rugby Premiership. Roughly half of those fans who are aware of Twenty 20 say it is one of their preferred sporting events. Therefore, at all levels the game is an attractive proposition for would-be sponsors and commercial partners, with the values and professionalism within the sport making the players ideal brand ambassadors.” The SportZ data can also be split by region, and will shortly be fused with WPP’s huge Target Group Index study, meaning that levels of passion for cricket can be measured not just by age and location but also by brand purchasing habits – revealing which cars cricket fans drive or which wine they drink the most. Richard Bevan added, ” We at the PCA are really excited about our relationship with Premiere Sponsorship Marketing. The fact that the data can be used by region means it is a treasure trove not only for the international game but also the county game and we are delighted that Premiere are happy to share the data with administrators and marketers across cricket.” For further information please contact: Richard Bevan Group Chief Executive – The Professional Cricketers’ Association Mobile 07860 474 767 Email: rbevan@thepca.co.uk Website: www.thepca.co.uk David Farrow Managing Director – Premiere Sponsorship Marketing Tel: 020 7479 0738 Email: dfarrow@premiere.co.uk Website: www.premiere.co.uk
