Growing the game of cricket

In 2019, the ECB announced a new short-format competition that would put cricket front and centre in the UK: The Hundred. Delayed by a year due to Covid-19, the tournament’s long awaited debut finally arrived in 2021.

In advance of its physical launch, we were on hand to secure partners for the new competition by designing and creating a commercial proposition that challenged and disrupted the traditional world of cricket sponsorship.

Sure Hunderd

What we did

Working closely with the management team at The Hundred, and underpinned by strategic partnerships with the broadcasters, we developed an innovative, centrally integrated commercial structure that offered prospective partners an entirely exclusive ecosphere.

We did so through a combination of an audience-led sales approach, negotiating integrated Broadcast and Digital commercial rights packages, developing a centralised ticketing solution, and creating data driven marketing programmes.

On achieving this, we then researched leads, packaged assets, identified key brand narratives that shared synergies with The Hundred’s vision to reach new audiences and finally followed a go-to-market-strategy aimed at bringing consumer-facing brands into cricket.

This work included all elements from the research phase and creation of sales collateral, to conducting outreach and ultimately securing partnerships.

+500

Brands approached

4

Partnerships signed with disruptive brands

Fully

Integrated partnerships delivered

The results

Our work resulted in a full partner family that exceeded commercial targets for the first season of The Hundred in 2021. All partners fit the key requirement of adding value by association and opening up the competition to a wider audience, allowing us to push The Hundred onto the High Street and bring it to a wider and more diverse audience.

Through the likes of Cazoo (presenting Partner), KP Snacks (Principal Partner of the teams) and two additional founding partners in Unilever and Vitality, we have been able to exceed expectations for the launch of an entirely new proposition.

Working with CSM has been a huge factor in our commercial success in our launch year. They understood the ambition of The Hundred from the outset, and were focused on building our reach into new categories. We have strong relationships with brilliant partners who also understand the potential for The Hundred in helping cricket reach broader audiences.

Rob Calder
Commercial Director
The Hundred