Media Relations

Campaign: The Stick Cricket International Cricket Cutie (ICC) Trophy

Client: StickSports Ltd.

Timescale: October – December 2006

About StickSports

Stick Sports provides interactive online sports games including Stick Cricket, the world’s most popular online cricket game and the second most popular cricket website.

Interactive online games have emerged as one of the most exciting and effective marketing platforms.

Through a variety of channels, Stick Sports offers companies unrivalled opportunities to market to its youthful, predominantly male game players.

Objectives

• Drive traffic to www.StickCricket.com in the build up to, and during The Ashes in the UK , Australia and South Africa
• Promote and generate interest in www.StickCricket.com prior to The Ashes in the UK , Australia and South Africa
• Promote Stick Cricket’s directors as expert commentators on cricket

Strategy and Plan

Parker, Wayne & Kent and Stick Sports produced an online poll to determine the “International Cricket Cutie” from the top Wives And Girlfriends (WAGs) of cricketers. This then became the “Stick Cricket ICC Trophy”.

The top five cricket cuties included cricket WAGs from South Africa , Australia , the UK and Sri Lanka . Hence Parker, Wayne & Kent created and sold in a release that could be adapted for journalists in the three targeted territories.

The team at Parker, Wayne & Kent generated and maintained relationships with representatives in each of the target countries to ensure that the release was covered in their local media.

Following the initial release of the top five cricket cuties for the ICC Trophy, a second release was developed pitting only the Australian and British WAGs against one another in their own ‘Ashes’ competition. Parker, Wayne & Kent conducted a second angle analysis on the survey data, and developed the ‘Ashes’ angle. This release targeted British and Australian media, with UK coverage achieved in titles including The Sun, The Daily Star and New Media Age.

Results

• Coverage was gained across all three territories both online and in print.  

• In the UK coverage was gained in titles including The Sun, The Daily Star, Zoo, New Media Age, Sport and cricinfo.com

Testimonial

“The Stick Cricket ICC Trophy campaign received national coverage in three target territories and raised the profile of StickCricket.com as a sporting portal prior to the biggest event in the cricketing calendar. As we have offices in Australia , we were particularly impressed at Parker, Wayne and Kent ’s ability to generate international coverage from London . They hit the right audience, at the right time, in the right places – a job well done.”  

Paul Collins
Director, StickSports

See Also

Supermodel Storms The Stick Cricket ICC Trophy (27^th October 2006)

Australia Wins Ashes’ Battle of the Babes (10^th November 2006)