Cricket industry heavyweights debate next gen marketing opportunities
Steve Elworthy, Tournament Director of the Cricket World Cup 2019 and member of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB); Clive Eksteen the Commercial Director of Cricket SA and Ros Golden, independent analyst and ex Marketing Director for Cricket South Africa make up the panel in this, the second CoNext Sponsorship Forum event on the 21st February that explores next generation marketing and sponsorship best practice.
The CoNext Sponsorship forum is a platform where local sponsorship, media, marketing and advertising industries and their agencies, can gain key learnings from successful sponsorship partnerships in order to grow the quality of work in the African sponsorships arena.
“Our first, sold out instalment of #CoNext focused on the need for brands to partner with rights holders to genuinely unlock value in sponsorships, and was based on a case study between Shield Deodorant (Unilever) and Chelsea FC,” says CoNext Founder and Managing Director Andrew Ross. February’s Episode two, entitled Adapt or Die, will expand on this narrative, whilst exploring in more detail the need for continued evolution, relevance in the modern sponsorship arena and the evolution of sport for the modern fan.
“The face of sport in South Africa has undoubtedly changed over the past few years and so has the way in which we need to engage with sport loving consumers and how we market and coordinate sponsorship opportunities for large scale events.”
The modern consumer has evolved faster than expected, and like other entertainment offerings, sport has faced challenges in re-establishing its value proposition to a new and evolving audience. Stadium attendances are dwindling, and rights holders are facing increased competition to attract and retain commercial partners.
Cricket was one of the first main stream sports to evolve its product to specifically address a new emerging audience, and whatever anyone’s opinion on the Twenty Over (T20) format of the game, it has proved a formidable tool in marketing the sport to new audiences. T20 was developed to satisfy both existing fans who had shorter attention spans, while also expanding appeal for the game.
The invited #CoNext speakers will bear testament to this evolution and explain how cricket ‘upped its game’ to become relevant again to the ever changing consumer. Each speaker will focus on their particular areas of expertise – Steve Elworthy on the commercial aspects of the game; Ros Golden will focus on the fans while Clive Eksteen will illustrate the facts by unpacking a case study.
“This episode of #CoNext will unpack the successes and pitfalls of changing rights packages, and will explore developing new elements of traditional sports to appeal to a new audience. It’s time to Adapt or Die, and it’s not for the fainthearted, as previous guests can attest to,” he says.
Registration to attend, or to stream the second #CoNext Sponsorship Forum is available through the forum’s dedicated website – www.conext.co.za. CoNext is also on Facebook and Twitter. The event will take place at The Baobab Auditorium inside The Cube WorkSpace, corner Straight Avenue and Forrest Drive, Pineslopes, Fourways.
