Building hype for the CommBank Women's Ashes
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CommBank named Mary Fowler as its new brand ambassador who is set to collaborate with the bank to promote financial literacy and help drive further growth in women’s sport
Grill’d made its first foray into AFL sponsorship, becoming a Major Partner of Melbourne FC - the Grill’d logo will feature on the neckline position of the men’s jumper and will also feature on the top back of Melbourne’s AFLW jumper
GWS Giants announced a new partnership with ASX-listed property group Mirvac who will take up the sternum position on the GIANTS’ playing jumper
The NSW Waratahs secured Resilience Insurance as its latest Platinum Partner for 2 years which will the see the company’s logo feature on the lower back of the jersey
Battery World Australia extended its Official Battery Retail Partnership with Supercars through to the end of 2027
The Ville Resort-Casino and Ardo extended its partnership with the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys which will take the long-standing partnership to 25 years
Orthoplex became the Official Nutritional Supplement Supplier of Adelaide United
Newcastle Jets announced a multi-year partnership with Eggy (employee experience app) whose logo will feature on the shorts of the Jets’ A-League Men’s team
Australian Labour & Employment Law Firm and Management Consultancy People + Culture Strategies recommitted to the NSW Swifts as Team Partners for the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season
The QRU welcomed cleaning products supplier Croft & Co onboard as its newest Partner of Queensland Rugby and the Queensland Reds
Melbourne Mavericks announced a new partnership with Blue Dinosaur, a brand renowned for its real-food protein and snack bars
Mountain Culture's Status Quo won the GABS Hottest 100 and Australia's #1 craft beer title for the 3rd year running - Pat Cummins was the brand’s 1st investor and was featured celebrating in a 7 News segment
ESPN launched its playful ‘Super Bowl Sickie’ campaign in the lead up to Super Bowl LIX, giving fans a chance to earn themselves a trip to New Orleans by submitting their creative ‘Sickie’ certificate online to enter the draw
The NRL launched a “Creator Comp” competition challenging fans to create a short video promoting its Las Vegas event to win nearly $25k worth of prizes
The AFL partnered with 72andSunny which has been tasked with developing a new brand campaign to launch the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season
HOKA partnered with creative agency Emotive to transform the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club into “The Cushion House” to mark the launch of the new HOKA Bondi 9
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas attended The Grange Gold Course to help announce a new “Family Fairway” to LIV Golf Adelaide - the 6th hole will offer a kids’ DJ, other live entertainment, food trucks, mini golf and the RangeGoats GC Petting Zoo
The WNBL partnered with national charity ‘Share The Dignity’ to deliver a 3rd installment of ‘Fighting Period Poverty Round’, an initiative that raises awareness of period poverty in Australia
Specialist grassroots and mid tier broadcast media platform, BarTv will be covering NSWRL Major and Junior Representatives Competition games on its platform
Optus Stadium was revealed as the host for the 2027 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony and tournament opener featuring the Wallabies
IMG-owned and operated channel Sport 24 extended its broadcast agreement with the Australian Open and will continue to deliver live action from the tournament to airlines and cruise ships around the world
Netflix stock has soared after it recently reported that it had 301.6m global subscribers - the move into live sports (NFL Christmas Day Double Header + Jake Paul–Mike Tyson boxing match) has been attributed to the big jump in performance
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Cricket Australia’s event marketing campaign to promote the CommBank Women’s Ashes series is worth noticing
As Australia’s summer sporting calendar heats up, the competition for attention among sports fans grows fierce.
To help drive interest, match day attendance and broadcast viewership for this year’s Women’s Ashes, Cricket Australia has implemented a creative integrated event marketing campaign.
Here’s an overview of some of the standout stunts and striking visuals that Cricket Australia has executed to capture earned media coverage and maximise reach via advertising.
1. Six Months To Go Announcement
To mark six months to go until Australia and England play in the first-ever day-night Test at the MCG, Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath fronted cameras on the stadium concourse in front of a giant, custom-made pink cricket ball, pyro’s and flames.
View the video here
2. Giant Pink Hot Air Balloon
In the lead up to the Men’s Boxing Day Test, Cricket Australia launched a giant pink cricket ball hot air balloon over the MCG which then served as the backdrop for the Women’s Ashes Test Squad announcement in Yarra Park on day 3.
3. Double-Decker Bus
A big red, London-style double-decker bus and English Black Cabs wrapped in Australian and English flags were used to promote the Women's Ashes T20 cricket match at the SCG.
4. Women’s Health Cover
Ellyse Perry, Alana King and Phoebe Litchfield appeared on the cover of Women's Health magazine and within in a feature article describing the teams’ humble origins, long-standing dominance and how it was preparing for the upcoming Ashes series.
5. Interactive Billboard
Cricket Australia partnered with Revolution360 to create an interactive outdoor billboard activation in close proximity to the MCG during the Boxing Day Test that gave fans the opportunity to interact with Australian cricket stars Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham. Fans could also participate in a game to win free cricket hats and discover hidden golden tickets to win exclusive double passes to the MCG Day-Night Test.
6. Ashes After Dark Announcement
Cricket Australia announced music sensations G Flip, Sampa the Great and KINDER are set to perform at the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG. Streetfighter Media helped spread the word by driving mobile advertising billboards around town, and printed flyer drops took place across Melbourne suburbs.
7. Advertising campaign
Cricket Australia also rolled-out a number of high-production content pieces and creative ad campaigns, including a bespoke campaign – “See the Ashes Ignite”. Last year, it launched its full season “You Need To See It” platform in partnership with Independent creative agency Special that underpinned this activity.
In addition to the PR and advertising-themed executions above, Cricket Australia has also leveraged its owned channels and partnerships to achieve its marketing goals...
There's been a surge in cricket interest across the Australian summer
By the numbers:
Seven’s coverage of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test Series reached 13.4m and it was reported as Australia’s #1 sport of the summer
373,691 fans attended Australia vs India at the MCG, surpassing the previous record set in 1937
The Big Bash reached 11.9m+ people (+21% YoY)
This massive level of interest has given Cricket Australia a solid platform to promote the Women’s Ashes series
Here’s how they’ve done it:
1. At-Match Integration
To leverage its mass attendance, Cricket Australia has taken advantage of breaks in play throughout the summer to promote the series via the big screen and a series of player interviews.
Outside the stadium, Cricket Australia activated a photobooth at Village Green on Day 2 of the Adelaide Test, announced the Ashes Squad in front of a giant pink hot air balloon during the Boxing Day Test and unveiled a London-style double decker bus and giant "Ashes" letters on the concourse at the SCG during the men’s test (see above).
2. Organic Social Media
Collaboration posts have been key...
Ellyse Perry (2.6m+ Instagram followers) gave fans a sneak peek of the Melbourne experience ahead of the Test at the MCG, and as part of an exciting ticket giveaway activation, hid tickets around the city, creating a buzz on social media
Cricket Australia also collaborated with G Flip on social media to promote her performance at Ashes After Dark
Simple organic posts have proven to be effective too...
Alyssa Healy’s impromptu cricket match on the pitch decal in Melbourne received 624k+ views - View the video here
A “Save the date” post received 628k+ views (below)
3. Partnerships
Cricket Australia’s broadcast, media, venue and government partners have helped amplify messaging across their own channels:
Virtual signage was displayed across TV broadcast, and interviews with players from the Australian women’s team were frequently integrated across TV and radio during the Men’s Test Series
The Victorian Government has been a key supporter of the series and has promoted it across their own platforms e.g. Visit Victoria
The MCG unveiled a photobooth outside of the National Sports Museum to help with fan engagement.
4. Online Hub
The above tactics help ensure that event messaging is spread far and wide and helps drive engaged fans who want to browse, learn more and/or buy tickets to a Women's Ashes dedicated online hub here.
In addition, Cricket Australia has partnered with UNICEF Australia and are activating an “Appeal Appeal” campaign, turning every appeal during the CommBank Women's Ashes Test into an appeal for gender equality - More here.
Adidas - Director Category Management
Adidas - Manager, DC
AFL - Participation Growth Manager - Greater Sydney and Northern NSW
AFL - Senior Events Executive
APL - Marketing Executive
Always Human - Senior Talent & Partnerships Manager
A-Leagues - Head of Marketing & Data
A-Leagues - Marketing Executive
AusCycling - Director of Data and Insights
Australian Sports Commission - Senior Consultant - Sport Strategy and Investment
Brisbane Bullets - Community and Development Manager
Brisbane Lions - Digital Content Producer
Crypto.com - (Senior)Product Manager, Sports
Future Golf - Performance Marketing Manager
Foxtel Group - Communications Manager - Sport
Foxtel Group - Engagement Campaign Specialist – Kayo Sports & BINGE
Foxtel Group - Senior Communications Manager - Sport
Griffith University - Manager, Sports Engagement
ISC Sport - Marketing & Digital Executive
lululemon - Director, Digital, Auz&NZ (Ecom/Digital Marketing)
lululemon - Sports Marketing Lead (Australia & New Zealand)
LSKD - Head of Community Marketing
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - Head of Events and Venue Operations
Melbourne FC - Content Producer
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Marketing Project Lead
Melbourne Storm - Digital Media Producer
Motorcycling Australia - Events Coordinator
Netball NSW - Communications Coordinator
Northern Territory Cricket - Head of Events, Communications and Marketing
No2ndPlace - Head of Social Impact
Peloton - Senior Marketing Manager, Australia
Perth Wildcats - Partnership Co-ordinator
Picklebet - Head of Sponsorships & Partnerships
Port Adelaide FC - Business Development Manager, Community
Rebel Sport - Marketing Specialist – Health & Wellbeing
SE products - Auctions and Customer Service Coordinator (Sports Industry)
Sportsbet - Digital Media Specialist - 12 month FTC
Sports Entertainment Network - Game Day & Events Manager - SEN Teams
Sports Entertainment Network - General Manager – Operations
Surfing Australia - Marketing Specialist
Supercars - Membership and Grassroots Marketing Executive
TaylorMade Golf - Trade Marketing Specialist
TGI Sport - Event Producer
TGI Sport - Project Manager
TGI Sport - Sales Executive
Touch Football Australia - Chief Executive Officer
Victoria Racing - Head of Marketing
URBNSurf - Public Relations Manager
World Rugby - General Manager - Marketing & Communications (Men's RWC 2027)
Not a subscriber yet? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.
Thanks Ben. I'm not unfortunately and it's more common than not for these deals to be kept confidential. There are some brilliant agencies/services that specialise in sponsorship valuations - happy to make some recommendations if it's something you're interested in exploring. Best to email me on matthew.hughes@noticesports.com.au
Great stuff Matt. Are you ever privy to the dollar amounts of these sponsorships?