Ad of the Day: England Cricket bets on punchy ad for The Hundred launch
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is gearing up for the first match in its controversial new competition The Hundred. Hoping to attract a new audience to the game, it released a punchy spot as part of a new campaign that will run into the summer.
The new version of the game – a 100-ball cricket competition aiming to match sporting prowess with big game entertainment – has not been off to a smooth start. Since it was first announced in 2018, sceptics have criticized everything from the fast-paced format to the multi-million budget spent on trying to market it. And in the midst of trying to appease critics, it was forced to postpone the original 2020 launch as a result of the pandemic.
However, with less than 100 days until the first Hundred game, the ECB is going all out with a bold, bright, TikTok-inspired ad campaign it hopes will attract a new cohort of fans.
Created by Engine, produced by Nexus and directed by Shynola, it mimics the fast-paced nature of the promised game with a spot that bounces from shots of swinging cricket bats and flying balls to mad chickens and smashed watermelons.
The campaign will air across ITV, 4OD, Sky on Demand, BT Sport and social media.
It may not delight die-hard classic fans and will undoubtedly fail in trying to convert naysayers. But admiration has to go to the team for the unapologetically bolshy ad that might just make youngsters more inclined to buy a ticket ahead of the first match on July 21.
You can watch ‘The Hundred’ in full above or click on the Creative Works gallery below to vote for it. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email imogen.watson@thedrum.com.
