Npower Drops Stars For Ashes Ads
Test match sponsor Npower has decided against the use of cricket celebrities for its upcoming marketing campaign ahead of this summer’s Ashes Series between England and Australia.
The energy brand had used the likes of Kevin Pietersen to front previous cricket-related marketing campaigns but has decided against the use of players in this year’s activity.
A TV campaign, created by Beattie McGuinness Bungay and Aardman Animation, will break ahead of the first Test of the Ashes series in Cardiff in early July.
The ad will feature Aardman Animation-created characters, continuing the theme from its current flagship campaign, playing cricket on a village green and will promote the £100 discount the company offers to dual-fuel monthly direct debit customers on their first anniversary.
Experiential activity includes ‘Cricket in the park’ events at cities including Southampton and Derby while two ‘Urban Cricket’ arenas have been set up to encourage grassroots participation.
Npower said the campaign will be more ‘targeted’ and ‘niche’ this year to ‘reflect the mood’ of the country.
The brand’s last cricket-related marketing campaign starred a Terminator-themed Pietersen poster and outdoor activity supported by experiential marketing at matches.
