Rexona is the newest partner to join the Cricket Australia family, in what it said was a world first in sponsorship by protecting the armpits of KFC BBL umpires this summer.
Rexona and its parent company Unilever are joining the KFC BBL as an official supplier, continuing the momentum in the growth of CA’s commercial partner program.
Rexona has aligned with the BBL’s umpiring fraternity to protect them from countless hours spent in the summer heat. Rexona’s branding will feature, as it writes, “on the armpits” of all BBL umpired as they begin the process of trademarking armpit advertising.
The “Pit-vertising” concept was developed by Clemenger BBDO Sydney, working closely with Unilever’s media agency, PHD, and its specialist content division to develop the partnership.
The partnership will be amplified across the Seven Network and Foxtel, further cementing Rexona’s long time association with sport.
Scott Mingl, Unilever’s marketing director – deodorants ANZ, said: “We are really excited about pushing the boundaries with this new partnership with CA, along with our network partners Seven and Foxtel.
“Rexona has a long history of aligning with professional sport, and we are looking forward to seeing our partnership come to life across the BBL this season. The idea is truly innovative and reinforces our role in high pressure environments.”
Nick Thodey, Cricket Australia’s head of commercial development, said: “Cricket Australia and Rexona set out to acknowledge the fundamental role Cricket umpires play in our sport to enable the game to be played all across Australia every summer, with the role demanding performance under pressure and never more so than in the fast paced environment of the KFC Big Bash League.
“The new partnership with Rexona, which extends to our valued broadcast partners, is a world-first concept reflective of the KFC Big Bash’s objective to innovate the sport, setting up the KFC BBL|10 season to be the most exciting in the League’s history.”
This deal concludes a 12-month period of success for Cricket Australia’s commercial program with a total of 13 sponsor renewals and acquisitions successfully achieved, which Thodey said demonstrated the genuine confidence brands have in cricket, defying market conditions during a global pandemic.
“In December 2019 we had over 50 per cent of our sponsorship revenue at risk with a number of existing deals expiring, including the naming rights partners of all three men’s International formats,” Thodey said.
“We were able to leverage the growing popularity of our sport by demonstrating the positive brand health metrics, our national fan base, increased participation and two strong upcoming summers of content with India and the Ashes, to extend Agreements with many of our long-term partners and welcome a number of new global brands into the family including Vodafone, Dettol, Cadbury and Rexona.”
