Leading BBQ brand, Weber Barbecues has signed on to become the official naming rights partner of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
The League will be known as the Weber WBBL from this season, signalling a new era for the world’s leading cricket competition for women.
Weber, a long-term partner of Publicis Groupe’s Starcom Adelaide, enlisted Publicis Sport & Entertainment to broker the naming rights deal with the Women’s Big Bash League.
Publicis Sport & Entertainment will also manage the end-to-end delivery of the partnership, which will see the Weber brand adorn the broadcast, integrated content, venues and club playing uniforms throughout the season. As part of the deal, Weber will also become the official BBQ supplier of the KFC Big Bash League.
Introduced to Australia in 1978, Weber is a brand synonymous with summer, family, food and fun. The partnership will see Weber and the League continuing to challenge the perceptions of the role of women and men, both in sport, and at home.
Managing director Weber AUNZ, Mike McDonald, commented, “we are delighted to be signing on as a key partner with the WBBL. Barbecuing and cricket have long been a part of the fabric of the Australian summer, so this partnership is a great, natural fit. We believe that getting involved in barbecuing, like playing cricket, should be inclusive of everyone and we are very proud to be able to support the growth of women’s cricket in Australia.”
Cricket Australia’s general manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, said of the partnership, “much like the League, Weber has harnessed an iconic element of Australian culture and applied its own touch. Now both occupy their own place in an Australian summer — the WBBL in its standalone October-November window, and a Weber in every backyard.”
On brokering the deal, Publicis Sport & Entertainment director, Ashley O’Rourke, said: “continuing to work with Weber to help shape their sports marketing strategy has been incredibly rewarding for the PSE team. We truly believe in what the Women’s Big Bash League is doing to elevate not only women’s cricket but, women’s sport more broadly.”
“The opportunity to help establish a naming rights partnership between Weber BBQ and the WBBL and continue the growth trajectory of the League domestically and internationally was appealing not only from a shared value stance, but also from a strategic brand perspective for the Weber business”.
Publicis Groupe ANZ’s executive director of Publicis Content & Publicis Sport & Entertainment, Bianca Wallis, added, “I’m extremely proud of the work done by the team and our client Weber. It’s critical that women’s sport get the same support and marketing from brands to level the playing field, and I’m excited for us to take this journey with Weber.”
In its seventh season, the Weber WBBL will also feature a new Finals series format that provides greater reward for the side that finishes atop the regular season table — and increased alignment to the KFC BBL Finals system.
