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Hardys extends cricket sponsorship
Hardy’s wine brand has extended its sponsorship of English Cricket by signing up for another three years.
Hardys Wine during the 2016 NatWest OSCAs at Lords yesterday (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
The Australian wine brand, which has been a headline sponsor since March 2014, will use the renewal to build on its widespread marketing and advertising campaigns around England Cricket, which last year saw a £4 million consumer marketing campaign during the Ashes.
Accolade Wines general manager (UK & Ireland) Rob Harrison said the company was delighted to renew the partnership.
“The next three years is an exciting time to be involved in the sport, with England hosting South Africa and India, ahead of the Ashes in 2019,” he said. “Hardys will continue its high profile support of the International game alongside building the brand’s relationship within the grassroots game too.”
Sanjay Patel, ECB Commercial Director, said it was great that Hardys want to give greater support to the recreational game, recognising the vital role that volunteers play in sustaining our clubs and leagues nationwide.
“Over the past three years Hardys have built up strong relationships across cricket, drawing on their excellent knowledge of the game to create high quality and innovative promotional campaigns,” he said.
The Accolade-owned wine brand is ranked as the UK’s largest brand by volume but according to Nielsen analyst Marc Aston, the brand suffered as a result of the EDLP policy adopted by the major retailers, as some of the lesser-known brands were stealing some of the limelight when the brand was less frequently promoted. Speaking to db earlier in the summer, he added that they had recovered after an aggressive approach in the second quarter.
The parent company also has sponsorship deals with the Lawn Tennis Association for its Chilean wine brand, Anakena.
In August, the company confirmed boss Paul Schaafsma, who headed up the UK until last December, before moving to the top job, is to step down next year, ahead of the parent company’s potential listing on the Stock Exchange.