The Hundred is the first tournament of its kind in the world. Born from a creative strategy that connected brand with audience in never-before-seen ways for cricket, it was disruptive. Fit for the digital era. Full of energy and optimism, fearless but with a big heart, it is a sporting revolution for a heritage institution, throwing crickets doors open to all. By challenging existing perceptions of cricket and crafting a new narrative for the sport, The Hundred invites everyone - especially children and their families, of all ethnic backgrounds - to fall in love with the game at its intense,

The average cricket fan is 50 years old and the sport’s core audience white, affluent, middle-aged men. Beyond this, interest in cricket was declining - and the sport’s future uncertain. It needed a revolution if it was to survive.

The brief was simple - create a global sports entertainment brand; bring more people into the game; showcase top quality cricket; get more children picking up a bat and ball; and bring important revenue to the game. In short, throw open cricket’s doors to all.

OBJECTIVES

Appeal to a broader audience, beyond a ‘pale, stale and male’ demographic

Disrupt traditional perceptions of cricket - which to many meant boring, confusing and elitist

Build a global sports entertainment brand with mass appeal in its DNA, to draw in more diverse audiences than ever

Redefine the sport, whilst still celebrating first-rate cricket and bringing existing fans on the journey

The ECB portfolio was not recruiting the next generation of fans and players in England and Wales. Match attendance was sparse and today's kids were not being as exposed to cricket as they once were.

To engage new, diverse audiences we had to create a disruptive brand that was completely different to what had come before. We were expanding the traditional target market for cricket. From those close to the game wanting to involve friends and family, to those with little knowledge of cricket at all - but many preconceptions.

We wanted to bring more revenue and people into the game. Showcase top quality cricket, continuing to celebrate the sport with its existing fans, whilst positively engaging with fans younger and older, encouraging children to pick up a bat and ball.

It was simple. It needed to be radical, dynamic and open cricket’s doors to all.

Prior cricket competitions failed to connect with a wider demographic and women’s cricket was still not recognised. If the competition was to truly change, we needed to innovate - not replicate. The Hundred was the breakthrough itself, thus ‘Revolutionary Cricket’ was the driving spirit infused into every aspect of the brand.

A wealth of research went into each stage and stakeholders were consulted throughout. We explored the visual language of a variety of sports teams and competitions, and how this can be interpreted by audiences, to define where The Hundred competition sat among the current cricket scene; where it is placed to sit within the wider sporting world, how the audience identifies with it and its need to be different.

The visual choices played a significant role in challenging perceptions to break barriers for new audiences. It disrupted the preconceptions and demystified complexities surrounding the game.

‘Revolutionary Cricket’ was the driving force and everything echoed this sentiment. The Hundred and its team designs reflected a faster, riskier, braver version of the game that was committed to delivering non-stop entertainment. The visual choices reflected this fundamental shift, which were a significant departure from what had come before; striking colours, graphic imagery and expressive typography all align to capture the attention of cricket fans - old and new. We looked beyond the cricket and sports landscapes to other digital and entertainment brands popular with younger audiences to reference their visual codes and create designs that would resonate. From the colours and fonts, to motion and behaviour, and physical branding, we considered today’s digital platforms from the outset and developed each asset to maximise impact both online and offline. It’s visually disruptive because that’s exactly what it is – a brand disrupting cricket and opening its doors to all.

New generation inspired:

230% increase in junior fixtures during summer window

36% increase in girls signing up to junior programmes

Women’s cricket (and sport) gained recognition:

267K: highest ever attendance for women's cricket event globally

31% female new to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sign-ups

The Hundred was key driver in raising interest in women’s sports generally, according to Women’s Sport Trust; 71% of new to cricket viewers of The Hundred went on to watch other women’s sport

Ticket sales reflected changing demographics:

55% were new-to-cricket

19% were for kids

Fans came for the ride:

16.1M broadcast reach (9.2M new to ECB cricket)

YouGov Buzz Report detailed The Hundred overtaking the Premier League for ‘buzz’ in August 2021

98% of players and coaches saw The Hundred as a world class competition

264K app downloads (#1 sports app on App Store)

27% U35 new to ECB sign-ups