Brief
The nation’s custodian of the game, Cricket Australia appointed Reactive to plan, design and develop the digital assets for the launch of the new T20 league; the KFC T20 Big Bash League. The initial project included the creation of nine Web sites and Facebook pages, all on a single Sitecore CMS implementation, and future projects also include mobile, gaming and digital experiences.
2011 saw the transformation of Australia’s T20 competition into the Big Bash League, initially comprised of eight new teams. Switching the formerly state-based tournament to a city-based one, Cricket Australia wanted to develop an exhilarating online experience across nine new Web sites – one for the league, and one for each of the eight Big Bash Teams. A national League launch was scheduled for July 27th, and all nine Web sites had to be launched simultaneously.
Reactive were selected as Cricket Australia’s digital partner for the inaugural launch of the Big Bash League, along with ongoing post-launch development.
Design & Strategy
The key objective of this large-scale project was also our biggest challenge – To increase fan engagement with the Big Bash League, its teams and players, six months prior to a ball being bowled.
Cricket Australia also wanted to generate healthy competition between the teams, to have fans declaring their allegiances and joining in the rivalry. However because the league had just been introduced, we needed an effective online strategy to overcome low levels of initial familiarity. The idea was to create an energetic and cohesive program across all nine Web sites, leveraging opportunities afforded by digital media to reach the youth-oriented target market.
Following a stringent Information Architecture process that clearly defined the overall structure, content and hierarchy for each site, we worked closely with Cricket Australia on the visuals for the sites, customising each design according to the appropriate team/league branding.
A great deal of emphasis on the role of cities and players encourages local fans to band together, adding to the competition between the teams. In the end, we created an overarching visual feel that is explosive and electrifying, modernising the game for younger fans.
Solution
Building the sites with Sitecore CMS, we had to strike a balance between keeping all nine sites technically consistent yet visually distinct. Templates were developed in HTML and CSS, and included flexibility for customisation and future enhancements.
As Sitecore and Microsoft Certified Partners, Reactive were able to tap into local and global Sitecore resources that provided us both feedback and advice on best practice implementation of the solution. What resulted were nine visually distinctive Web sites that are all part of one cohesive platform.
With fan engagement as a key objective, we included features such as a live countdown, hype videos to generate anticipation for the start of the competition, online membership and rich media content, encouraging fans to pick their teams. Extensive social integration such as the Facebook Like Ladder and Fan Voice page create a sense of tribalism as fans are urged to join in and declare their allegiances, making them part of this exciting milestone in Australian sporting history.
Results
Unveiled on 27th July 2011 to nationwide coverage on Fox Sports, the coordinated launch of the Big Bash League site and eight team sites was one the largest in Reactive’s 14-year history. Successfully delivered on time, the launch became a trending topic on Twitter (#bigbashlaunch) and caused a flurry on Facebook with the league and team pages racking up over 3,000 Likes within hours.
The Web sites have clocked in jaw-dropping numbers, with site traffic exceeding expectations. And the newfound fans have continued pouring in, with an average 75 – 80 percent of new visits recorded.