Big Bash League signs KFC as major sponsor
New logo
Old logo
Cricket Australia’s revamped domestic Twenty20 competition the Big Bash League has signed fried chicken restaurant chain KFC as its major sponsor.
The competition, which aims to bring cricket to a broader audience with “entertainment rather than pure sport”, will be known as the KFC T20 Big Bash League.
The sponsorship deal, valued at $1-2m, marks the sixth year Australian international and domestic cricket has partnered with KFC, which plans to use the association in its advertising through agency Ogilvy.
The new brandmark was designed by FutureBrand. The agency’s design director Sally Anderson said the redesigned logo stood for a “bold, high attitude and provocative activity”, with the split shield representing the urban rivalry between the teams.
Cricket Australia’s general manager of marketing Mike McKenna, added: “T20 is the fastest growing sport in the world and its popularity has forced other sports to try and copy its successful formula – short, sharp, high-energy entertainment – in an attempt to capture more fans.”
“The team logos and uniforms are unlike anything Australian cricket has seen. They’re bright, bold and a departure from tradition, and fans will get a first glimpse when the KFC T20 Big Bash League is launched on 27 July,” he added.
This is going to end up as a Fast Food = Fat Kids discussion, isn’t it.
Or a conversation about how crap the logo is? That’s what generally happens…
“KCF…T20….Big Bash…League”. I like the name. So punchy and simple, I doubt it could ever be abbreviated to drop the sponsor name.
I’m not entirely certain that the new logo has taken them forward, so much as to a different, darker place.
Both logos are pretty horrific – as if some fonts and colours were thrown at a wall and nailed there long enough to post-rationalise them as “youth”, “fun” and “exciting”.
Are they using T20 due to legal reasons? That’s more its club nickname and much less known to the broader audience they claim to want to attract.
At least the old name and “brandmark” used a known phrase and vague cricket ball imagery. The new one is rather abstruse.
Wonderful. Another summer full of crap ads featuring that Colonel-imitating wanker.
Sadly, the Death of cricket.
Here is the rest of the branding.
Rest of reference imagery at futurebranddotcomdotau.
Personally like the fact its not all “flaming balls and fluro P-Js” as per the usual….
The ‘new’ logo looks like something from an early round of submissions, originally excluded for good reason. It’s dated by at least 20 years and harks back to Rugby, not Cricket. definitely needs to be replaced.