‘We want to engage new audiences’: Weber CMO and agency partners on WBBL partnership
Weber BBQs has extended its partnership with the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) for another two years. Speaking exclusively to Mumbrella, Weber’s CMO, Nicole Parker, Publicis Sport & Entertainment’s national director, Will Koukouras, and Starcom’s business director, James Parry, explained the success of the past three years, and what the strategy looks like moving forward.
Having signed on in 2021 as the naming rights partner of the WBBL, Weber has been a long-time supporter of the sport and its legacy. After a successful two-year partnership, it re-signed for a third year for the 2023-24 season, and has now entered an agreement for a further two years.
Weber, which is a long-term client of Publicis Groupe’s Starcom Adelaide, enlisted Publicis Sport & Entertainment to broker the naming rights deal. Publicis Sport & Entertainment is also responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the partnership.
“Our vision was to change the perceptions that existed around barbecuing,” Parker explained to Mumbrella. “We want it to be more diverse and inclusive, we want to engage new audiences. And when we looked at how Weber as a brand could engage with a wider audience, we quickly realised that summer means barbecuing and summer means cricket, and we thought there was a great synergy there.
“And it’s been a hugely successful partnership thus far,” she continued.
With women’s sport on the up, and attendance at WBBL games being made up of 57% women compared to 36% in the men’s league, Parry said the brand is absolutely connecting with a broader audience.
“We’re seeing that flow through to the broadcast viewership too, and more broadly we’re seeing more families attend games, so there is that growing, diverse audience.
He continued: “Through our investment, we’re talking to more of those female viewers, we’re authentically connecting within those environments. And I think that’s really powerful.”
Koukouras said with sport being such a huge part of Aussie culture, its imperative for brands to get involved.
“Our role with Publicis Sport & Entertainment it to understand the industry really well. And sport is such an obvious one for Aussie brands… It’s such a huge part of our culture and demands such a large audience, and it gives brands like Weber a great chance to engage different people,” he told Mumbrella.
“A big part of this strategy is the aim to connecting with young people, and again, sport is the way to do that. The research we do shows that they’re more receptive and aware of sponsors, they recognise the brands that are there on the fields and on the jerseys, and they make that connection with the brands and the teams. So Weber is doing really well at capturing the attention of this younger audience in a media landscape that is very fragmented.”
(L-R): James Parry, Nicole Parker, Will Koukouras
To date, the partnership has included on-ground activations, competitions, and content integrations, which has helped boost Weber’s position as one of Australia’s most trusted brands.
Weber has had a 10% increase in top-of-mind awareness and a 10% increase in consumers saying they are likely to consider purchasing a Weber product, as a result of the sponsorship, according to surveys conducted in February 2022 and February 2024.
“Integration is the key word, it’s the key reason why this has been such a successful sponsorship,” Koukouras continued.
“It’s one of the benefits we have, working as part of a connected platform. I mean, we’ve got Starcom, we’ve got Publicis Sport, we’ve got a number of different agencies working on this partnership and we have built an integrated strategy across every single Weber touchpoint.”
Parry added: “That survey data speaks for itself, this partnership is delivering a shift in those key metrics for us in such a great way.
“The activity around activations, promotions, content, is so deep, and that’s then amplified through broadcast and beyond. It’s working so well.”
Weber Stand at Adelaide Oval. (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images for Cricket Australia)
For the next two years, the partnership will be getting bigger and better, according to Parker.
Back in 2021, Weber had ambition to help boost the WBBL so much so that it could play in Tier One venues – the likes of Sydney Cricket Ground and Melbourne Cricket Ground. Parker described that as “extremely ambitious” for the early days of the league, but now it’s possible.
“This year, we’re going to activate at the SCG in November, and that’s really exciting not just for us as a brand but for so many consumers. It demonstrates the growth in participation and attendance with women’s sport, and it’s really a credit to the fans that we’re able to push and go to these larger venues,” she said.
“This partnership continues to give us opportunities and brings the brand to life in new and unexpected ways… and many people wouldn’t expect to see a brand like Weber sponsoring sport, so that gives us cut through as well.”
The tenth season of the Weber WBBL kicked off on Sunday night.
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
Got a tip?
Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
Linkedin
topics
Cricket Australia
James Parry
Nicole Parker
Publicis Sport and Entertainment
Starcom
Starcom Australia
WBBL
Weber
Weber Barbecues
Will Koukouras
Women's Big Bash League
Have your say