In the build-up to the First Test at Trent Bridge journalists from The Times, the official newspaper of the ECB, and The Australian, will take a look at the intense rivalry between England and Australia.
As players go head to head on and off the pitch they too will lock horns in an impactful split reverse front cover on 6 July. Each country will have their own half of the paper to put forward why their team is the best; uncovering classic clashes both past and present, the heated history behind the urn as well as the Ashes fever amongst the public in both countries before they meet head to head in a centre spread portrait piece.
Readers will be able to get involved in this year’s Ashes rivalry throughout the summer as they are kept up-to-date of the action via a daily series of extra analysis from The Times and Buxton Mineral Water, showing who has the edge. This will also contain selected tweets from the dedicated Twitter handle, @GotTheBottle, where readers can join in the banter, receive extra witty commentary and have the opportunity to win tickets to The Ashes tests by commenting on the play both on and of the pitch, say the publishers.
News UK’s Solutions team worked very closely with Mindshare and sports marketing agency brandRapport to produce this fun, engaging and unique campaign with an international edge.
Andrea Cahill, Brand Manager, for Buxton Mineral Water commented: “The Ashes is a huge event in the sporting calendar and partnering with News UK provides us with an international scope with which to run our campaign. Our rivalry theme captures the heart of cricket and we hope our customers and their readers enjoy the expert sports commentary and interactive social media content.”
Charlie Bibby, Sports Solution Manager for News UK Commercial said: “By incorporating quality and award winning journalism from both The Times and The Australian we have provided the perfect platform for Buxton Mineral Water to activate their partnership with the ECB and enhance our readers’ experience of the Ashes. In the future we will look to take advantage of our international portfolio to deliver more unique and engaging campaigns for our clients.”
