Television viewers' motivations to follow the 2005 Ashes Test series: implications for the rebranding of English cricket

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the factors that induced people to follow the 2005 Ashes cricket series on television and to explore the implications of these factors for the marketing of English cricket as a brand. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 427 members of the public who reported that they had watched at least part of the 2005 Ashes series on television were questioned about their motives for having done so. Specific motives were then related to viewing intensity and to an individual's intention to follow cricket in the future. Findings – The study finds that viewers who had been motivated to watch the Ashes series because of cricket's nostalgic associations with England's past were more likely than others to have followed the series intensively and to state that they would continue to be interested in cricket. Patriotic motivations led to short‐ but not to long‐term support. Social pressure, prior involvement with cricket, and several variables identified from a review of the general academic literature in the sports marketing area also exerted significant influences on future intentions to watch cricket. Research limitations/implications – It was not feasible to establish the socio‐demographic, cultural and economic backgrounds of individuals who exhibited strong tendencies in relation to the motivations covered by the study. Thus it was not possible to relate these background characteristics to decisions to follow cricket in the longer period. Practical implications – The results suggest that English cricket may indeed be regarded as a brand, and that certain aspects of cricket's brand identity should be incorporated into marketing communications that promote the sport. Originality/value – This was the first empirical study to analyse the factors underlying the highly successful rebranding of English cricket that occurred between 1997 and 2004.