How Market Research Revolutionized the Game of Cricket

Nowadays, consumer surveys are usually undervalued in terms of their usefulness and are mostly associated with improving a particular aspect of a brand or business.

It may be a surprise that consumer surveys played a significant role in improving cricket in 2001. The market research surveys led to the creation of T20 cricket in 2003, which arguably saved the sport from its decline.

Late 90’s – Cricket in the Mire

Cricket is England’s national sport, originated in the late 16th century. However, local county teams have struggled to sell out their matches, even with smaller stadiums. Attendance had dropped by 17% in the five years before 2001, and marketing executives were unsure of the reason for this decline. They were struggling to come up with ideas on how to entice new viewers to watch their team’s games.

Back then, the game was mainly available in two different forms:

Five-day test matches. In this cricket match, both teams are given two innings. The game continues until all innings are over or until five days of play have passed. This is considered the pinnacle of cricket. 

One-day matches. Each team has 50-over innings, and the matches usually take 6-7 hours to complete.

The issue was that fans were losing interest in both game versions.

Enter Stuart Robertson

At that time, Stuart Robertson, a marketing executive at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), took it upon himself to find a solution.

He understood the importance of opinion surveys and convinced Channel 4 and the ECB to fund a large-scale market research project. The goal was to gauge the overall attitude towards the game across the country.

The program, which cost around $350k, began with 30 focus groups and was followed by thousands of consumer surveys, with 4,500 surveys delivered directly to households.

The ECB conducted focus groups that included children, females, and ethnic minorities. These groups were identified as under-represented demographics at cricket matches. The participants were asked questions to understand their views on cricket, how often they attended matches, and their reasons for not attending more often.

More follow-up

The ECB conducted consumer surveys after analyzing focus group feedback and identifying common criticisms of cricket match formats. These surveys asked whether individuals would be interested in attending a cricket match lasting less than three hours and starting in the evening after school or at work.

The survey results showed that the idea was very popular, especially among under-represented demographics. The ECB believed that this would help generate new interest in the sport.

According to the survey, approximately 19 million people in the UK have neutral feelings towards cricket. Out of those, almost half of them have either never been to a cricket match or have only gone a few times. This presents a great opportunity to potentially attract many new fans.

T20 cricket is born

Robertson presented his research to the officials in charge of English cricket, proposing that shorter matches would be more appealing to potential new fans. However, he encountered strong opposition.

The county chairmen and other important individuals were concerned that a condensed version of cricket would diminish the value of the classic game.

However, the idea had support from others, and marketing heads from all county clubs agreed without opposition to modifying the game to preserve the sport of cricket.

Finally, the proposal for a new 20-over cricket competition was presented and voted upon by the 18 county chairmen. They voted 11-7 in favor of it, and in 2003, Twenty20 (T20) cricket was established.

A few new rules

To establish professional play in the new version of cricket, Robertson had to introduce some new rules. He was responsible for arranging trial games, creating trial rules, and assembling a committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the rules.

The committee wanted to make the game more exciting for a wider audience, but they were cautious about straying too far from tradition and coming across as too gimmicky.

Some rules were tested during trial games, but they were found to not work well in professional T20 games. Examples of these rules are:

• The Golden Over – An over in cricket where the runs scored are doubled.
• The Hot Seat – A single seat where the next player up to bat had to sit and wait.

Initially, the rules for T20 cricket were abandoned, and it evolved into a more straightforward 20-over version of a traditional one-day game. Despite this, many additional features, such as pop concerts and other entertainment, were still available in and around the stadium. Music would play loudly over the sound system after every boundary and over, and the teams would sit in dug-outs next to the boundaries.

If the fielding team fails to bowl 20 overs within 75 minutes, they will receive a six-run penalty. On the other hand, the batting team may face penalties if they take too long to prepare to face a ball.

Most importantly, each team had less time to maximize their score, so batsmen would take more risks, resulting in a more entertaining game in a more digestible time.

An Explosion in Popularity

In 2003, the Twenty20 Cup took over from the Benson & Hedges Cup, a 50-over format. Attendance saw a significant increase following this change.

On July 19, 2003, the semi-finals and final occurred at Trent Bridge, with tickets selling quickly. The Surrey Lions emerged as the winners of the game.

Before the significant event, the attendance for Twenty20 Cup matches was around 5,327 fans on average, while the previous year’s Benson & Hedges Cup only had 1,511 fans on average. The T20 Blast, which is the renamed version, continues to be well-liked in England today.

Here are some important events that have taken place in the world of T20 cricket:

• 004 – the first international T20 match was held between women from England and New Zealand.
• 2005 – the first international men’s T20 cricket match saw Australia and New Zealand as competitors.
• 2007 – the first T20 World Cup was contested and won by India.
• 2008 – the first season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• 2011 – Australia introduced the Big Bash T20 League.

Recently, the T20 format has gained immense popularity in Australia and India, surpassing even Robertson’s imagination.

Over One Billion Strong

Although test matches hold a special place in the hearts of cricket purists, it is evident that T20 has become the most popular form of the game.

The popularity of T20 cricket has not only increased attendance in countries where the sport was already well-liked but also introduced cricket to a wider audience. In the last four years, 82 countries have participated in international T20 cricket matches, while only 12 test-playing nations have done so.

In 2018, The International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted market research to determine the global popularity of T20 cricket. It is estimated that there are over one billion self-proclaimed cricket fans worldwide. 

One Man’s Foresight Transformed the Game

It may be difficult to believe, but modern cricket originated from one large consumer survey program.

During the late 90s, Robertson understood the significance of asking the appropriate individuals the right questions. He used their responses to develop a version of cricket that resonated with people.

According to the latest global ICC survey, 39% of fans worldwide are female, indicating that the initial attempts to attract a new audience have been successful.

Robertson has achieved cult legend status in cricket’s history, although he has always remained modest about his contribution and had no financial stake in its success.