Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Brewer Marstons has pronounced its sponsorship of this summer’s Ashes series as an unqualified success. With England coming out on top after five tests, the company said that an extra million pints of its flagship brand Pedigree had been drunk in UK bars and homes during the series. According to Marstons, the brand beat sales records with 350,000 pints sold over the eight week Ashes period.

Commenting on the beer’s performance, Marstons marketing manager Des Gallagher said: “As a passionate supporter of the England team, we’ve always had faith that victory over the Aussies was in the making. Now our faith has been rewarded not only with a historic victory, but with the knowledge that more cricket fans than ever before have chosen Pedigree to accompany the world class action.”

Marstons centred its entire summer strategy around the series - changing Pedigree’s brand colours to the red and white of St George. Its England Has It campaign poked fun at the Aussies with straplines such as Britannia Rules. Matilda Waltzes. Marston’s also gave drinkers the chance to win Ashes tickets or apply for Ashes giveaways. In terms of on the ground activity, most notable was its March of the Maidens which saw supporters “caught with a Maiden” in pubs and cricket grounds with pictures posted on a blog.