'Embarrassing' England cricket campaign backfires for New Balance
Kit launch overshadowed by cringeworthy poem – but at least the cream cable-knit sweater is back
England's cricket season got off to an inauspicious start after kit manufacturer New Balance unveiled the teams' new uniforms – and was caught out with its marketing campaign.
The new international kits were launched on Tuesday, with the Test team returning to a traditional cream-coloured outfit, complete with cable-knit jumpers, after almost a decade playing in brilliant white provided by Adidas.
New one-day and Twenty20 outfits were also unveiled, but it was a poem accompanying the launch that stole the show.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The letter, plotted in free verse, is meant to be taken as a message to the next Test cricketer to represent England," explains the Daily Telegraph, which notes that it has been branded the "the most cringeworthy thing ever" by embarrassed fans.
Signed by the entire current England Test team, the verse contains several grammatical errors and has been condemned as vacuous. At one point it even warns the next star of the England team that they must embark on a journey up a "never-ending flight of stairs" to reach success.
"Admittedly, the effect of it all is slightly improved in an audiovisual medium – the words propelled by northern bass and set against an intense musical accompaniment quite unbefitting the form of cricket where a game can last five days," says the Telegraph.
The paper adds that the launch has been shoehorned into the wider New Balance "My Future Self" campaign, "so it would be best to warn loved ones that similar treatment could be coming soon to a sports team they love".
England's cricketing rivals are more blunt. The launch was a "big flop", and English cricket has "been given an absolute hiding", says Australian website News.com.au. The campaign has been "pilloried by some English fans as a sad marketing failure that cheapened the English cricket brand", it chortles.
New Zealand has also joined in the kicking. Website Stuff describes the poem as "nausea-inducing, corporate-speak nonsense", and says the only positive to emerge from the launch is the return of the traditional cable-knit jumper.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Speed Read The International Criminal Court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of war crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi
Speed Read Gaetz withdrew from attorney generation consideration, making way for longtime Trump loyalist Pam Bondi
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'The double standards don't trouble the critics'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Graham Thorpe obituary: 'chameleon' batsman with 100 England caps
In depth Cricketer's 'bottle in abundance' endeared him to fans
By The Week UK Published
-
The Ashes: can England mount a glorious comeback?
feature ‘Herculean’ task follows ugly scenes at controversial second test
By The Week Staff Published
-
English cricket is ‘racist, sexist and elitist’, says independent report
Speed Read Chair of governing body apologises after crushing indictment of the sport ‘at all levels’
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
England are the ‘undisputed kings’ of white-ball cricket
feature Ben Stokes scored the winning run as England beat Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final
By Mike Starling Published
-
Ben Stokes and England set up a ‘grand finale’ against South Africa
feature In an old-school Test victory at Old Trafford, England’s captain scored a century and took four crucial wickets
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Alarm bells’ for authorities: is there too much cricket being played?
Talking Point Ben Stokes quitting one-day internationals has sparked a debate over the packed schedule
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Bazball’: England cricket’s glorious new look
Why Everyone’s Talking About A staggering turnaround has taken place under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
By The Week Staff Published
-
England’s epic win: Test cricket that was ‘quite simply, out of this world’
Why Everyone’s Talking About Victory over New Zealand was one of the most ‘glorious and scintillating’ in England’s history
By The Week Staff Published