Cricket is more than a sport. It’s the embodiment of culture, politics, history, expression, and identity – especially in the West Indies. It’s a reason for Caribbean island nations to unite under one banner. In past decades, the ‘Windies’ dominated the world stage. However, recent years have seen a dip in the team’s success, and with it, the pride and unity for the sport has dimmed.
But in 2024, with a roster of 9 Caribbean island nations, Cricket West Indies was selected as a host for the T20 Cricket World Cup. And as the title sponsor of the ‘Windies’ squad, CG Insurance set out to reignite their fandom from older, younger, and future generations of the islands. To do so, we became a conduit of cricket culture.
We didn’t just want to put work into an FYP, either. When calculating the launch date and curating the creative of each post, our top goal was to garner engagement with positive sentiment – and ultimately reignite love of the team around the region. Which, for an insurance company, is easier said than done.
In the Caribbean, insurance is a complex, misunderstood, and even disliked topic with an untrustworthy perception. Cricket, on the other hand, is always top of mind. It’s not just a topic of conversation – it’s a unifying force. And thus, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) prepared to co-host the 2024 T20 World Cup, we at CG Insurance saw an opportunity to reinforce our role as the team’s title sponsor.
Typical sponsors plaster logos around stadiums, fields, kits, and highlights reels. But we wanted to go deeper, enough to insert CG into the storied history of Windies Cricket, but in a modern way that younger generations could respect and relate to, all while strengthening brand perception as an insurance provider.
Our work manifested as a year-long social campaign starring a Windies legend, a local child, and a CWI-athlete-turned-global-music-star. It manifested in 3 different content series: (1) Sir on the Street; (2) Lessons, Legends, & Life; and (3) West Indies Deyah.
SIR ON THE STREET – Connecting CG with Windies History
We invited an Antiguan fast bowling legend, Sir Curtly Ambrose, to host the “Sir on The Street” social video series. Ambrose is widely regarded as the best fast bowler in cricket history, and on the pitch he was best known for scorching fast bowling pace and intimidating 6’8” stature. But in reality, he’s a warm soul with a hilarious sense of humor and great skill to entertain on camera. We captured content around Kensington Oval, the centerpiece of West Indian cricket, and the work spanned ‘Man on the Street’ genres of trivia, humor, and general cricketing fandom.
LEGENDS, LESSONS, & LIFE – Life and cricket advice, and fun
In our second social series – “Legends, Lessons, & Life” – Sir Curtly was interviewed by an 11-year-old local to Barbados, Zion Rose. Zion threw wildcard questions at his elder, and a friendship blossomed between the two. The duality in our co-stars’ age made these executions heartfelt, adorable, inspiring, and hilarious, proving that cricket transcends all boundaries.
WEST INDIES DEYAH – Insurance meets Cricket and Music
After their T20 World Cup win in 2016, team captain Dwayne “DJ” Bravo dropped a song “Champion” that became a global cricket anthem. So on the eve of the 2024 T20 World Cup, we tapped into Bravo’s musical and sports fanbases. We were inspired by the Patois phrase ‘Wi Deyah’ which translates to ‘we out here’, and created ”West Indies Deyah” – a song, music video, and social campaign. Bravo wrote and recorded the track and our video director had worked with DJ Khaled, Pitbull, and Nicki Minaj. The “West Indies Deyah” music video made waves across the internet, served as the centerpiece of a social giveaway, earned radio airtime, and even made it to the in-stadium speakers during World Cup matches. The social content featured current players, too, and the hype helped ignite a tournament run into a Super 8 playoffs appearance.
Each sub-campaign succeeded in its own way, and each did quite well in our main goal: engagement. Normally, we average 12 reactions per post, and we exponentialized that for a Windies World Cup. Ambrose’s personality gave life to our content during the “SIR ON THE STREET” series. Everyone’s heartstrings were tugged during “LESSONS, LEGENDS, & LIFE”. And the celebrity partnership in “WEST INDIES DEYAH” gave it a massive global reach. The following are averages for each su -campaign.
“SIR ON THE STREET”
+19,033% Likes
+13,600% Shares
“LESSONS, LEGENDS, & LIFE”
+54.67% Engagement Rate
+9,775% Shares
“WEST INDIES DEYAH”
+15,030% Shares
+ 48,151% Likes
The following are average engagement results for the entire 2024 T20 World Cup campaign.
+10,582% Likes
+3,704% Shares
+2,922% Views
+1,698% Comments
+25% Engagement Rate
In sum, the 2024 T20 World Cup campaign was a massive success on CG Insurance socials. While viewership of each post was considered viral compared to past CG work, every post saw exponential increases in likes, comments, and shares. And for the complexities and trust issues that the insurance industry has within its Caribbean residents, we made significant inroads in gaining the trust of our Caribbean audience.
