Who is the BBL aimed at?

Low-rent, tinny, FM radio-style cricket lacking substance. Poor-quality product that needs to be dressed up with frills and bows to distract the consumer from its core failings. Upside? Allows young players a window to show their wares in the hope of being "discovered".

That was my impression of the Big Bash League before it kicked off four years ago. I didn't rate it. That was then.

This season I watched a few games on TV, enjoyed the quality of cricket, took the young family to the Gabba to experience the atmosphere. Before the game, I spoke to a senior BBL executive to get a sense of the overall marketing strategy, so I could assess my experience as a consumer against that benchmark. Long story short, the BBL is apparently aimed at a young / female / novice audience, at winning over (perhaps even migrating) fresh consumers, and at showcasing the fun element of cricket, the better to introduce youngsters (and newcomers) to the culture of cricket. It was not aimed at a traditionalist like myself, so I went along as a pop social researcher, cognisant that it was not designed for me but looking for evidence to tick the other boxes.

The first box was unticked a few days prior. Heat v Sixers. Andrew Flintoff's use of the c word live on air resonated through living rooms at 7pm on a Sunday night. Apart from a lame Twitter apology, it went unpunished. Targeting kids, females and young families, huh? Flintoff's best moment of the tournament was his Elvis impersonation. So that's the measure of a good overseas pro in the BBL? Foul-mouthed entertainer, runs and wickets optional. No sanction from the governing body or network, and miked up again for the next game.

The stadium experience was a contradiction of the marketing messages. When the away team batsman was dismissed, the scoreboard graphics gave him a sendoff, to a roar from the crowd. A dropped catch was greeted with boos on the big screen. This is the culture we're hoping to introduce to the next generation?

The ground announcer was straight out of a circus tent. He knew very little about cricket (introducing Mark Steketee as a left-arm bowler, for example), described events that only the visually impaired spectator might have missed, and introduced hitherto unknown cricketers like "Chreees Leeeeen". His constant intrusions into the spectator's consciousness grated, likely even to first-time cricket watchers.

Sportsmanship? What's that? Not in the BBL. Any wicket or boundary by the away team was greeted with stony silence, with the opposite being true if the home team stole a leg- bye. Hardly an aberration, though: Cricket Australia was quick to speak of Shane Warne's "passion" when he shirtfronted Marlon Samuels two seasons ago. Damn kids - if we weren't trying to market to them, we'd have ourselves some real fun here.

Having been through endless cycles of loud music, kiss cam and spot-the-bogan, we chose to leave halfway through the second innings. We were home in time to watch the bits we missed on TV, thanks to Network Ten's practice of delaying the telecast for the Brisbane market. How can CA justify in calling it a premium product if it's not even good enough to be broadcast in real time?

Music between balls, sometimes delaying the next delivery. What's that about? Do we need to be stimulated every single second and be deprived of time for quiet reflection to consider the run rate, the field changes, the tactics?

Here's another marketing mismatch. How many young children can stay awake till 11pm every night for a month to watch the end of the match? For a product aimed at this young market, despite school holidays, it doesn't gel. Well, at least hopefully a few kids would have nodded off by the time Freddie dropped the c bomb.

Speaking of young'uns, it is ironic that far from being a junior showcase, the tournament resembles a retirement home. Still, most of these veteran players, Flintoff apart, are worth their places as cricketers, not pantomime acts. They include Brad Hodge, Shaun Tait, Brad Hogg, Jacques Kallis, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Muttiah Muralitharan and Stuart MacGill.

Music between balls, sometimes delaying the next delivery. What's that about? Do we need to be stimulated every single second and be deprived of time for quiet reflection to consider the run rate, the field changes, the tactics, the match situation? How do you retain consumers who think this is the only way to consume the product, who will then inevitably be bored with anything more sedate? If you wean a child on junk food, will they ever learn to eat their veggies?

My take on the BBL is that it is a decent product with enough core attributes that don't need to be hidden behind idiots on PA systems, endless excerpts from "La Bamba", "We Will Rock You" and "TNT". Let the quality of the cricket speak for itself. Figure out who your target market is and do it well for them. Is it for children, is it for young families, is it aimed at first-timers to convince them to follow the sport? My young family, accustomed to notions of sport being more than cheap triumphalism in the David Warner mould, were confused by the mixed messages they were confronted with.

If the core marketing objective is to entertain new or occasional consumers who need more than cricket to amuse them, it works. If it's about building a brand that is enduring, wholesome and a base for cricketing culture, not quite. Cognitive dissonance theory proves you can't buy genuine consumer loyalty. Long-term consumers see through that. They look for a relationship that can endure beyond the novelty. Perhaps the marketing staff, as transient in their roles as the product they're selling, are judged only by numbers. Why should they care about brand loyalty? Next year they might be selling Fast4 Tennis or Barefoot Bowls.

Poor-quality product? Definitely not. Low-rent, cheap, tinny, lacking substance? Yes, if you're referring to the execution of the marketing plan.