The ECB needs to stop selling cricket to people who don't like cricket
I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but here's the thing - you cannot make people like something, and the more you try to make them like it, the more they will push against it.
You tell somebody that you've made a version of cricket just for them, they're going to watch it with a super critical eye, ready to not like it, and will find every fault in the world with it. They also realise you're desperate for their attention, and right there and then you've made them think that what you're selling is inherently not cool.
Sell cricket to your existing fans. Make them happy. Give them meaningful schedules, good pitches, sensible modifications (e.g. - legalise ball tampering), easy access, and some proper media and production value. Engage with the people who already love the sport.
Then when someone who doesn't like cricket walks past a sold out stadium of loud cheering cricket fans - he's now going to be curious. He sees cricket fans at school or work raving about last nights game -instead of complaining about the boring the one sided game on a flat pitch with Warne commentating on Pizza- and now he's going to be interested. He reads columns in the newspaper celebrating a great series that was well scheduled and executed from start to finish, instead of articles like the ones here, and now he's going to want to watch it.
Word of Mouth and Fear Of Missing Out are the two most effective marketing tools known to man. Gimmicks only take you so far. Sell the product you already have to people who like it. Take care of your existing fans and make them happy. Take care of your existing product and keep it healthy. Make your product easy for people to purchase. Invest heavily in grass roots programmes with the goal of making it easier for people to take up cricket, rather than with the goal of preaching it to school kids.
You do all this, and the fans will come.
