MUMBAI: There is no denying the fact that cricket equates to a religion in India with people not just following the sport diligently but having an emotional connection to it. Many brands constantly try to leverage this connect within the country and run innovative campaigns around cricket season. And with men’s cricket world cup just around the corner, MoneyGram—a global provider of innovative money transfer services—recently announced its new marketing campaign here, which allows the fans of the Indian cricket team across the globe to send blessings to them through an online platform. The campaign also gives select MoneyGram customers, who receive money via the platform, an opportunity to double the amount they have sent.

The campaign has been designed and is being executed keeping in mind the culture and sensibilities of the Indian cricket fans, and is one of the most important ones for MoneyGram this year. The brand, which has been a long-standing sponsor of the International Cricket Council (ICC), sees South Asia and especially India as one of the prime markets and believes that associating with cricket will help it in better connecting with the diaspora strewn across the 200 countries it operates in.

“The South Asian community and diaspora are very important to our business. We, therefore, needed a platform that can resonate with the whole community regardless of where they end up on the globe. And cricket was the perfect fit for us, really, as cricket is a such a passion in this area,” MoneyGram chief marketing officer Joann Chatfield told Indiantelevision.com.

Completing her thought, MoneyGram regional head for the Indian subcontinent—Indo China and Malaysia, Sheshagiri Malliah (Sukesh) said, “If you look at the South Asian region—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—India is the country with highest remittance inflows. Also, the other three will surely be there in the top 20. A total of $100 billion, probably, comes to these four countries from across the globe where its diaspora is residing. There is nothing bigger than cricket for this part of the world, so the partnership with ICC was a natural fit for us.”

He further added, “India is the world’s largest remittance market and we have a strong commitment towards this country. From a network perspective, we have one of the largest across the world here. Cricket for India is very relevant and our association with the sport is a reflection of how important this region is for us.”

MoneyGram manager marketing for South Asia Pavan Singh revealed that a major part of the overall marketing budget of the brand for this year has been dedicated to the ICC sponsorship for this World Cup. He noted that this is the biggest association for the brand this year.

Elaborating on the underlying marketing strategy for the same, he shared, “There are two things—one ICC is a huge property, which we leverage for the brand in South Asian region, predominantly in India. And then we need to leverage on the business front as well. So, the reward scheme where we give certain customers to double their receipts gives them a chance to switch to MoneyGram. We are leveraging on this sentiment that is there for the sport.”

Chatfield commented that being associated with the sport elevates MoneyGram to a special place in the market as when people see their brand’s name with the game, they understand how important they are to the brand.

MoneyGram regional marketing director Sabrina Chan added, “It is all about connection with the consumers. We have put the focus on where they are going, especially where the younger generation is heading to. We look into all the channels and bring out products that are the best for them. Cricket for us is more than a marketing commitment.”

MoneyGram launched the campaign on 15 April and claims to already have got more than 150 thousand wishes on the platform. The brand is using an omnichannel presence to promote the campaign but the prime focus is on digital.

Chatfield revealed that 40-45 per cent of the overall marketing spends for the campaign is being directed towards digital channels.

Chan noted, “Besides utilising the online space, we also have a lot of offline exhibitions. We are promoting it across all the key locations.”

A team of promoters is going to several MoneyGram agent locations in UP, Bihar, Punjab, Kerala, and Gujarat, equipped with tablets to help reach cricket lovers in market squares to gather their wishes and blessings.

MoneyGram has been an active sponsor of ICC and has sponsored many cricketing events including the past two men’s World Cups. The association was renewed in 2016, with a commitment to continue till 2023.