Mumbai: The Indian cricket fever is well-known across the globe. The cricket mania has touched highs with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since its launch 15 years ago, the league has been popular among cricket fans and grabbed the attention of top brands across sectors. With the inclusion of one of the most valued and trusted names - Tata as the title sponsor, the franchise has garnered immense attention from brands and marketers. There are over 29 startups for the first time, with 10 fintech having collaborations to amplify their reach this festive season.

Game-changing marketing strategies

Out-of-the-box marketing strategies can be game-changers during IPL. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s marketing campaign 'Proud Sponsors of the Ground Staff' has gained massive applause from the audience. The campaign has focused on the most unanticipated part of the game – the ground staff this season. As part of their initiative, the brand intends to treat ground staff at par with the cricketers and make them equal heroes of the tournament.

Cadbury has struck the right chord with a cost-efficient marketing strategy when marketing costs are rising with brands opting for celebrity players and influencers. The empathy and emotional quotient in the creativity have been the star of the campaign and created a massive brand recall value.

Marketers can leverage great opportunities to reposition established brands and re-attain the numero uno spot in highly competitive times. On the other hand, startups can create a vast following and introduce their product offerings most engagingly during the festive season.

IPL – One of the biggest carnivals for digital marketers

The IPL cricket season is one of the biggest carnivals for digital marketers as it has excellent timing and target audience. The T20 format is a hit among all age groups. The telecast between 8 PM-11 PM on weekdays and double-headers on weekends make the mega sporting event worth all the investments. Commercial sponsorships and collaborations with players are at an all-time high during IPL. Influencer marketing has received much-needed attention on social media platforms.

Engaging content like behind-the-scenes (BTS) videos of players, interactive live sessions, contests, and trending hashtags has hooked the digital audience quite well. This has led to a rise in budget allocation toward digital marketing spending.

The addition of tier 2 cities like Lucknow and Ahmedabad opens doors to connect regional markets with new demographics. The smaller provinces have equally enthusiastic viewers as their urban counterparts. Local and national brands have an equal playing field to introduce their products, engage and cater to customer needs.

From fintech to food and beverage companies, all are leveraging this space to increase their outreach among populations beyond metro cities. Innovative and efficient marketing strategies have proven to create masterstrokes that generate a return on investment (ROI) not limited only to the tournament time frame but also in the future. The advertising arena has witnessed a fresh zeal and zest during the IPL period. There are reports of title sponsor bids rising from Rs 40 crore spent by DLF in 2008 to Rs 300 crore by Tata in 2022. The scorecard has reflected good results leading to rising advertising costs every season.

The impact

IPL can deliver high brand impact in a shorter duration, riding the country’s sheer passion for cricket. When people are sensing normalcy in their lives, IPL is one of the best fitting squares for new brands to connect and well-known brands to reconnect with their audience.

IPL is not limited to only big brands with high marketing budgets. Investing in people has proven to be the most successful marketing strategy. The number of games and new players achieving significant milestones in every match provides incredible brand lifting opportunities.

Brands and marketers have hit sixes and a few misses during the league, all of which have been replayed and learned over the years!

(About Author: Rikki Aggarwal is the co-founder, chief business and operating officer of Blink Digital)