Jaideep Shergill
Brands, big and small, flocked to the sixth edition of IPL after a dull response in the fifth year
The high-octane Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of India?s biggest mass media properties. The advertising and sponsorship interest this year showed that brands understood the value of the massive platform it provides.
Before the recent controversy of spot-fixing broke, there was a great cheer around the tourney this year with more than 100 brands riding high on the T20 league through direct advertising, sponsorships or innovative team associations. Amid well-known names like Pepsi, Usha International, Coca-Cola, Godrej, Vodafone, Yes Bank and Star India were smaller brands such as Raindrops basmati rice, Noida International University, Amity University, Live-In Jeans and Linc pens that struck deals with or around the IPL.
The IPL management and its official broadcaster?Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd (MSMPL)?managed only seven sponsors last year, netting just over R700 crore through advertising. This year, however, there were 11 sponsors?including Samsung, Panasonic, Karbonn Mobiles, Tata Photon, Cadbury, Parle Foods, Usha International, Havells and Godrej?and 90% of MSMPL?s ad inventory was sold right at the beginning of the event. The rush of advertisers enabled MSMPL to hike rates by 10% and it was hopeful of closing the season with revenues crossing R900 crore.
Pepsi, meanwhile, picked up the title sponsorship for R79.6 crore per year for the next five years, doubling the annual fee realty major DLF paid for the first five years.
The marketing opportunity
Through innovative marketing, Vodafone adopted a 360-degree campaign to drive penetration of mobile internet by targeting non-users, while Pepsi bagged pouring rights for eight out of the nine teams. With a marketing budget of R30 crore to R40 crore, IPL 6 was a logical choice for Usha International to amplify its association with hot-favourite Chennai Super Kings to cut across socio-economic categories and reach out to a mass audience.
Even Star India, through its flagship channel Star Plus, is communicating its brand promise of ?rishta wahi, soch nayi? through the Nayi Soch Award, recognising players who display innovative thinking. This ensured that viewers were constantly reminded of Star Plus and its theme even if they were hooked on to another channel.
With this kind of activity, and the money involved, IPL 6 had the ability to deliver serious consumer engagement.
Incidentally, many travel brands too hopped on to the brandwagon to leverage cricket fever. Apart from being the principal sponsor of Sunrisers Hyderabad, online travel agency (OTA) Makemytrip launched social media marketing campaigns like ?Aaj Ka Raja?, ?Be The Umpire? and ?Predict And Win? to engage with its audience, share content and sell more hotel rooms and packages. Goibibo, another OTA, launched the ?Travel Premier League? game, offering discounts of up to 90% on domestic flights based on daily match results.
Lest you thought IPL was all about brands and advertising, many used it to push social causes too. Brands leveraged social media not just to form and nurture communities, but to also encourage users to participate in initiatives that made a difference to society. The Muthoot Group, for instance, launched its corporate social responsibility campaign this IPL season through its association with Delhi Daredevils. Its three initiatives??R6,000 For Every 6 and R4,000 For Every 4?, ?Golden Bat and Wishing Ball? and ?Muthoot Dus Ki Toli??were rolled out, each dedicated to promoting literacy among underprivileged children. Nita Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians, started the ?Education for All? initiative to provide holistic education to all children. Every member of her team has pledged support for it.
Viewership?s soaring
The brands? confidence in IPL 6 is underscored by viewer interest. Data from measurement agency TAM for the first 16 matches showed a record a viewership of 140 million. This was primarily driven by the exciting finishes and the launch of Sony Six, a sports channel with commentary in Hindi to make the tournament more accessible to the heartland.
The average TV rating (TVR) remained strong. The first season (2008) clocked an average TVR of 5.39 but it had fallen to 3.91 by 2011, falling further to 3.27 last year. This year?s opening match, however, had a TVR of 4.1 with viewership plateauing at 3.8 for the first five matches. For the first 27 matches, IPL 6 reached 157 million people compared to 137 million last year. With viewership hitting new peaks, IPL 6 is providing bang for the advertising bucks.
Finally, let?s not forget the high recall value this platform provides. Vodafone and Pepsi have clocked unaided recall scores in excess of 50%, which can never be achieved through conventional advertising on general entertainment channels.
It?s clear that IPL is now a complete entertainment package and serious cricket tournament rolled into one.
The author is CEO, MSL Group India
