GroupM ESP releases emerging 10 trends for IPL Season 8 (2015)

GroupM ESP (Entertainment & Sports Partnerships), a specialist business unit of GroupM released their 10 trends for IPL 2015.  Uniquely positioned at the intersection of media and marketing, GroupM ESP predicts the following trends:

• Smart talent acquisition by franchises increasing competitiveness with teams evenly matched.
• Enhanced broadcast production quality with regional language feeds.
• Fan Park idea to heighten interest and involvement in smaller cities and towns
• Digital platforms to create sustained and deep engagement with real time analytics
• Surround content to drive social conversations.
• Technology to enhance spectator interactions and engagement inside stadium
• Realistic sponsorship pricing strategies resulting in repeat purchases and a stable sponsor ecosystem
• Apparel as an emerging and popular sponsor category among franchises
• Sponsor's increased dependence on crowd sourcing to create excitement around their brands
• E-commerce brands will dominate ad spends on broadcast platform

Commenting on the trends Vinit Karnik- National Director, GroupM ESP said, “The sports industry is progressing leaps and bounds and it is an exciting time for leagues like the IPL. We have come a long way in how it addresses sponsorship sales and convergence of technology. From selling tickets to selling an experience, IPL has come a long way. This further extends from the execution of sponsorships across major platforms — all the way to the idea/solution generation phase during the sales process.

In 2015, teams will continue investing in the in-stadia experience content delivery. With feeds available through internet, Sony’s regional channels. Mobile applications etc the content is truly taking the center stage. It makes sense because if fans aren’t in the stadium consuming content, they’re consuming it somewhere else — work/ home/ in a café … wherever. It’s an amalgamation of technology integration and enhancement throughout the sport. The proliferation of video and statistical information backed by increased social exchange will define the popularity of teams. In all aspects, IPL offers a consumer delight by integrating newest technologies and enhanced fan experience while building affinity with future generations of fans who have moved from passive viewers to engaged amplifiers. We also see a lot of new generation brands jump onto the IPL bandwagon...making it a high spend high visibility and now high engagement business”