India’s performance notwithstanding, it’s a brand bonanza at T20 World Cup 2021

The ICC T20 World Cup draws one of the highest engagements of viewers. Following close on the heels of the second leg of IPL 2021 this year and coinciding with the peak festive season in India, advertiser interest is also very high As per a recent research commissioned by Booking.com in collaboration with YouGov, 72% of Indians have stated that they are excited about the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament. Similarly, the opportunity to experience the excitement of an international cricket tournament in person is a compelling reason for people to travel as stated by 58% of Indian cricket fans who mentioned that it is their dream to watch a cricket match live.

In addition to cricket being one of the most sought after sports around the world, it is also a platform for brands to attract millions of eyeballs. Sports are an essential driver for brand visibility as sports fans are glued online during crucial match events, which may prove to be a good opportunity for brands to connect with fans.

Adgully reached out to a few World Cup sponsors to know more about how this tournament is benefitting them.

Shrini Viswanath, Co-founder, Upstox, said, “Ever since the inception of the T20 format, the audience demographics have been highly diverse. This format is also advertiser friendly due to the short duration of advertisements, leading to an unmatched attention span from the viewers. Additionally, the festive season being around the corner has led greater interest from the viewers as well as for brands. Cricketing events alongside key annual festivals have driven brands to customise their pitch with speed and scale.”

“India is a cricket-loving nation and the World Cup brings together cricket enthusiasts from all across the country. The excitement around India's first match against Pakistan drove the live viewership on Hotstar to a remarkable high – 1.2 crore, higher than any IPL match this season. Definitely, we will continue to see more brands leveraging popular cricket tournaments like World Cup as a platform to speak to India,” remarked a company spokesperson at CoinSwitch Kuber, India’s largest and most-valued crypto platform.

Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand for Emirates Airline, said, “We are excited that the iconic ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup is taking place here in our home, the UAE, and we’re proud as the official airline and partner to bring in teams from all over the world to compete in what is going to be a truly memorable event fuelled by the passion of fans. Today’s livery unveiling is just one way we are bringing the flavour of the sport to fans around the world who are feverishly looking forward to thrilling cricket action after a long hiatus, and we hope to fly this aircraft to as many cricket loving nations as possible.”

Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com, added here, “Brands are definitely recognising the value of working with sporting events and associating with the World Cup from an awareness perspective as well as engagement perspective. The World Cup has the ability to really engage with audiences and this allows brands to deliver messages to very passionate, excited and interested audiences.”