IPL Buzz, How Brands Can Ride the Wave of cricket to boost sales

Authored by- Anjali Malhotra, Customer Strategy Expert and Senior Partner at BOD Consulting

When it comes to catching eyeballs of Indians, cricket and cinema rule the roost. While cricket is considered as a religion in our country,  major events of the game like the world cup and other tournaments occur only once every 2-4 years. IPL, as the  most popular league in the world, is the annual poster boy tournament that captures the hearts and minds of fans with huge national and global appeal. It has given its viewers a 3 hour snackable content in the prime time, thanks to the T 20 format. It not only fosters young talent but has dramatically increased the financial resources and popularity associated with the sport.

So much so that the cricketing extravaganza’s 2023 edition registered 505 million viewers as per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. The broadcaster also observed a 32% growth in television ratings compared to IPL 2022. IPL stirs up viewership not just on TV but digital too - Viacom18-owned Jio Cinema’s coverage of the IPL 2023 final claimed a global record for most concurrent views to a live-streamed event. The platform had 32 Million viewers for its broadcast of the final. Disney Star also reported the tournament to be the biggest hit as they registered over half a billion viewers.

In a country where cricket rules everyone’s hearts, the tournament has delivered 1.6 X higher ad attention than any other content genre on TV, as per sources. Brands achieve high reach & high cut through with target audiences in a short duration, especially relevant in a time of fragmented viewing patterns.

IPL is both a big money spinner and an attention grabber. Many categories like online ordering see a huge upswing in consumption during match days due to the “celebration” like appeal that consumers enjoy, whilst the tournament is on.

For marketers with an objective to find reach, salience, and affinity – this is a go-to vehicle for growing brands across life cycles- due to the insurmountable passion that fans share for IPL and the sport, brands across various categories have believed in consistently investing in the league. Be it on TV or digital, there are opportunities a plenty to capture consumer interest and tell a brand story in a short timeframe.

The Indian conglomerate Tata Group has extended its title sponsorship for IPL for the period 2024-2028 for a record 2500 crore, according to media reports. Aside, each team has official sponsor partners long with a long tail of associate partners. With 10 city franchisees, IPL teams offer several opportunities for brands to earn some form of association to gain a slice of the attention pie

IPL powers brands to shape consumer views and opinions. Many consumer brands notice a huge spend on their products during this season. Brands have achieved their peak in sales and achieved 30% – 40% of their annual sales aim during the IPL season. Sponsoring during the IPL gives brands visibility and credibility, whilst leading to increased brand awareness and sales too.As an example, despite being a late entrant into a highly cluttered auto market, MG Motors used IPL as a launch pad and saw a 300% growth in cars sold over the last 3 years, through consistent association with the event. Leading to both brand awareness and business outcomes.

Fantasy gaming has been another emerging category that has seen numerous brands competing for market share in one of the fastest-growing markets. So even with Dream11 coming on board as a co-presenting sponsor on IPL, Howzat and My11Circle both benefited significantly by advertising on IPL with exceptional results in metrics that matter the most, including app downloads, website visits and daily active users.

According to industry sources, the broadcaster's asking rates for TV commercials during IPL 2023 were Rs 13.7 lac per 10 second for SD channels and roughly half of that for HD channels. However, that does not deter brands from making a bee-line for the spots, given the unmatched advantage of focused eyeballs & hence bang for their buck

With new teams, more extravaganza and mass appeal, each season tends to be grander for both brands and customers. This hardly leaves room for doubt that associating with IPL on TV can successfully move the marketing needle for any brand, irrespective of category or life-stage of the brand.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and Adgully.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.