Cricket, often regarded as a religion in India, is a profound sport that unites millions across the country. For brands and advertisers, it presents a golden opportunity to connect with a vast audience and make a significant marketing impact.
Advertising during the World Cup is highly coveted due to its massive viewership. These ads range from heartwarming cricket-themed stories to product placements that resonate with fans. However, the pace of such campaigns is being hampered by the IPL, Lok Sabha elections, and differing time zones.
According to a recent article in The Economic Times, Indian advertisers are struggling with budgets for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The tournament, scheduled to take place in the United States in early June, is off to a slow start due to the heavy impact of advertisements for both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Lok Sabha elections.
This situation threatens the primary objective of cricket marketing strategies, which is to establish and enhance brand recognition and drive engagement.
Navin Khemka, Chief Executive of the media buying group Group M-backed EssenceMediacom, notes that the IPL is perfectly timed for Indian summers and the start of financial years, while the ICC World Cup is still trying to catch up post-COVID.
The timing mismatch between India and the US is also a concern for advertisers, as it hinders live viewership. Angelo George, Chief Executive of Bisleri International, stated, “Like in IPL, we have secured specific advertising slots for the World Cup on television. However, the timing of the matches, due to the time zone difference, poses viewership challenges and has robbed some of the sheen from the appeal of the T20 World Cup.” Bisleri, a major sponsor of the World Cup, has chosen not to take ad spots on OTT platforms due to cost efficiency.
A senior executive from a prominent consumer goods company mentioned that the T20 World Cup might not attract as much viewership as the IPL. Advertisements and sponsorships depend on the demand for the match and viewership. When the country performs well, demand and viewership naturally increase.
Broadcast rights holder Disney Star has announced 19 sponsors for the tournament, including Dream11, Maruti, Parle Products, Haier, Reliance Retail, and Samsung, with more in the pipeline.
Cricket sponsors often rely on pull marketing strategies to attract and engage fans, rather than pushing advertisements aggressively. To enhance their market presence, cricket sponsors can explore various alternative marketing strategies.
To aggressively promote the same platform, distributing the investment into multiple platforms or mediums can promote the objective in a better way.
High Engagement through Interactive and Content Marketing: An effective approach where sponsors can create compelling narratives around players, teams, and memorable matches to captivate audiences.
Brand Association and Prestige through Strategic Partnerships: Sponsors can partner with popular brands to create co-branded merchandise or special promotions, enhancing visibility. Collaborations with other sports or entertainment events can help sponsors reach a broader audience.
Wide Reach and Visibility through Digital Campaigns: Distributed traffic which involves spreading content and advertisements across various platforms and channels, can be highly effective for cricket sponsors. Tailoring content to different regions and languages ensures that the diverse Indian audience is well-catered to.
Media Coverage and PR through Newsworthy Initiatives through personalization and programmatic advertising can significantly increase the effectiveness of campaigns.
While the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 offers significant marketing opportunities, challenges such as timing mismatches, competing events like the IPL and elections, and budget constraints complicate the landscape for advertisers.
By strategically distributing marketing and advertising costs across various digital, local, and interactive channels, brands can achieve the same wide reach, prestige, engagement, exclusivity, and media coverage that they would from major event sponsorships. This approach not only provides flexibility and adaptability but also often results in a more engaged and loyal customer base.
