Was IPL Well Marketed

Dm15220

Gundeep Singh

Was IPL Well Marketed?

IPL as a cricketing tournament has been no short of revelation. The concept of World Class players taking time out of their already packed schedule in India for a two month duration was lucrative enough for a cricket crazy country like India. But, where IPL scored during all those years is, making non cricket watchers follow IPL and also no regular TV watchers follow IPL.

Here we look at reasons which prove the case in hand:

a) IPL proved out to be a perfect mix of the two most popular things in India- Cricket and Bollywood.

As the franchisee system was established and two of the eight teams going to renowned Bollywood stars, it became the perfect platform to bring together the allure of Bollywood stars with their cricketing superstars. Not only the team owners, the other non-Bollywood team owners brought in Brand Ambassadors from Bollywood to give them this advantage too.

Due to this perfect amalgamation, the non-cricket lovers also started following cricket because of its Entertainment Quotient. Also, it was marketed as a family thing. In advertisements starring Farah Khan, the family, especially the ladies were also targeted and hence the IPL brand was seen as a complete family entertainment.

b) It tried out new channels for reaching customers which weren’t used by anyone in India before.

The partnership with YouTube made sure that the customers could follow IPL on the go and on their laptops too. Also screening at Cinema halls were also tried as they tied up with PVR.

c) The competition started at a very opportune time.

The start of the tournament was in 2008. This was just an year after India won the inaugural T-20 World Cup in South Africa. The time to enter the market was very good as the T-20 as a form of cricket wasn’t really popular and India’s recent victory made it possible for the people to accept this form of cricket too.

d) Stars from different country made sure the viewership from countries outside India is also there.

The participation of top class players from all the major cricketing nations ensured that there was interest generated outside of India too. Also the 2nd edition was held

in South Africa and in the recent IPL, half of the matches were played in the Middle East. Hence they are tapping into the customer base from different countries.

e) IPL was marketed rarely as a cricket match. It was more of an experience that made people want more.

If you observe an IPL match closely, it is not just a cricket match. The Bollywood stars, DJ on the ground, the cheerleaders, the involvement of a fan for the toss, winning signed match balls, getting to play lots of other competitions. An IPL match is much more than just a cricket match.

f) Innovative features for the Sponsorship partners.

The features like Kit Sponsorship for Umpires, “Karbonn Kamal Catch”, “City Moment of Success” etc made sure that there was no dearth of sponsors whenever IPL authorities wanted someone to Sponsor the tournament.

g) Following the EPL Model.

The English Premier League has been the one of the most watched football leagues in the world. The major success reason behind it is the rivalry, the city/town based teams. The Manchester United vs the Liverpool rivalry, the Merseyside Rivalry, the North London Derby. In IPL it was Delhi vs Mumbai, Delhi vs Chennai, Bangalore vs Hyderabad etc.

Also, the merchandise system was also used efficiently. A person from Delhi would be proud to wear a Delhi Daredevils merchandise and so would be a person from Chennai.

All the teams came up with a team song and that too was a source of pride for the local people.

h) Teams organizing Talent Hunt programs.

The Talent Hunt programmes were also a way through which the teams established their brand names. Teams like Rajasthan Royals gave youngsters a chance, Kings 11 Punjab also followed the same strategy. Thus IPL was positioned as a tournament where youngsters are spotted and hence the appeal has gone up.

IS the IPL fever still ON or has it faded off?

a) Average TVR has gone down but Cumulative reach has gone up

As we can see that the average TVR has gone down but the fan base has increased every year.

The average TVR getting lower could be explained by the fact that the initial craze of following all the matches has been gone down and people like to only follow the teams/players they like. Or the controversies that have followed IPL may have taken a toll on IPL.Or the ardent cricket loving fans are moving away as the glam quotient is increased every year.

b) The controversies may prove to be the downfall for IPL.

As the IPL has gained popularity so have the controversies. First, the money laundering problems faced in Lalit Modi’s era. Then the constant after parties being

organized by various players or attended by them. Some players got arrested due to the possession of drugs.

Then there are ever existent threats like the “Match Fixing” or the “Spot Fixing” claims. Also the situation with banning of teams and continuously chopping and changing of rules and teams may have an adverse effect on IPL.