Has IPL Become Marketing Mecca For Brands?

Ashish Karnad Oct 18, 2022

While it was the English who introduced cricket to the world, it is no longer the gentleman's game today as it was when conceived and rightly so after the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a concept that today has broadened its reach of cricket from a sport to a lifestyle and entertainment event.

IPL is now an event in itself that has engulfed the whole nation. From the era of test matches to the present-day scenario of slam-bang T-20 matches, the game has come a long way. The emergence of the IPL has really changed the appearance of the game.

Along with a lot of fan craze for the game, the sport has also become an ideal commercial platform for advertisers with multiple branding opportunities. Indian Premier League has become a marketing extravaganza with brands going bigger, louder and fancier in their promotions. There is no doubt that IPL has become a goldmine for investors, sponsors and advertisers.

IPL offers a plethora of advertising opportunities starting with an “engaged viewer” to its advertisers during the commercial breaks in between overs as switching channels during these commercial breaks is a rarity with viewers not wanting to miss the live action.

While the ardent lovers of the game park themselves at lounges or their respective homes, the property has gone on to reach further out to the lovers of cricket who can catch up with their game on digital platforms. And over the seasons, IPL has proved to be a huge opportunity for digital advertisers.

As it streams on the OTT medium, the viewers get an opportunity to watch the game while travelling, in between work breaks, or when they are running errands. Brands have come up with unique digital marketing strategies which have changed the fate of quite some small and bigger brands as well with newsletters, emails with discount coupons, merchandise promotions, ecommerce sales promotions and many other products and services.

Over and above the standard commercials, there are a lot of branding opportunities with in-stadia advertising, field adverting, advertising on player jerseys, stumps, etc. In addition, there are sponsorship opportunities for the tournament, expert discussions pre and post the game and in-game opportunities like Super 6’s, Timeouts, Power play, etc.

Courtesy of the IPL, new digital platforms like some mobile leagues which have games related to live IPL matches have also become very popular. These again offer branding and advertising opportunities.

With film stars and business moguls owning IPL teams, there is so much content created around the IPL - like players sharing their expertise with the younger generation, the after-match parties and the buzz that they create making IPL a heady cocktail of money, glamour, sports and showbiz. All these are added attractions for advertisers

With all the above, IPL is seen as a great opportunity for getting a good bang for your buck. No wonder, the media rights for IPL for the next five years have fetched in excess of 48000 crore, almost three times the amount from the previous time.

With its growing popularity and sky-high viewership, the IPL has become one of the most valuable Indian brands to be built in a short time span. The importance of branding in IPL lies in more than just the eight-week-long event – in the impact the game has on the audience. IPL today is a case study in marketing as it is one of the hottest-selling properties nationally and internationally!

The author is Ashish Karnad, Executive Vice President, Hansa Research