 "Happy, united, young goes the IPL chant")
It is a tournament dogged by controversy. From match fixing to absconding promoters and dubious team owners and now the drought-versus-cricket debate, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been in the eye of many storms. And yet, every year, Sony Pictures Network not only sees a rise in viewership numbers but also a sharp increase in the brand's value. The tournament seems to defy the odds to strike a note of consonance even in highly divisive times and the ongoing campaign, which has seen a steady change in tone and flavour over the years, wants to reflect that.
Last year, the IPL reached 190 million viewers and according to the ESP Properties and Sportzpower report released last week, the 2015 edition of the IPL clocked Rs 800 crore in net ad-sales for the N P Singh-led network. This year ad rates are up by more than 15 per cent. No amount of bad publicity seems to impacted the tournament's popularity.
The 'Ek India happywaala' campaign currently on air is taking off on the brand's ability to bring people together, despite all criticism. The campaign, says the team, does not ask viewers to tune in to the IPL, but uses the brand as a messenger of solidarity. Peace, not aggressive competition which is what the tournament is all about, is the underlying mantra.
"Last year, we turned the curve. We brought in that unity factor when we said India unites for two months every year to celebrate the festival that is the IPL. The challenge was to grow from there and we felt the need to merge with the social fabric and use the brand power for making it better," says Neeraj Vyas, senior executive vice-president and business head, Sony Max.
In 2015, the India ka tyohaar campaign marked the first step towards a change in the campaign's otherwise humorous but strident note of earlier years. Vyas explains that the current campaign, the cost of which is being kept strictly under wraps, took three months of brainstorming. The slogan went through 30-40 iterations. "As per the brief the slogan had to have India at the centre and convey a positive message. The word happywala fit what we wanted to convey and served as a good mnemonic eventually," adds Vyas.
The network is also using the slogan to kick off its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign for the year, notching up another change. The tagline is no longer just a marketing slogan, but the umbrella under which Sony Picture Networks India will undertake all its CSR endeavours. To popularise the line and the campaign, Max used the usual routes of TVCs and hoardings and movie integrations (Fan and the upcoming Azhar mainly) before and during the IPL. However, it launched its digital drive almost a month-and-a-half before the tournament kicked off.
The team says that the campaign this year has also tuned in to children's voices more closely and they are a part of the anthem, too, perhaps because they form a large chunk of the tournament's viewership. The whole idea was to leverage kids to set a happy tone. The campaign is also being extended through a series of activities and offline engagements. IPL makes for a happy India, even if the emotions it rouses in fans and detractors might not always be a pleasant one; that seems to be the overriding message that the brand owners are looking to deliver.
EVOLUTION OF A BRAND
2008: Launch of DLF IPL
Tagline: Manoranjan ka baap
Pitch: Ads were styled on Bollywood of the 1980s, the message: the game is 'the baap of all entertainment'
2009: DLF IPL
Tagline: Ek desh ek junoon
Pitch: People across India come together to celebrate and enjoy the game
2010: DLF IPL
Tagline: Saare jahaan se accha
Pitch: Eagerly anticipated, fans were ready to give the game a red carpet welcome across the country
2011: DLF IPL
Tagline: Bharat bandh
Pitch: The game is a game-changer; a humorous take-off on how cricket brings the country to a standstill
2012: DLF IPL
Tagline: Aisa mauka aur kahan milega
Pitch: The tournament is an opportunity for families to come together, friends to bunk work and for kids to stay up late
2013: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: Sirf dekhneka nahi
Pitch: Bollywood director Farah Khan came on board asking people to dance to the tune of the game
2014: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: Come on, bulaava aaya hai
Pitch: The game is a 'calling' that no fan can ignore
2015: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: India ka tyohaar
Pitch: The game is a festival, people should get over their differences and join in the revelry
2016: Vivo IPL
Tagline: Ek India happy wala
Pitch: The game helps rise above the troubles dividing the country, is a metaphor for a united nation
Last year, the IPL reached 190 million viewers and according to the ESP Properties and Sportzpower report released last week, the 2015 edition of the IPL clocked Rs 800 crore in net ad-sales for the N P Singh-led network. This year ad rates are up by more than 15 per cent. No amount of bad publicity seems to impacted the tournament's popularity.
Read more from our special coverage on "IPL"
The 'Ek India happywaala' campaign currently on air is taking off on the brand's ability to bring people together, despite all criticism. The campaign, says the team, does not ask viewers to tune in to the IPL, but uses the brand as a messenger of solidarity. Peace, not aggressive competition which is what the tournament is all about, is the underlying mantra.
"Last year, we turned the curve. We brought in that unity factor when we said India unites for two months every year to celebrate the festival that is the IPL. The challenge was to grow from there and we felt the need to merge with the social fabric and use the brand power for making it better," says Neeraj Vyas, senior executive vice-president and business head, Sony Max.
In 2015, the India ka tyohaar campaign marked the first step towards a change in the campaign's otherwise humorous but strident note of earlier years. Vyas explains that the current campaign, the cost of which is being kept strictly under wraps, took three months of brainstorming. The slogan went through 30-40 iterations. "As per the brief the slogan had to have India at the centre and convey a positive message. The word happywala fit what we wanted to convey and served as a good mnemonic eventually," adds Vyas.
The network is also using the slogan to kick off its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign for the year, notching up another change. The tagline is no longer just a marketing slogan, but the umbrella under which Sony Picture Networks India will undertake all its CSR endeavours. To popularise the line and the campaign, Max used the usual routes of TVCs and hoardings and movie integrations (Fan and the upcoming Azhar mainly) before and during the IPL. However, it launched its digital drive almost a month-and-a-half before the tournament kicked off.
The team says that the campaign this year has also tuned in to children's voices more closely and they are a part of the anthem, too, perhaps because they form a large chunk of the tournament's viewership. The whole idea was to leverage kids to set a happy tone. The campaign is also being extended through a series of activities and offline engagements. IPL makes for a happy India, even if the emotions it rouses in fans and detractors might not always be a pleasant one; that seems to be the overriding message that the brand owners are looking to deliver.
EVOLUTION OF A BRAND
2008: Launch of DLF IPL
Tagline: Manoranjan ka baap
Pitch: Ads were styled on Bollywood of the 1980s, the message: the game is 'the baap of all entertainment'
2009: DLF IPL
Tagline: Ek desh ek junoon
Pitch: People across India come together to celebrate and enjoy the game
2010: DLF IPL
Tagline: Saare jahaan se accha
Pitch: Eagerly anticipated, fans were ready to give the game a red carpet welcome across the country
2011: DLF IPL
Tagline: Bharat bandh
Pitch: The game is a game-changer; a humorous take-off on how cricket brings the country to a standstill
2012: DLF IPL
Tagline: Aisa mauka aur kahan milega
Pitch: The tournament is an opportunity for families to come together, friends to bunk work and for kids to stay up late
2013: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: Sirf dekhneka nahi
Pitch: Bollywood director Farah Khan came on board asking people to dance to the tune of the game
2014: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: Come on, bulaava aaya hai
Pitch: The game is a 'calling' that no fan can ignore
2015: Pepsi IPL
Tagline: India ka tyohaar
Pitch: The game is a festival, people should get over their differences and join in the revelry
2016: Vivo IPL
Tagline: Ek India happy wala
Pitch: The game helps rise above the troubles dividing the country, is a metaphor for a united nation