Fanning the IPL fever

Sony Pictures Network kicks off the tournament's tenth year with a campaign that focuses on fans

The campaign for Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL) has been launched in its tenth year with a focus on the different kinds of fans that make the game of cricket a religion in the country. Sony Pictures Network (SPN), official TV broadcaster, goes on air this week with three films that have the tagline ‘10 saal aapke naam’ (we dedicate the 10 years to you, the fan) to announce the next season that has 13 sponsors so far, including three co-presenters, Vivo, Amazon and Vodafone. While Vivo brings in close to Rs 100 crore a year as title sponsor, the total sponsorship pie in 2017 is expected to cross previous year’s IPL kitty of Rs 1,200 crore. 

By focusing on the fan, SPN looks to bring the game centre-stage and perhaps, steer it away from the controversies around the management of the IPL. It also helps convey the IPL’s decade long journey while establishing the association with the broadcaster quite neatly, say experts. “We’ve been hosting the IPL on the network for 10 years now and it just seemed like the perfect way to commemorate the milestone,” says Neeraj Vyas, senior EVP and business head, Sony MAX cluster, SPN. 

The promos are targeted at fans across gender, generations and geographies. The ads reflect the strange behaviour and fetishes that many followers of the game exhibit during moments of intense pressure. There is one about the ‘antaryami fan’ (fortune teller fan ), who predicts winners with great confidence even when they do not bear fruit. There is one about the ‘vehemi fan’ (superstitious fan) who never watches a match his team is a part of and the ‘under pressure fan’ who does not budge from his seat until the last ball has been bowled.

Conceptualised by the marketing team at SPN and agency DDB Mudra that has worked on the IPL for around three years now, the campaign was meant to convey gratitude to fans for sticking with game. It is mainly TV led, with ad spots across SPN’s 30-channel network and on some channels outside the network. Vyas says, “The fans are in a way the real heroes here. And as we do every year, we have tried to add some amount of emotion and humour using insights from their behavioral patterns.” The campaign will pick up pace with three more ads being released as the tournament nears its date (5 April). Is this also a way of SPN bidding goodbye to IPL fans given that its tenure as the tournament’s broadcaster is up for renewal after 2017? Vyas says that no such thought has crossed their mind and that ten years was a goodtime to dedicate the tournament to its fans.

Harish Bijoor, brand consultant, believes that SPN has got the messaging right. “The IPL has proven itself on two counts, cricket and entertainment. At the end of the day, a viewer tunes in to watch some good cricket and be entertained. As long as the communication reiterates that, it’s fine.” 

Apart from the promos, SPN has released the IPL anthem for the tenth edition too. It will also release an IPL mash-up, meant to be an ode to past anthems and campaigns. The mash-up features snippets from popular jingles like ‘Jumping Japak’ featuring Farah Khan from its 2013 campaign, the ‘India ka Tyohar’ campaign from 2015 and last year’s ‘Ek India Happywaala’ campaign. The mash-up will play across the network as well, though mainly on SPN’s music channels. 

Among the three co-presenters, Vivo is also the title on-ground sponsor of the tournament. Amazon and Vodafone have been associated with the tournament in its previous avatars. Other associate sponsors include Ceat Tyres, Voltas, Parle Products, MakeMyTrip, Yes Bank and Havells. The pull of the IPL is such that it draws brands across categories across the country. Ramkrishnan R, co-founder and director at Baseline Ventures, a sports marketing and celebrity management firm says, “Historically, the IPL has gained from India performing well in the series preceding it (the IPL). So the brands will be excited about this year’s edition, given India’s performance in the latest match against Australia. However, I think it’s time brands show a bit more confidence and activate their association with the IPL all year round, like in other sports leagues around the world.”

While brands have yet to commit to such an association, many have renewed or deepened their engagement with tournament over the years. Spykar, one of the brands associated with the team, Rising Supergiants (Pune) believes that this is one of the few sporting events that cuts across the entire spectrum. “IPL is all about exhibiting talent and reaching out to an enthusiastic audience,” says Sanjay Vakharia, director and chief operating officer, Spykar Lifestyle.

Scoring a ten:

* IPL started in 2008 with 102 million viewers; previous  year viewership estimated at 361 million (cumulative reach), although measurement systems and parameters have changed dramatically since 

* Last year the rural landscape was mapped for the first time, it contributed to more than 40 per cent of the reach

* Female viewership stood at 41 per cent, the highest share across any sporting event

* 13 sponsors have been locked in for the 10th season so far, 3 are co-presenting the rest are associate sponsors

* Total sponsorship revenue in 2016 was around Rs 1,200 crore, 3 co-presenters were Oppo, Vodafone and Amazon

* The campaign this year focuses on the Indian fan, the previous year was about creating a unified viewership universe while further back in the past, campaigns have emphasised on fun and emotional connect