The Indian Premier League (IPL) has emerged as a cornerstone for brands looking to amplify their presence and engagement in India, leveraging the massive viewership and diverse audience base that the tournament attracts on television. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data from 2023, over 800 million viewers tuned into television to watch live sports, with cricket leading the charge and amassing over 700 million viewers. Specifically, events such as IPL 2023 and the Cricket World Cup 2023 each reached out to over half a billion audiences, highlighting the unparalleled reach and influence of televised cricket in India.
Industry experts from the e4m India Brand Conclave, including Rathi Gangappa, CEO of Starcom India, and Vikas Saxena, Co-founder of Sync Media, shared insights into how IPL on TV has been a game-changer for brands, particularly new-age companies. Gangappa noted the shift in the types of brands engaging with IPL advertising on Television, moving beyond traditional advertisers to include new-age brands seeking to leapfrog their business metrics. She emphasized that IPL advertising on TV goes beyond just achieving upper funnel impact, it also delivers on last-mile objectives like increasing footfall, app downloads, and search share, citing successes with clients such as PharmEasy and Lenskart.
Saxena provided a concrete example of the impact, revealing that an in-depth analysis of an E-Commerce brand showed 85% of improvements in the brand’s business KPIs could be attributed to television association, with TV advertising not only elevating search shares but also enhancing digital media performance overall. This synergy between tv advertising and digital mediums underscores the unique value proposition of IPL TV advertising in bolstering brand KPIs effectively and efficiently.
The association with IPL on TV has been instrumental for leading new-age brands in India, such as CRED, Swiggy, Lenskart, PhonePe, CarDekho, Rapido, Zomato, Happilo, Meesho, and Atomberg, among others. These brands have significantly grown their market presence and consumer engagement through strategic IPL TV advertisements over the last 4-5 years.
Furthermore, IPL on TV offers innovative, customizable solutions for brands to stand out. Gangappa highlighted the creative use of brand integrations, AR/VR innovations, and contextual advertising, such as linking the fall of a wicket to the need for glasses in a campaign for Lenskart, as examples of how brands can effectively leverage IPL viewership to enhance their visibility and connect with consumers.
Vikas Saxena also touched upon the measurability of TV advertising, equating its KPI attribution capabilities to those of digital advertising. The direct measurability through metrics like search share, he argued, demonstrates the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of leveraging cricket on TV for achieving key business objectives.
In conclusion, the IPL’s vast viewership on TV, coupled with innovative advertising solutions and the ability to directly measure impact, presents an unparalleled opportunity for brands, especially new-age companies, to significantly enhance their market presence and consumer engagement in India.
Source
