The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 began on Saturday with much fervour between cricket fans and also the creative minds, brands and marketers who want to leverage this opportunity to reach out to a larger section of people and form a connection that is long-lasting.
If reports are to be believed, with the ongoing 15th edition of the league, the brand value of IPL is expected to go up by 15%. Therefore, it is the best time for brands to engage their consumers through multiple innovative campaigns.
It would be an understatement to say that brands have amped up their creatives this year. Every ad campaign that has been launched around IPL aims to build a very strong narrative around the brand. BestMediaInfo.com brings to you the pieces of communication that seem to have hit the sweet spot.
Cred banks on nostalgia
The fintech brand recreated the very famous Nirma ad from the 90s, featuring actor Karishma Kapoor. Karthik Srinivasan, a Communication Strategy Consultant, took to the professional networking platform LinkedIn to say that the strategy is indeed attention-grabbing for those who have grown up watching the old DD ads.
Written and conceptualised by Tanmay Bhatt, the ad is also getting trolled for its lack of vision, a few people have also stated that they couldn’t connect with the ad and its presentation.
Brand strategist Ambi Parameswaran believes that spoofing old ads sometimes adds to the humour quotient.
Jaquar hits two birds with one arrow
Crafted by Enormous, the ad campaign by Jaquar comprises three short videos. Each video deftly showcases the brand’s range of bath wares and lighting.
While the brand is primarily known for its sanitaryware, it played well with its ad campaign for Jaquar lighting. In all three videos, a character is shown who immediately relates with bathware when gets to know that the place is getting a Jaquar makeover. The imagination then gives the protagonist an imaginary look at the brand’s entire range of bathroom fittings. Later on, it is clarified, and much to everyone's surprise, it turns out that the place is getting a makeover with Jaquar lighting, along with the display of the brand’s products in this category.
Dream11 goes big with 17 ad films
Featuring ace cricketers including Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, Dream11 has rolled out two ad campaigns and will be launching a few more ads as the cricket season progresses.
Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream11, said, “As a brand that is young and synonymous to sports, our efforts during each IPL have been to bring fans closer to the sport they love. As an Official Partner of the Tata IPL 2022, we welcome fans back to what promises to be the biggest season yet. Whether through ‘Dream Big’ or the hugely popular ‘Ye Mein Kar Leta hoon’ series, we endeavour to inspire and delight fans and deepen our relationship with users, new and old.”
While the first ad campaign aims to hit the emotional chord with a narration of the inspirational journey of the cricketers by themselves, the second campaign has a more light-hearted approach. In the 15-second ad, the cricketers volunteer to recreate social media trends as they tell influencers Shantanu Maheshwari, Saurabh Ghadge, Neel Kolhatkar, RushTwins, Shweta Sharda, Srilakshmi, Dev Narayan Gupta, Srishti, Karan Sonawane and Ankit Mohan to form a team on Dream11, while the cricketers make dancing videos.
MPL’s human brain is back with its no-brainer ads
Mobile Premier League (MPL), the fantasy sports platform, has once again launched a witty ad campaign with the protagonist – the human brain. The ad campaign comprises a series of films on mediums like TV and digital along with print ads, across different cities in the country.
The latest ad by MPL shows the protagonist lost in the world of imagination followed by a voice-over saying after winning billions, the brain will obviously plan big. The short and crisp ad has seamlessly conveyed the message that it intended to.
According to Namratha Swamy, Country Head - India, MPL, the brand is aiming to acquire several first-time gamers to take part in esports competitions this time.
Fantasy Akhada onboards ‘Guddu Bhaia’
Featuring cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and actor Ali Fazal aka ‘Guddu Bhaia’, the Fantasy Akhada has rolled out a 360-degree advertisement campaign.
The platform aims to target tier-2 and tier-3 cities through this ad campaign. A joint report published by Deloitte & FIFS in February 2022 claims that 50% of the users in the Fantasy Sports industry come from Tier-2 and Tier 3 cities.
When Manu Bhaiyya decides to learn #fantasycricket, he just nabs the Voice of Cricket. Will Harsha be able to teach his way out of this situation? Keep watching to find out!#KhelTumharaAkhadaHumara@bhogleharsha @alifazal9 pic.twitter.com/oVze16ijuh
— Fantasy Akhada (@FantasyAkhada) March 25, 2022
The #KhelTumharaAkhadaHumara campaign was conceptualised by Pippip Media and executed in tandem with Wirality Media.
Sumit Kumar Jha, Founder, Fantasy Akhada, said, “Looking at the 150% growth in CEA during the 14th IPL season, we are eyeing for a 100% growth in our user base this season.”
A23 plays on responsible gaming
With brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan featuring in its ad, A23 has chosen to focus on ‘responsible gaming’ in its two latest films. The campaign, which is a two-part TVC, drives the company’s key message for gamers to respect their immediate surroundings, i.e. - spending time with their families instead of being on their phones and focusing on dinner while at the dinner table.
The third ad film, which is yet to be launched, will highlight the importance of selecting the right playing XI for fantasy cricket on A23.
While narrating the core of the entire ad campaign, Deepak Gullapalli, Founder and CEO, Head Digital Works, said, “We are confident that our brand ambassador driving this message for us will help us maximise the idea of responsible gaming even further, thus encouraging a healthy environment for all.”
Zepto hits it right with its quick-commerce
The quick-commerce player that delivers groceries in just 10-minutes, rolled out its ad campaign featuring singer Kailash Kher. In the ad, the brand shows how longer delivery periods can irk the consumers followed by Zepto’s claim to deliver groceries in just 10-minutes.