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When it comes to advertising and marketing initiatives, what really draws the attention of the various brands operating in India is Cricket, a sport that has an ardent following, almost like that of a religion, in the country. As a result, various brands tend to go all out to build not just awareness but also drive preference and recall via an increased ad budget allocation.
While the first half comprising of the Indian Premier League has been a testament to this fact, what elevates the momentum, even more, is the concurrence of the 48 matches which fall under the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with the festive period.
Having said that, Disney Star, who had won exclusive broadcast and media rights for linear and digital platforms, has roped in a record number of 26 sponsors and 500 advertisers so far and aims to generate the highest-ever revenue buoyed by the festive season this World Cup.
With regards to sponsorship, while some brands have come aboard as a sponsor on either TV or Digital, there are some who have opted for both.
As reported earlier, Disney Star has custom-built packages for advertisers to serve their brand objectives and is giving a "big push" on the digital side with Disney+ Hotstar this year.
All things aside, the ad gala for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup started brimming 77 days prior to the commencement of the tournament when the International Cricket Council and Board of Control for Cricket unveiled the campaign ‘It Takes One Day’ stirring up emotions of fans, whilst also celebrating the format of the game.
Putting fans and players at its heart, the campaign features Shahrukh Khan along with JP Duminy, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, current Men’s Cricket World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jonty Rhodes and Jemimah Rodrigues. It also showcases the iconic moments of the World Cup and connects them to the specially conceptualised Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 ‘Navarasa’ which symbolises the nine emotions fans most commonly experience during a cricket match such as anguish, bravery, glory, joy, passion, power, pride, respect and wonder.
Unveiling the first of many campaign films planned for the tournament by the official media partner, Disney Star, its in-house team came up with the slogan- ‘World Cup ka bhoot sawaar, jeet ke utrega iss baar’ and featured Team India cricketers Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, Shehnaz Gill and stand-up comedian Aakash Gupta in the film for Star Sports. The ad showcases discontented souls craving to watch Team India win the World Cup trophy as only that will provide them eternal salvation.
For Disney+ Hotstar, the in-house team along with Director, Nikhil Rao, came up with #FreeLoThodaJeeLo campaign, which stars Abhishek Banerjee and Jameel Khan. The film depicts that a man is denied entry into heaven because, in an effort to ensure the comfort of his wife, son, and mother, he forgets to enjoy the pleasures of life like cricket and entertainment, made even easier through Disney+ Hotstar’s free offerings.
In yet another move, the OTT platform also launched another campaign film, #ItnaSabFreeKa campaign, starring Bollywood celebrity, Kartik Aaryan, focused on the platform’s ‘free on mobile’ offering of the tournament this year along with free first-class entertainment! It has been conceptualised by the internal Disney+ Hotstar team and directed by Rajesh Krishnan.
The film showcases the celebrity interacting with his fans only to find out that his limelight has been stolen by Disney+ Hotstar and its free content offerings of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and entertainment films such as Freddy, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, Cuttputlli, etc.
Additionally, Arvind Krishnan and Prajato Guha Thakurta-led creative agency, Manja, came up with a project-based ad campaign titled ‘Poora ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for FREE on mobile’. The 50-seconder showcases an entire village holding Kapil Dev as hostage to seek ‘guarantee’ against power cuts instances during the streaming of the tournament.
Apart from the glaring calls made by Disney Star for the World Cup, the Indian brand land has left no stone unturned to build up the momentum for the tournament. They’ve not just come up with new products and ad campaigns in the pursuit to bring their A game to the table but have pushed the envelope via their various initiatives.
Here is a list of some of them:
Vicks Cough Drops
Known for its commitment to give India a khich khich free voice, Vicks Cough Drops has roped in cricket icon Yuvraj Singh for the unveiling of its new cheer anthem, #VicksKholIndiaBol, which has been conceptualised by creative ad agency L&K Saatchi & Saatchi for the upcoming cricketing season with an aim to enable 142 crore Voice champions to cheer for the Indian Cricket Team.
Thums Up
Unveiling the next chapter of its association with ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Thums Up has come up with an ad campaign titled, ‘Thums Up Utha, India India Macha’, which highlights the relentless determination of Indian players for the upcoming World Cup, hopeful of driving and motivating fans to believe in India’s journey to victory.
Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, the campaign features cricketers- Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and captain Rohit Sharma in a film that is centred around – ‘making India believe in Team India’. Shahrukh Khan also features in the campaign as the ‘Voice of Belief.’
Cadbury Dairy Milk
Co-created by Ogilvy India and Wavemaker, the ad campaign for Mondelez’ Cadbury Dairy Milk, titled ‘#SitTogether’ brings alive the brand’s purpose of generosity and is rooted in the profound belief that the joy of cricket should be a shared experience.
In a world where power distance often separates individuals, the campaign urges people to transcend these divides by embracing the simple act of sharing their love for cricket and invites everyone to extend a hand of camaraderie and togetherness.
Panasonic
Focusing on the value of high-quality electrical products by being pertinent to the ICC World Cup season, Panasonic Life Solutions India has also launched a campaign which brings to life the celebrations of the World Cup season.
Conceptualised by Wondrlab, the TVC depicts the story of quirky Indian families gathering to watch and enjoy the match together. The campaign’s central theme is the efficient sharing of load across home appliances with quality wiring devices (switches), wires, switchgear and water heaters from Anchor by Panasonic, setting into shape the campaign tagline – Load Lega Leader.
Limca
Designated as the official sports drink for the prestigious ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Limca Sportz has announced the launch of its new variant Limca Sportz ION4 in India. Fully geared to kindle the enthusiasm of cricket lovers, the brand has launched Yo-Yo Test challenge featuring athlete Neeraj Chopra.
In the latest activation, ‘Yo-Yo test leke Dekhao, World Cup jaane ka Mauka Pao,’ consumers can also undertake the challenge by scanning the QR code on Limca Sportz bottle and stand a chance to win tickets to World Cup Matches, further building their eagerness and excitement.
Brand film-
Uber
Uber has also introduces a limited-edition service, Uber Camper, for the most anticipated cricket match that will provide fans with an opportunity to seal their spot for a memorable and exciting stay for free so as to beat the hotel booking blues.
To bring unadulterated joy and hassle free experience of the iconic match on the cards, the mobility service provider has also launched #UberCamper Contest on social media on October 4 and the same will go on till October 7. To participate in the contest, cricket fans are required to post their pictures holding a placard with details on how they plan to support Team India and tag their squad of up to 3 friends or family members who will be joining them for the India Vs. Pakistan match in Ahmedabad- and tag @UberIndia.
Unstop
The community engagement and hiring platform for students and graduates, Unstop, has also announced an event that will be a delight for cricket lovers- the World’s Biggest Cricket Quiz Festival, a digital contest which will run for 45 days all through the duration of the World Cup.
The digital playground of the quiz will have 45 overs, or daily quizzes, for participants to attempt and win the grand prize. There will be 6 deliveries, or questions, per quiz and participants will have the chance to test their cricketing prowess, and challenge friends and fellow enthusiasts. People from all age groups will be eligible to participate but the participants who maintain a streak of playing 10 sequential quizzes will only be eligible to win prizes.
On match days for Team India, Unstop will offer 2x reward points. Further, before the actual final of the World Cup, Unstop will conduct the Grand Finale of the quiz with the Top 6 participants. The winner of the Grand Finale shall be crowned the Champion of the Quiz and will take home a whopping INR 1,00,000 prize money.
Polycab India
To boost the morale of the Men In Blue who will be competing on the global stage during the ODI World Cup 2023, Polycab India has come up with a new fan anthem #CheerIndiaKeLiye which brings into the spotlight every Indian’s wish to see the Indian Cricket Team lifting up the World Cup trophy once again this time.
The anthem, conceptualised by FCB Kinnect, is a heartfelt celebration of the cricket fans in the country who show their love and passion for the game in a unique way.
Anthem video-
Seagram’s Royal Stag
Titled ‘A Billion Films for A Billion Fans’, Seagram’s Royal Stag Packaged Drinking Water came up with an AI-led fan experience which marries the larger-than-life spirit of cricket in India with the brand’s ‘Live It Large’ philosophy to celebrate the imagination and aspirations of ‘The Generation Large’.
Conceptualised by the brand in association with Creative agency partners FCB India, Digital Agency partners Dentsu India, Technology Partner Artizens Events, and Experiential solutions and Media partners Wavemaker, it allows cricket enthusiasts to feature alongside Indian Cricket Team Captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Surya Kumar Yadav in a personalised ad.
Watch the campaign here:
adidas
Having signed a five-year partnership deal with BCCI as the Official Kit Sponsor of the Indian Cricket Team, adidas in its latest Front Page print ad in Times Of India has hijacked the masthead and made it ‘The Jersey Of India’ in the lead-up to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The creative agency behind the same was Creativeland Asia.
Here’s what the Print ad showcased-
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