IPL- A Marketers dream come true

A self professed expert perspective on the T20, changing marketing tactics and ICL!

Well, we have been witnessing it all here and now. The IPL had started and what a start it has been! An extravaganza of Entertainment and Superstars (both Bollywood and Cricket), combined with a slew of promotional blitzkrieg will certainly go down the case studies’ curriculum of the MBA students, if all this frenzied and high pitched “Great Indian Masala Cricket” format succeeds. It remains to be seen whether this league system, originally lifted from European system of Soccer clubs, fares well in coming 2-3 years. Initial marketing tactics apart, the biggest test will come when the initial hype will die after the current season. After all, the majority of European clubs have a major number of players from the same region and fans come out to support them like anything. With Indian mindset, according to me, it’s all well when it comes to international cricketing rivalry. At least, it can be said with confidence of the local football and soccer clubs who have been out of sight and mind of the general public. But we will have to wait and see how this league format goes through the acid test of customer acceptance and retention in the coming years. My all very best wishes to the format and its success. Lets witness the coming of age of the Indian consumer (no, not audience…as it is a product offering and not really a first class cricket).
Anyways, coming back to the topic of marketing which I love to rant on for hours. The tremendous initial response to the matches and record ticket collections are all indicators of the success of the Marketing efforts undertaken by the professionals of the industry. A lot of billboards and Highway hoardings that one can witness across all the metros is the proof of the seriousness on the part of Marketers of IPL to capture the central piece of the audience mindshare. The official corporate franchisees may have different purposes for owning the teams, but the ultimate winner seems to be the T20 format of cricket getting a new level of acceptance by the audience (as it seems from the initial packed stadiums).
Branding, a very important part of Marketing nowadays for any industry (barring the commodities of course!) in the face of intense competition, IPL campaigns have been successful at this to a greater extent. With a plethora of brand building tools to capture the piece of consumer’s attention and brand recall, ranging from Music Videos to host of merchandising tactic and co branded product launches.
This campaign had shown the full utilization of the integrated marketing campaign for probably the first time for any category of product launch, in any industry. The choice of the Media has been remarkable and the timing of the campaign’s airing could not have been better on most of the Media.
I think that we will witness a whole new experiential marketing and lifestyle branding campaigns from the franchisees of the 8 teams.
The only loser, I feel, is the ICL. It has sure been dealt a harsh hand by both the ICC and BCCI. Formed with a relatively noble purpose of employing the retired and ageing cricketers as well as giving a new platform for the younger players, it has been rendered a poorer cousin of IPL. The trailblazer of the league cricket format deserves a far better treatment than this. BCCI should legalize the ICL and Govt. has to stop the interference and political patronage and favoritism that were so well a notorious activity in the License Raj era. Let it be a free market and may the best marketer with the best product win!