Once upon a time we played Cricket !!! - Part I

Guest article by Vipin Nambiar - Manager (Space selling) at Indian Express, Mumbai who also happens to be one of my beloved students.

The Indian Premier League (often abbreviated as IPL), is a Twenty20 cricket competition initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and supervised by BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi, Chairman & Commissioner for IPL. It presently includes 10 teams "franchises" consisting of players from different countries. It was started after altercation between the BCCI and the newly-created Indian Cricket League.

Above mentioned is not rocket science. Neither it is strange for us. This is the wikipedia search result of IPL. Every Tom Dick and Harry knows who is Lalit Modi.. He is undoubtedly the latest celebrity of India.



Does he look good ??



Is he charming?



Neither he is and nor is he an amazing public speaker… But he is indeed a Star.. … Wikipedia made some recent updates with 2 new entrants in the table, updated a week ago, Pune & Kochi with no logos and captains to be decided . The whopping amount of Rs.3235 crores of Pune and Kochi Teams, which by anywhich ways more than the aggregate amount of 8 other teams, which direct us to only one way, this mega marketing extravaganza is here to stay and for a long time…But Only if it is nurtured properly.

Once upon a time we played cricket... and now we can better term it as CRICKETAINTMENT. Started as a true copy of English Premier League, but now it is growing much beyond that and will soon become the richest event in the world. The success of these 2 new bids has astonished everyone. It is apparent that IPL just keeps growing. And the marketing support behind this mammoth event is indeed vivacious. The model has been efficiently and smartly devised in such a way to woo the bestest of the marketers.

IPL Breaks...

SET Max is expecting to earn a revenue figure more than 45 crores this year. I believe it can easily cross this figure. As the day progresses we can see new entrants in the Breaks. Latest being Videocon Mobile Services, which is just been launched. The success of IPL lies in the fact that it is a right blend of Cricket, Entertainment, Fun, Excitement and last but not the least the bollywood involvement. IPL is indeed the most successful business of cricket, which creates a win-win situation for all, be it advertisers, franchisees, hotels and everyone involved in the game from groundsmen to the jockey who plays the music inside the stadia.

It has become highly imperative to have right mix of FCT and innovations with good on ground promotions and better merchandising on and off the ground. If you happened to be a spectator inside the stadium you will have a better connect to all the brands. Vodafone leads the lot of the best marketer by maximizing their ZooZoo stuffs and thereby optimizing their product recall.

Indian Premier League is receiving not only an avalanche of advertisements but also taking away their viewers of other GEC’s. The recent revelation of increase in Women viewership for IPL is a good sign that by infusing more and more entertainment this can be the right platform for a brand to get the extra added mileage by targeting all strata of audience.

Ten days from the launch of IPL 3, the LIVE telecast continues to clock record television viewership numbers. Data from aMap, a TV viewership monitoring agency, show the average rating for IPL-3 matches telecast in the first 11 days registered an increase of 22 per cent to 4.55 points from the 3.72 points recorded during the same period last season. aMap tracks cable and satellite homes among the age group of 15 years and above in six cities. Viewership numbers have peaked faster this season as compared to matches telecast in the first and second editions of the event. (Tips from afaqs.com)

Broadcaster Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd (MSMPL), which operates Sony Entertainment Television, is set to reap a bonanza from the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is expected to deliver Rs 700 crore in advertising revenue for the network (AHEM). The network has managed to sell close to 90% of its advertising inventory a full six weeks ahead of the tournament’s launch date of 12 March despite a steep increase in spot advertising rates and sponsorship fees. ....

A Golden goose, Money Spinning Machine, Profitable Stock Exchange..Synonyms are many. Within a year or two, we hope it to be the biggest sporting event in the world. IPL has been a runaway television and valuation success.

So the big game is on... come back to part II for more....

To be continued...>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>