How IPL is India’s Super Bowl for advertisers

Mumbai: Despite four months of back-to-back cricketing action, the hype around the sport is far from waning. Advertiser interest in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is proof of this, as most brands have reserved their marketing ammunition for the popular Twenty20 cricketing tournament, making the event similar to the Super Bowl in the US, the annual championship of the National Football League (NFL), which is known for brands showcasing some of their biggest campaigns of the season.

Here’s a look at some of the big spenders on advertising in the popular cricketing league this year.

Amazon India

Amazon India’s latest campaign—and perhaps its biggest so far—has managed to capture the attention of audiences with its catchy jingle and tag line: aur dikhao (show more). The television commercial can be seen prominently during the IPL matches and prime-time television, highlighting the strength of the online retailer’s portfolio with over 22 million products on offer.

The brand, which is also a presenting sponsor with IPL, is aiming to create a strong impact in the minds of consumers with this campaign. It tagline of aur dikhao resonates well with shoppers in India, who love to have more choices.

The advertisement has been created by Orchard Advertising, which is a part of Leo Burnett, an advertising agency.

Paper Boat

In sync with its brand philosophy, Drinks and Memories, the campaign has been divided into four short films, each with a distinct narrative that showcases some of its popular flavours—Aam Panna, Jamun Kala Khatta, Jal Jeera and Chilled Rasam—encouraging consumers to go down the road of their childhood memories with these flavours. The campaign opened on television a few weeks before the IPL.

The commercial has been created by Karishma Lintas, part of the Lowe Lintas Group.

Vodafone

After using its trademark ZooZoos in previous edition of the IPL, telecom services provider Vodafone India has chosen to lead its biggest campaign so far this year by highlighting the speed and efficiency of its 3G network.

The company said it has set aside 20% of its annual marketing budget for this season’s IPL. The campaign, with the brand message Speed is Good will have seven-eight such short commercials running on air and has bought around 350-400 ad spots on television during the course of the tournament.

Ogilvy and Mather is the creative agency behind this latest campaign.

Paytm

Paytm is an associate sponsor of the IPL and also the official partner of the Mumbai Indians team. The new campaign launched during IPL brings together a narrative of the broad range of services that Paytm provides, such as mobile wallet, mobile and direct-to-home television recharges, money transfer and online shopping.

McCann Erickson is the creative agency behind this campaign.

Pepsi

The winning entries will replace the brand’s official on-air ad during the course of the tournament. Each finalist will win a cash prize of Rs1 lakh, VIP access and other benefits. Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor is also seen in this campaign.

J. Walter Thompson has created this campaign for Pepsi.

Snapdeal

The company has roped in Hindi movie actor Aamir Khan for its latest campaign, with the tagline, Dil ki Deal. The campaign is an extension of Snapdeal’s philosophy that it is not only making people’s lives simpler or better but the platform is also a medium that they can use to express their love for their dear ones.

Leo Burnett is the creative agency for this campaign, which also aired on television a few weeks before the start of the IPL.

Kansai Nerolac