There have been at least a dozen new high-decibel ad campaigns that have landed on your screen, whether you are watching on TV or streaming the IPL. The IPL's supercharged transformation into a virtually recession-proof behemoth has been something to behold. Advertising volumes grew by a sky-scraping 400% — from 40,000 to 200,000 — in the last three years of the League. From IPL 2018 to 2019, the number more than doubled, soaring by over 100%.
Marketing Big Gun. Category growth has been ~39% between 2016 and 2018; brands grew ~55% in the same period. The IPL fetched over ₹2,000 crore in revenues for Star India in 2019. It's comparable to the Super Bowl — an eyeball grabber with marketing buzz that could sustain for weeks, not just days.
Mixing up the delivery. The tournament carved a niche as 'sportainment' — cricket that extends beyond traditional fans to their families. Vodafone's ZooZoos became a phenomenon; the brand spent ~20–30% of its marketing budget on IPL. Giants like Cadbury, Amazon and Pepsi followed suit. Smartphone brands like Gionee used the League with user engagement activities alongside slot ads.
No Idle Screen Time. Advertising during the IPL has increased not just in volume but in engagement. Take Swiggy's campaign with Hotstar in IPL 2019 — consumers could grab six-minute discounts every time a six was hit, and order via a POP on the Hotstar app. Brand awareness increased by 8%; brand favourability by 7%.
Over 300 brands invested in one way or another. The first match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings saw a viewership of 200 million — the highest opening-day viewership for any sporting event, in absolute terms 2× the highest-rated Super Bowl game in history.
The Festive Power Play. The IPL and India's festive season overlapping gives brands a two-fold opportunity to drive demand. Advertisers use it to give one last push to drive sales — and IPL provides the platform. Aakash Educational Services, for instance, saw a 40% bump in inbound calls after launching a new ad on Hotstar. As the tournament progresses, more and more brands will come out with engrossing campaigns, engaging users, and — just like the batsmen — swinging for the fences.
