IPL Ad Series- Part VII: Frooti's surreal offering - delicious or not?

It has been a win-win situation for e-travel firms like MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, Thomas Cook and Cox and Kings who have seen a surge in online hotel and travel bookings courtesy ongoing cricket festival Indian Premier League (IPL) which is in its last leg. While the top online travel portals have been busy marketing their brand on digital platforms, cricket fans combining the holiday season with much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, starting on May 30 led to an estimate rise of 50% bookings for travel and hotel. 

According to online travel brands, the ongoing IPL's marketing strategy led to 20% growth in sales this year whereas hotel bookings saw an approximate 15% rise in their bookings during match days. Online travel brands like Ixigo, MakeMyTrip, Cox and Kings and Thomas Cook informed exchange4media about the record growth registered by their e-travel firms, rise in booking for ICC World Cup 2019, and the promotional offers done by them to gain traction.

Sharp rise in travel and hotel booking for IPL to host cities

Karan Anand, Head - Relationships, Cox & Kings explained how the online portal, Cox and Kings, Travel Company, witnessed a rise in booking with cricket fans indulging into leisure packages. “IPL is a big draw with fans and they follow their favourite teams to different destinations. This year Cox & Kings recorded 30% surge in travel bookings during IPL season during which cricket lovers travelled extensively to watch the matches. Most of them combined their tours with leisure packages with include accommodation with local sightseeing and other recreational activities. Some fans even opted for self-drive tours from the match venue,” he said.

When asked about the sales growth registered compared to last year, Anand said that Cox and Kings, sales grew 5% more than the last year. However, unlike the last year people booked the packages well in advance to avoid the last minute rush, he added. 

According to Anand not only there was a rise in sale of tickets the heritage sightseeing was well received by the fans. “Destinations around the match venues benefited the most by IPL. Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Alibaug, Agra, Mysore and Puducherry were among some of the most visited destinations during IPL season,” quips, Anand.

Cox and Kings was benefited this IPL season owing to the special offers and tailor-made packages given to travellers. Anand says, “Hotel booking also recorded a rise in terms of booking. To avoid the last minute hassle, many people booked in advance this year. Tailor-made packages and special offers for travellers to different cities saw an upward sales growth trajectory. The demand for such packages surged by 20% during IPL season.”

Having believed that globally sports tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry and Indians are showing more enthusiasm than ever before for visiting a country to attend sports event, Vipul Prakash, COO, MakeMyTrip, said according to MakeMyTrip, Cricket is the first love for many Indians, the numbers continue to show an upward trajectory with more and more people traveling to watch the game, whether within India for IPL or overseas for mega events like the World Cup. “Cricket is a sport that appeals across socio-economic strata and traverses demographic and geographical barriers. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is one of the biggest global events this year and it coincides with one of the busiest travel time for Indians during the summer holiday season. At MakeMyTrip, we have witnessed a growth of about 30% for the inaugural match between India and South Africa, for ICC World Cup 2019.” 

Shuchi Chawla, Head of Brand Marketing, ixigo said that the e-travel firm witnessed a huge surge in demand for people booking flights and hotel accommodation through their platform. Sharing the marketing strategy Ixigo adopted to reach to consumers, and advertised this IPL season, Chawla pointed, “ We noticed that the majority of fans who check IPL scores while traveling face issues due to low internet connectivity. Keeping this in mind, ixigo for the second year introduced an IPL scorecard on the home screen of its Trains App. With the IPL scorecard, travellers can check live scores while they are on the go, with ease. Through this feature, ixigo users are able to subscribe to notifications for their preferred match in order to receive live score updates even in low network areas. Android users can even access the scores in offline mode!"

According to Chawla, Ixigo recently conducted a travel trends survey which revealed that with the commencement of IPL 2019, there was a 20% increase in flight and hotel booking for host cities. “Our travel report also showed that 61% cricket fans from Urban India travelled to other cities to watch their favourite team play. 57% of these respondents are between the age bracket of 25-34. Most travellers opted for a 2 night/ 3 day trip, with solo travellers opting for single day packages to watch the upcoming final. Host cities saw an 18% increase in hotel booking growth during the IPL season."

Despite a spike in domestic airfares with Jet Airways being grounded, cricket fans went full throttle to cheer for their teams. Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head – Holiday, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said that Cricket has always been a significant powerful driver across their travel businesses. “This year too we have seen a strong surge with our sales teams reporting an impressive 36% increase in demand in comparison to the previous year- with the twin bonanza of IPL (till May 12, 2019) and the World Cup in the UK (May 30- July 14, 2019).”

“What is noteworthy is that the uptake in demand is not restricted to just the metro venues like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata but also mini metros like Jaipur and Mohali. Last week’s Chennai match saw a surge in demand by over 32%. With ETA enabled tourist visa-on-arrival (TVoA) for foreign nationals from 59 countries,  impromptu travel plans for events like the IPL is made more convenient and hassle free thus ensuring smoother execution,” added Kale. 

For Brag Value - cricket fans set to travel to UK, online travel portals record over 50% sales 

The powerful “brag value” of having watched a match in UK’s London, Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds is clearly working its magic; and this is reiterated via the innumerable posts and pics flocking social media. To witness the high octane drama, when the cricket fervour would reach its pinnacle and men in blue would perform this ICC Cricket World Cup, e-travel firms have already received queries and registered 50% sales growth. 

Given that cricket is a passion if not a religion for most Indians, Kale said that they continue to receive bookings for the World Cup not just from the corporate world (contributing over 50%), but also from millennials (18%), ad hoc groups of friends and family (25%) and also the discerning luxury traveller (5%). “Interestingly, we’ve been able to leverage our corporate travellers by converting them into b-leisure consumers by extending a business trip or even a transit point (London/Manchester) to a cricket holiday with spouse and family or friends via our ‘City Breaks’,” added Kale. 

According to Prakash, the online portal witnessed about 50% of growth in travel booking for the third week of June when Team India is playing three important matches including the one with Pakistan. “We have specially curated packages available for Indians travelling to London around the World Cup and have an array of special deals and discounts in partnership with various banks available on our platform.” 
According to Prakash, there has also been a shift in the interest for other sporting events like the Soccer World Cup or the Olympics. “We saw a significant uptick for travel to Russia last year during the Football World cup and this trend is likely to register strong growth.”

On the other hand, Aloke Bajpai, CEO & Co-Founder, ixigo pointed out that UK can expect an increase of 15-20 % of Indian tourist arrivals during the World Cup season this year. “We have experienced a 27% increase in the number of enquiries for that period. Fans are spending anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for their trip. Bookings are expected to go up by 50% YoY and hotels will also see 100% occupancy just ahead of the World Cup. From the past trends, majority of the travellers are males between the age group of 20-30 , travelling in small groups.”

With the Indian Premier League on in full swing, Tasty Treat, Future Consumer’s munching brand announced The Indian Munching League. As the official partner for the IPL, Tasty Treat has roped in top comedian and social media star Varun Thakur, to host the League which has 6 notable social media influencers participating, namely, Rhea Chakraborty, Sumukhi Suresh, Aparshakti Khurana, Divyendu Sharma, Shantanu Maheshwari, and DJ Chetas. Winners of The Indian Munching League will get couple passes to watch the IPL Finals.

Tasty Treat celebrates India's diverse tastes with a range of products like snacks to beverages, biscuits to pasta, ketchups to sauces, frozen foods to confectionery and more. The six stars are competing against each other to discover India’s favourite snack. Beginning with, choosing their own favourite snack like bhujia, chips, popcorn and more from the Tasty Treat snack range and announcing it to their fans through their social media handles. In a bid to complete challenges related to the Tasty Treats snacks, given by Varun Thakur, the host, the participating social influencers have not only completed the challenge themselves but also encouraged their followers to take it up. The 6 winners from each team have received Tasty Treat Hampers!

From all the followers who completed the challenges put forth by the influencers, the six winners selected from each influencers' followers are now competing for the final task. The final winner will be announced by Varun Thakur, wherein the winner will get couple passes to watch the IPL Finals.

On the kickstart to the exciting League, Sadashiv Nayak, CEO - Food Business, Future Group said, “Over the years we have seen that snacking and sports go hand in hand and Tasty Treat is one of our most loved snacking brands. Recognizing this, we’ve launched the Indian Munching League which celebrates both snacking and sports, designed to give the ideal experience to our Tasty Treat consumers.”

Tasty Treat has also connected with its consumers at over 1500 plus Future Group stores like Big Bazaar, Big Bazaar GenNXT, Easyday Club, Heritage Club, HyperCity, Nilgiris, WH Smith and others. Customers purchasing Tasty Treat products will have a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the IPL finals (couple tickets, food, travel and lodging). Not only this, customers also have the opportunity to win exciting gifts like television sets, ACs, microwaves, toasters, blenders and other electronic gadgets. The brand will also be giving lakhs of assured prizes against all Tasty Treat purchases in the form of discount coupons that can be availed during their next purchase of Tasty Treat products.

Links to the challenges on Instagram:

Divyendu Sharma:

 

 

 

 

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Thanks brother @varunthakur for nominating me in the league. Yeh bourbon biscuits ki kasam yeh #IndianMunchingLeague toh mein hi jeetunga? Wait and watch!! #IML

A post shared by Divyendu V Sharmaa (@divyenndu) on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:09am PDT

DJ Chetas:

 

 

 

 

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Nacho??Nachos ke Saath! Whether i’m on a flight or watching a movie, I can never stop munching on my absolute fav Nachos ! @varunthakur thanks for nominating me for the #IndianMunchingLeague #IML

A post shared by DJ Chetas (@djchetas) on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:03am PDT

Sumukhi Suresh

 

 

 

 

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I love bhujia. Because I have taste. And so does bhujia. If you don’t like it then take your popcorn loving face and fit it into a sugarcane machine. THAAAANKS! Thanks @varunthakur for giving me this opportunity to share my passion for Bhujia through #IndianMunchingLeague #IML #PaintMeLikeOneOfYourBhujiasJack

A post shared by Sumukhi Suresh (@sumukhisuresh) on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:46am PDT

Aparshakti Khurana

 

 

 

 

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Thank you @varunthakur for nominating me for the #IndianMunchingLeague Mehanat ka Wafer bahot meetha hota hai! Bring it on! #IML

A post shared by Aparshakti Khurana (@aparshakti_khurana) on Apr 24, 2019 at 7:44am PDT

With more matches going into the final overs, individual brilliant performances supported with world class broadcast, VIVO IPL 2019 continues its spectacular rise on Star Network. With just four weeks in the tournament, VIVO IPL on Star network has seen 411 mn* viewers tuning in. This is close to the total tournament reach of last year, Star said in a statement.

VIVO IPL 2019 – Truly a family affair

With women and kids accounting for 52% of the tournament’s viewership this season, VIVO IPL 2019 continues to be popular across all viewer sets. Compared to last year, VIVO IPL’s female viewership in the first four weeks of the tournament continues to grow recording 15% increase. Average impressions for women have grown from 8.8 mn per match in 2018 to 10.1 mn this year.

Game Banayega Name: Heroes Galore

The emergence of new Indian heroes such as Riyan Parag who just fell short of becoming the youngest half-centurion in VIVO IPL history with a gutsy knock that won hearts against Mumbai Indians. Securing a crucial win for Delhi Capitals against Rajasthan Royals was the formidable Rishabh Pant who did not disappoint with a quick fifty partnered with Prithvi Shaw and a six to seal the win for Delhi. It was a mature knock by Pant, who reached his half century in just 26 balls.

The Heat is On!!

The action in the VIVO IPL 2019 heats up this week with playoff places still up for grabs and high-octane clashes between some of the biggest names in world cricket with Dhoni vs Rohit, Smith vs Warner, Kohli’s away game in Delhi, with the week ending Russel’s wrestle against Mumbai Indians. The heat will be on the big names as well as young guns to make their mark as we reach the business end of the tournament.

* Source: BARC (TV + OOH), Only Match Telecast Hours considered, total average impressions as measured on BARC

The ongoing IPL 2019 has SBI General Insurance entering contracts with Star Network and Cricket associations to insure matches against rain, earthquakes, fire and terrorist attacks. It also has different policies in place for World Cup 2019, Indian Super League and Pro Kabaddi League. 
 

In a chat with exchange4media, Vaidyanath B, Underwriting Manager, Liability Lines, SBI General Insurance, explains why broadcasters go for higher cover limits than stadium owners.

Edited excerpts:
 

Why did SBI General Insurance think of getting associated with IPL 2019?
In IPL there are multiple stakeholders. The first major shareholder is BCCI, then there are the respective franchise owners, the sponsors of the franchise owners, the broadcaster and stadium owners. So stakes are pretty high in IPL matches. Say for a match happening in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Cricket Association handles the sale of tickets and the average revenue they generate could be running into Rs 10-12 crore. Then if you look into the franchise, they are paying players certain money and the sponsors are paying the franchises to have their company logo displayed. SBI General had ‘events cancellation’ product for four to five years. But we were slowly studying the market and started writing this in the last 12 months. For IPL, we have a participative share wherein we cover a few stakeholders, a broadcaster and three cricket associations. 
 

What factors determine the cover limit?
The cover limit, in case of stadiums, depends on the ground capacity. Revenue generated from a cricket match in Mumbai is different from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. Being a bigger stadium, the number of spectators for a match will be also more. However, the cost of tickets in Mumbai could be higher. So the factors differ, it could be the average cost of the tickets or number of seats. 
 

In case of a broadcaster, Star Network who is airing IPL wanted cover for loss of advertising revenues. In case of booked advertisement slots, there is loss of revenue if the match is not played due to rains or an earthquake, or a terrorist attack or fire at a specific location. The policy holder negotiates what could be the potential revenue they could earn in a particular match. So, for around 60 matches in the IPL, they find out what could be the possible earnings, and they protect that by means of insurance.
 

For example, for a match today Star earns Rs 40-45 crore. So, the per match limit will be Rs 40 crore. If the match gets cancelled, the ad slots booked can be used for subsequent matches. The adjustment factor plays a key role in understanding the quantum of loss. This the way it is negotiated and adjusted throughout the season. For stadiums, the cover may range from Rs 15-20 crore, whereas in case of broadcaster, since it is for an entire season, they take a higher limit of say Rs 100-200 crore.
 

What kind of premium do you charge from stakeholders?
The premium for cancellation of a match depends on the nature of the event. It can go from 0.1 per cent to 3 per cent. If a match is happening in India in May, it is better than it happening in England. Further, in case of India, in Kerala the rates are higher for May because that is the time for monsoons to set in. There is a higher probability for a match getting cancelled then compared to Delhi. The price factors are thus determined based on the venue. 
 

Does premium vary between a broadcaster and a stadium owner?
Yes they do. For a broadcaster, a match has to be played in its entirety. In IPL, it is a 40-over match and the cover is for the entire match. For stadiums or cricket associations, the cover will be on one-ball basis. The cover ceases after the first ball is bowled because the match has technically started. People have gathered at the stadium to watch the match anyway. In case of rains, there is no need for refund of tickets. 

How is the payout made?
If Star TV is not able to generate its revenue target, they have the provision to use ad slots of a cancelled match till the end of the tournament. But if after all adjustments, there is loss of some kind, SBI General will pay for it. So if a 40-over match gets reduced to 20 overs, they try to understand if the ad slots for the rest of the 20 overs can be distributed in the next matches. At the end of the 2019 season, they will do a review of the estimated revenue and also revenue that couldn’t be generated because of some peril. The difference, SBI General as a carrier will pay the claim for our share of participation in the risk. 
 

Cricket associations take into consideration the ticketing loss of revenue. If a match gets cancelled and they have to refund tickets, they cover that by the means of insurance. 
 

Will the same policies apply for World cup as well?
The trigger will be similar but each contract is specific. For IPL, it’s a 40-over match, whereas World Cup has 50-over matches. IPL is happening in India in peak summers but World Cup will be held in England where there are chances of rain. For a 40-over match, the number of ad slots is lesser than what it would be for a 100-over one. So ad revenues will be different as well. The cover will change accordingly. 
 

Within a tournament, does high pressure or most-anticipated games get more cover limit?
Viewership is at the peak during quarter finals, semi-finals or finals. When brands feel they have to push their product accordingly, it will have a higher impact on the revenue for the broadcaster. So if they are expecting revenue of say Rs 25 crore on that match, they take the limit for a higher amount to compensate losses.  
 

What kind of policies are negotiated for Pro Kabaddi League and ISL?
Kabaddi happens mostly indoor. The probability of some kind of peril indoors is lower than outdoor games. Cricket obviously gets a higher premium because of the interest and exposure. Kabaddi is the lowest as it is all indoors. Football can also be played during the rains. So, the cheapest is Kabbaddi and then comes football.

MILO is teaming up with the reigning IPL champion Chennai Super Kings as the team’s official sports energy partner for this season. As a celebration of the passion that fans have for Chennai Super Kings, Milo has launched the campaign MILOvoduWHISTLEpodu. 

Commenting on the partnership and the new campaign, Vineet Singh, Director, Dairy, Nestlé India Ltd, said “We are proud to be the Official Sports Energy Partner for a champion team like Chennai Super Kings. MILO believes sports not just builds health but teaches valuable life-skills. Encouraging children to play sports by providing products packed with energy, great taste & nutrition is the core purpose of this brand. This unique partnership is a reaffirmation of MILO’s commitment and will encourage kids to take up sports & imbibe life values that only sport can deliver.”

As a part of the campaign, MILO has launched limited edition pack with CSK players’ imagery and a contest promoting MILO’s key message ‘Sports teaches you values’. Contest winners will get CSK cricket jerseys, based on their entries around what sport has taught them. 
 

ESPNcricinfo has unveiled their latest, four-part film campaign that aims to unite cricket lovers and add momentum to the ongoing cricket fever, which is only touted to grow in light of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019.

Of these four films, two are being launched during IPL 2019 on various digital and television platforms, and the remaining two will be go on air ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019. With the tag line ‘Bhoot Cricket Ka’, ESPNcricinfo aims to connect with cricket crazy fans, blurring geographical and cultural boundaries to unite those gripped by the game. It is common knowledge that the cricket fandom in India is massive. According to the global market research conducted by ICC, 90% of the 1 billion global cricket fans belong to the Indian subcontinent.

 The campaign builds on the momentum from ESPNcricinfo’s previous campaign #CricketsBiggestFanclub, by taking ‘fan-dom’ to its next level: obsession bordering on the paranormal. Cricket is not just revered and worshipped as a religion in India; it almost possesses fans and takes over their lives. The film-led campaign captures the feeling of being obsessed with cricket, in a quirky, humorous way, by playing on a colloquial, relatable phrase, ‘bhoot cricket ka’.  It can strike you anytime and anywhere, whether you’re hanging out with friends, or commuting, or following the game at home on your phone as the second screen.

Through the #BhootCricketKa campaign, ESPNCricinfo invites all cricket lovers to the platform that truly understands cricket fever the best. While humour cuts across age groups, it strikes a stronger chord with the younger audience of 15-25-year-olds, the target audience for the campaign. The films are presented with an eerie tone in every day environments, where people experience paranormal moments, presumably caused by the presence of ESPNCricinfo. As a brand, ESPNCricinfo is not only the trigger for cricket-mania, but also its best cure.

Commenting on this, Gaurav Thakur, Director of Marketing and Business Development at ESPNcricinfo, said, “This year, with IPL and World Cup being played back to back, is a period of high decibel cricket bonanza for fans. The ad films creatively showcase how ESPNcricinfo is geared up to provide a dose of cricket to enthusiasts anytime, anywhere, doubling up as a one-stop-shop for cricket. From T20 League to the Cricket World Cup 2019, there is something for everyone. We are telling fans that if we you are possessed by cricket this season, then ESPNcricinfo is the place to be. From fast scores, original video programming, best of stories and studio analysis – we have it all for each kind of crazy fan!”

 John Francis, director, adds, “We went for a fresh and zany take on cricket fever. And the horror-comedy genre is a totally fresh style not just in the category but even in the country. Using different setting and backdrops, we emphasize on how ESPNcricinfo is accessible to fans at all times, regardless of where they are, and each film’s eeriness is elevated by a notification from ESPNcricinfo. Through horror-comedy, we wanted this campaign to stand out of  the clutter of all other sports campaigns. A brand like ESPNCricinfo already has its serious-cred in place, and now this campaign also adds some street-cred to it, in terms of the humor and quirkiness. The films are a little crazy, but then all real cricket fans are equally crazy too!”

Few years back, the Indian Premier League (IPL) used to be a dreaded word for Bollywood. Such was its fear that movies, and even TV shows, would postpone their release dates to avoid a direct clash with this cricketing extravaganza.

Come 2019, the undisputed clout of IPL has turned on its head. Filmmakers in Bollywood are unfazed and ready to take on IPL’s viewership might. And they have been doing it by churning back to back hits.

Films that dared IPL 2019

Here is quick business fact check of films that clashed with IPL this year went on to become box office mega hits. It started with Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Kesari’ (Budget Rs 80 crore) which released just two days (March 21) before IPL 2019 kicked in (March 23).

The film earned Rs 40 crore on its opening weekend. And while IPL continues, the film has collected over Rs 200 crore in gross revenue so far.

‘Kalank’ (Budget Rs 80 crore) which released recently (April 17) is inching towards the Rs 100 crore club despite the busy IPL schedule alongside. Same is the case with ‘Romeo Akbar Walter’ (released April 5) which managed to earn Rs 20 crore on its opening weekend, something big for a film made on a budget of Rs 35 crore.

And this is not it. IPL’s  51  day run will witness a collective box office gamble of Rs 450 crore which includes some of the upcoming mega releases like Karan Johar’s ‘Student of The Year 2’ (Budget estimated Rs 50 crore) and Ajay Devgn Starrer ‘De De Pyaar De’ (Budget estimated Rs 75 crore) and some smaller releases.

No backseat for Bollywood

In 2012 when Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was asked about films clashing with IPl, his reply was, "I will think about it if I am a producer. I will think twice specially during the middle of the tournament or at the end.”

That was in 2012 and 2019 is a far cry. Over the years Bollywood filmmakers have busted the myth of IPL’s clout over their turf.

According to Siddharth Bhardwaj, Chief Marketing Officer - Head of Enterprise Sales, UFO Moviez, film release calendars are now spread around the year and this makes such a clash inevitable too.

“There are more movies getting released and filmmakers cannot just chase Eid, Diwali or Christmas for their releases. So they have to spread their movie calendar. Earlier they were averse to clash with cricket but now that the content pipeline has become so rich, they are more confident of such a clash and people don’t mind stepping out and watching the films too.”

“From 2009 to 2014 IPL became dreaded for the box office. Now, there is so much to choose from and IPL is just one of them. In my opinion it only affects films which are high on hype and not on content,” explains noted filmmaker Dharmesh Darshan.

Prior to 2019, films that have become big hits during IPL season include: Vicky Donor, Pyaar ka Punchnama, Tanu Weds Manu, Housefull 2, Ishqzaade, Piku, Heropnati, 2 States, Baaghi and Gabbar is Back. But there were big flops too like: Go Goa Gone, Fan, Tashan, Thank You to name a few. This year so far we have seen three big hits alongside IPL which will go on for another 19 days with two more big releases slated to clash and likely to become mega hits too.

Stating that good content can never take a backseat and cannot be threatened by any kind of competition, Atul Mohan, Trade Analyst and Editor of Complete Cinema says, “In the last few years the success of movies like ‘Avengers’, ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Raazi’ have proved that content can never take a backseat and it cannot be threatened by any kind of competition.  Moreover there is enough space for everyone to exist in the entertainment space. Most importantly, nothing can replace cinema, it is the core of all the formats of entertainment we have.”