IPL Collaborates with Twitter to Give Real Time Updates To Fans in its 7th Edition

Twitter and IPL partner to revolutionize the social media experience by giving real-time updates to online users by introducing several properties like Twitter IPL Calendar, IPL Pulse, #IPLMagic, #IPLSelfie, best tweet and hashtag battles, IPL SpiderCam, #TwitterMirror and also an interactive Q&A with the commentators.

With Twitter’s massive 250 million user base and the IPL fever on the rise amidst cricket fans, and also keeping in mind the success of their collaboration in 2013, this year IPL-7 has added a lot of features to its social media presence.

There are 8 new initiatives that focuses on keeping the fans engaged, while making the campaign more interactive. These initiatives include:

Twitter IPL Calendar

Twitter IPL Calender will remind the fans about the IPL7 schedule and matches. Users can tweet with @IPL, using hashtag #Calendar. They will receive calendar entries for each IPL match on their mobile phones by doing this. It will also remind them about the match 10 minutes before it begins.

This is a fun feature by IPL. Inspite of being a very simple feature, it is effective since it will drive greater viewership among audiences.

IPL Pulse

IPL Pulse will enable fans to stay enlightened about stories related to latest happenings, players who are most popular, various conversations and trends via Twitter data. Fans at the stadium can tweet using the #PepsiIPL and their tweets get a chance to be featured on the giant screen, serving as a gratification to those present during the match.

Users constantly want to stay updated about their favourite sport and sportspersons. This feature will drive a lot of engagement and interaction among online users.

Best Tweets and Hashtag Battles

The best tweets and hashtag battles were also a part of the last season. The best tweets were displayed on the screen and fans were given an opportunity to vote for their favorite teams and players using team hashtags. This will be an ongoing battle throughout the season, integrated with real time experience.

This feature keeps the players motivated to follow the season and increases the engagement rate. Brands can also keep tab of the teams and based on their popularity invest in them.

#IPLSelfie

Using #IPLSelfie, people can tweet with their selfies, the most popular trend this year. These selfies will also be featured on the IPL website.

Capitalizing on the popularity of selfies, IPL has added this along with other features, positioning them as a modern sport. Youngsters who are most attached to this tournament will go big on #IPLSelfies.

#IPLMagic

#IPLMagic is one of my favourite features since it is a personalized property. Not only is it the first interactive experience presented on a world stage but also highly customized to suit IPL’s core target audience. Fans can tweet with #Magic to @IPL and receive a personalized photo message with an iconic image from every match of IPL-7. Additionally, a photo of the team’s captain will feature with a message.

@IPLSpiderCam

A twitter handle has been created calling it @IPLSpiderCam. This handle will offer behind-the-scene exclusives of IPL-7. The Spider Cam will become a real-time first-person tweeting exclusive field images of the match.

This is another interesting feature because home audiences can get a stadium like feel online.

#TwitterMirror

6 second Vine videos are being planned using #TwitterMirror throughout the IPL7 season. Players can tweet candidly with personal photos during the tournament to keep their fans updated and engaged.

Twitter Q & A

Online Q&A sessions with the commentators are now possible for users by tweeting to @IPL for one-on-one interactions. Since this is an interactive feature it will keep the users interested and informed. This is a great feature since it is a two way communication on social media.

All these initiatives designed to keep the fans engaged seem to be great ideas. I am looking forward to seeing the much needed hike in engagement about IPL7. The initiatives are pretty good ideas and by the looks of it, it will be a huge hit among the fans, since selfies, behind the scene shots and chances of one’s tweets to be featured on the mega screen of the match is something of a fancy to everyone.