#CWC2019: 5 Marketing tactics brands are betting big on this World Cup

While the Men in Blue sweat it out on the field in England, Social Samosa decodes advertisers' key World Cup marketing strategy & tactics for ICC World Cup 2019.

The first half of 2019 has been witness to some high profile events including General Elections, Indian Premier League and the ongoing ICC World Cup which is keeping the audiences hooked. With this, we take a look at World Cup marketing strategy & tactics that brands are adopting.

According to a report by the research, advisory and consulting services firm Media Partners Asia (MPA) released in April this year, the Indian Advertising Industry is expected to grow nearly 12% on the back of Elections and cricketing events.

In a country where cricket is no less than a religion, advertisers are betting big on the World Cup fever.

Also, a recent report by ESP Properties stated that in India, cricket beats all other sports hollow when it comes to sponsorships and the World Cup is an opportunity no brand wants to miss. The tournament is reportedly attracting investments on the advertising front to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore across television, digital, print and radio, as per Moneycontrol.com.

The same can be reflected in the marketing tactics adopted by various brand associated with the ICC World Cup. The list of brand associations for the tournament includes PhonePe, One Plus, Havells, Kamala Pasand, Amazon.com, Amazon Pay, Byju’s, Dream11, MRF tyres, Pernod Ricard, AMFI, Coca – Cola, Uber, Uber Eats, Mondelez, Oppo,PolicyBazar.com, Paisa Bazaar.com, Acko General Insurance, Britannia, CEAT Tyres, ICICI Lombard, Royal Challenge Sports Drink, Philips Hue, Tik Tok.  

While Britannia has kept it’s age-old technique ‘Win a  ticket to the World Cup’ alive, there are many others like Uber releasing anthems and launching contests.

With over 80,000 Indian fans expected to attend the ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, we list down 5 key tactics marketers have imbibed in their strategy to up the engagement quotient.

1.Win a ticket
to the World Cup

Who would not want to avoid shedding lakhs and fly overseas to watch the matches live and instead win free travel to England and Wales? Marketers are betting big on this very consumer interest and have rolled out their respective baits. Almost every marketer is offering it’s target audience a chance to watch the world cup matches live with a free ticket. For instance, Britannia has tied up with Big Basket in an exclusive e-commerce partnership to launch the Britannia Khao World Cup Jao Campaign on its portal.

Meanwhile, Coca Cola is asking consumers to buy Coke bottles and enter the 14 digit code mentioned on it’s back to win a chance to attend the World Cup.

Brands: GoDaddy, Uber,
Coca Cola, Bira 91, Britannia, Red FM, Royal Stag

Also Read: All you need to know about ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 official brand associations

2. World Cup Anthems

Music connects us all, no doubt and when it comes as a concoction of rage, passion, and rigour coupled up with valor- nothing like it. Anthems today are garnished with all these ingredients and brands are banking on them big time. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this is the era of anthems with every second marketer pitching for it to cheer the Men in Blue. Right from Uber’s official World Cup Anthem ‘Way-O-Way-O’ to Puma’s Chakravyuh me #SockThem featuring rapper Divine and Virat Kohli- fans have liked them.

Brands:
Uber, American Tourister, Tik Tok, Puma, Kamla Pasand

3. Cash Prizes, Contests and Meet and Greet

Though this is a tried and tested formula for ages, the continuity of these tactics to lure consumers proves its evergreen relevance. Fans love to meet their idols in person, a common man would want to win Rs 1 crore or mega prizes if UC Browser and Uber say so where only they need to do is take part in quizzes, contests and answer simple questions related to cricket or the ongoing matches.

Brands:
UC Browser, Gulf Lubricants, Uber, My11Circle,  EazyDiner, CashKaro, Dish TV, Taco Bell  

4. Star Glamour and Star Cricketers

According to a Marketwatch report, a simple announcement from a brand signing a celebrity or athlete can cause stock prices to rise slightly and increase sales by 4% on average. And it is no news that celebrity endorsement is generally seen as a viable option for brands to increase brand value, awareness, credibility and product promotion. While Coca Cola put it’s bet on the 'Sanju’ duo – Ranbir Kapoor and Paresh Rawal, American Tourister roped in India women cricket Team’s captain Mithali Raj to bleed blue.

Brands: My11Circle,
Dream11, Daniel Wellington, Puma, Uber, GullyLiveFast, UC Browser, Coca
Cola, American Tourister

5. E-Cricket and Fantasy gaming

According to India Times, online fantasy sports gaming has become a $1 billion market and predicted to reach new heights with the IPL and World Cup. Dream11, touted to be the market leader in the online fantasy sports category,  set a target to reach over 100 million by the end of 2019 which will be a quarter of the 400 million that consume cricket online in India. The aggressive target is expected to be mostly achieved during the IP while the World Cup will be cherry on top.

‘The Evolving Landscape of Sports Gaming in India’ report by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) and KPMG India revealed that the demand for online fantasy sports has increased by seven times over 2016-2018, whereas the number of users has grown by over 25 times from June 2016 to February 2019. For a cricket crazy country like India, e-cricket offering serves as the platter where fans form their imaginative teams to battle it out on the field which gives them the much-required gratification, a unique experience and real-time engagement for platforms.

Brands: Dream11, My11Circle

How these strategies ultimately pan out to help the brand in their marketing game will be interesting to see.