Taking pride in the quirks of being a Delhite is a big part of the Dabang Delhi Social Media Strategy, which reflects in the #BuraNaMaanoDilliHai campaign. With PKL finale just around the corner we deep dive in the team's marketing game.
Dabang Delhi has been a Pro Kabaddi League team since the beginning. It has evolved over time, growing at par with the popularity of kabaddi in India. In this time, the Dabang Delhi Social Media Strategy has transformed from pulling crowds to brand building.
"From purely driving stadium sales, which was the initial objective, it has now become important for us to build the sport, take it to the next level and build heroes of kabaddi," Sumeet Yadav, Group CEO DO IT Sports tells us.
He further explains that in the first two to three seasons, the focus was on getting people to the stadium. Now, it's about getting more and more fans committed to the sport and the club and about communicating for Dabang Delhi means to the people as consumers.
There are three parts to the way the team is being marketed as a brand. Sumeet takes us through the verticals: Primarily, we use the digital medium (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter) to reach out to the customers. This is the bulk of our spends, about 75%. When we reach closer to our home leg, we use a bit of traditional media and ATL where billboards are put up and newspaper ads go out - this is about 20% of the total efforts.
The rest 5% is a significant part of our brand-building exercise as here, we reach out to children and associations like CRY where we invite them to the matches and make them feel like a part of the game, he explains. Fans too are encouraged to join as a part of the Dabang Fauj.
When it comes to the kind of content that goes out, about 20-25% is information about matches and players, 30-40% is about engagement where the team expresses what they stand as a brand and fans are encouraged to connect with the players. The last chunk, about 25-30% is about the sport of kabaddi.
Sponsorship announcements are an important part of their social media presence for here, the team gets to highlight support and express gratitude for it.
This year, Dabang Delhi released six films — three of which took real-life instances and explained them in the context of the game and the rest three related instances on the mat to the social fabric of Delhi.
In one of the films, a young girl being badgered by three women about marriage is explained as a super tackle, where three players stop one from scoring a point.
In another, an instance of the players celebrating a win by showing affection towards the player who scored a point is explained as to how people in Delhi would call it — Tu Mera Bhai Hai.
“Bura Na Mano, Dilli Hai” celebrates Delhi in a tongue-in-cheek manner. When the campaign was being thought of, we realised that there are traits and cultural tropes about Delhi that are misrepresented. It's in the culture of Delhi to be unabashed, to be boisterous, excessive and to show a bravado that pushes the envelope sometimes,” says Sumeet, explaining the origin of the campaign.
Sponsorship tales
Scribble on the front of the Dabang Delhi jersey is JK Super Cement, the team's title sponsor. Similar to the Haryana Steelers, Delhi also has a brand-connect story. Pushp Raj Singh, President - Marketing, JK Super Cement tells us, "A team like Dabang Delhi truly represents our brand’s energy and unbeatable strength."
"JK Super Cement has built a strong presence within the Indian cement industry, symbolizing durability, safety and strength. All these attributes resonate well with the spirit of Dabang Delhi and have also reflected in their performances across the last few seasons," he adds.
"JK Super Cement aims to leverage and build deeper connections with their stakeholders across the country through this association," he adds. At approximately 2 crores, this association includes the sponsorship, channel partner engagement, on-ground activations like roadshows, digital and social media activation, match passes, co-branded merchandising. The cement brand hopes to create a stronger brand association and recall and strengthen the relationship with the network of channel partners.
To sum up
It is interesting how Dabang Delhi has incorporated the quintessential elements of Delhi in their communication. The imagery part of this communication is raw, unabashed and powerful. The font used in the creatives, with the golden hue also reflects the same.
Dabang Fauj, a term given to the fan army is an interesting quirky addition to the way the team is building its fanbase. The association with the cement brand has been used strategically to infuse and promote the team as a strong one.
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