Traversing through some of the best announcement campaigns by one of the most attended, most followed and highly viewed cricket leagues in the world - IPL.
With the Indian Premier League or IPL back on the ground, we span across the campaigns that played a helping hand in making the league what it is today, increasing viewership, growing its brand value, and establishing itself as 'The Father Of Entertainment'.
IPL is a blend of two topics that widely dominated the masses of India - Cricket & Entertainment, along with some global value brought in by international players, but like its name, it primarily remains Indian.
The first season's announcement campaign was rather unconventional for cricket or even a sports league.
In fact, it had nothing to do with cricket. But it was dipped in the essence of the 80's Indian cinema, the kind of theme that resonated with the viewers of its broadcaster at that time - Set Max, now a Hindi movie channel.
The campaign conceptualized by TBWA Mumbai, and directed by Rajesh Krishnan of Soda Films, established itself as Mano and Ranjan's father, competing with all sources of entertainment and not just sports events.
Manoranjan Ka Baap (First Season | 2008)
For the next few seasons, the notion of the event bringing people together was concentrated on people forgetting their differences, and staying on the same side, in front of the screen.
As IPL auctions are primarily based on a player's performance record and value, all teams have a mix of nationalities, faiths, states, and more factors that usually create a divide in the traditional society.
Consequently, the same effect would pass on to the viewers, wherein people from different places would come together and cheer for players from different places, portrayed in a campaign neutralizing the significance of borders.
Borders
This thought was also given a visual boost with the campaign 'Ek Desh, Ek Junoon', depicting crowds of people doing the same thing at the same time invariably, mirroring the effect of IPL pulling crowds to watch a match. This campaign was also created by TBWA, and the man behind the campaign was Rahul Sengupta, then NCD, TBWA India.
Ek Desh, Ek Junoon (Second Season | 2009)
The magnitude of IPL had been enormous from its first season itself, which only grew with the years. But the communication in the campaigns gradually changed to drawing parallels between colossal events that are significant in India.
Such as the 'Bharat Bandh' series, produced by the acclaimed filmmaker, Rajkumar Hirani, conceptualized by JWT and directed by Shashank Ghosh.
IPL is around a month-long and like any other sports event, viewers are automatically interested as the deciding matches come closer. But to establish an engagement that remains constant from end to end, the series aimed to proposition IPL similar to a nationwide shutdown, where people sit home and watch television, in this case, IPL.
Bharat Bandh (Fourth Season | 2011)
Another one with a similar idea was tapped with 'India Ka Tyohaar' composed by the celebrated duo Salim and Sulaiman, which build the sports event as a period of joy that the whole country looks forward to - the Indian festive season.
Togetherness in the backdrop of few social issues was tapped to the fullest with the series 'Ek India Happywala', conceptualized by DDB Mudra.
Ek India Happywala | News (Ninth Season | 2016)
Ek India Happywala (Taxi)
Manoranjan Ka Baap, Bharat Bandh, India Ka Tyohaar, and Ek India Happywala are some of the milestone campaigns. Another one that hit the mark just right was 'Jumpak Jumpak'.
With Farah Khan on board, who had established herself as a commercially successful director and choreographer at the time, created a catchy phrase and tune.
I remember kids at school doing the steps Farah Khan taught, someone hit a six while watching a match and a friend goes "Sirf Dekhne Ka Nahi" and starts dancing, and when you're standing in a shop waiting for the shopkeeper to give back change, a guy beside you goes "Jumping Japang Jumpak Jumpak".
Japang Jumpak Jumpak (Sixth Season | 2013)
IPL campaigns have always been less about cricket and more about emotions, but almost always seem to get the insights right. Like with Jumpak it was about raising engagement with entertainment.
Another such insight was IPL giving rise to up & coming underdogs, that go face to face with the established players, depicted with 'Game Baneyga Name'.
Conceptualized by Taproot Dentsu, the thought behind the campaigns was saying something different from the previous eleven campaigns, which led to laying one's eyes on the words inscribed on the IPL trophy 'Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi', which translates as, 'Where talent meets opportunity'.
Game Banayega Name (Twelfth Season | 2019)
In 2020, the pandemic led to postponing this year's IPL season, but the return of the event was coupled with a campaign series themed around the distance between people and IPL bringing them together as viewers.
Ek Saath Waali Baat (Thirteenth Season | 2020)
Thank You, Watchman
More campaigns describe the intensity of the players participating, the mania IPL has generated, IPL as an escape from the mundane daily life & a source of entertainment, and the fanatical fan-following.
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