#SSIPLWatch How Delhi Capitals leveraged social media to create a fandom

With players, staff and fans radiating pride and documenting support online, Delhi Capitals made the most of it with their social media presence by stringing it all together, here's how.

2020 has been a special year for the Delhi Capitals as they roared their way into the finale of IPL 13. Though they couldn't win the title, history was created. All through the season, efforts on the field have been supplemented by an integrated strategy on social media where Delhi Capitals players, as well as the management, can be seen engaging in conversations online, facilitating a space for fandom to flourish.

The team is co-owned by the GMR Group and the JSW Group and key persons associated with these organisations can be seen being vocal with their support online.

Social Media Footprint

Delhi Capitals posts the same creatives across platforms, amplifying the content after optimisation for the platform. Twitter has proven to be an essential micro-blogging space where quick communication can be put up to drive conversations, give updates and amplify individual voices associated with the team. The capital city of Delhi plays a key role as an element and a character in the social media strategy of Delhi Capitals.

Facebook: 6.7 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.9 Million Followers
Twitter: 1.5 Million Followers
Key Hashtags: #YehHaiNayiDilli #DCToli #Dream11IPL

Action Images

Images and GIFs that visually capture the essence of a cricket match are often used by Delhi Capitals to supplement their online commentary on match days. Such imagery is accompanied by an intriguing caption that often contains a question as an attempt to drive engagement.

Going Candid

Giving glimpses from their team times in the dressing room and footage that captures pre and post-match moods help Delhi Capitals build their narrative on social media. These are moments that help them share their story beyond what one can see on the field, giving people more access to the lives of the players they love.

Twitter Interactions

As a platform, Twitter is a key space for Delhi Capitals to amplify voices that support them. They usually quote-tweet such conversations instead of replying to the person as it helps them have more power over what is being said. They are able to document it according to their overall narrative.

All About Cricket

Leveraging the insights players have about the game and the team's performance plays an important role for all IPL teams, including Delhi Capitals. These are conversations that add to the credibility of the conversation online as well give players individual space to build their own brands as they contribute to the brand value of the team.

Also Read: #SSIPLWatch How Mumbai Indians leverages social media to fuel the #OneFamily theme

Brand Tales

Delhi Capitals has worked with some of their sponsors to create engaging promotional content for their social media profiles. This includes pieces that feature the players, Delhi as a key element and the benefits of using the products/services of the brand — Acko Insurance being a prominent example of such collaboration with Delhi Capitals.

Creatives & Players

Delhi Capitals puts quite a bit of focus on their players, especially when it comes to visual representation. Two interesting ways they do so include giving them space to express themselves in regards to the game and by sharing creative illustrations laden with popular cultural references that feature them.

Building On Emotions

A three-layered strategy seems to work well for Delhi Capitals when it comes to building a fanbase for the team. This includes taking pride in the game, amplifying the value of the logo (key for merchandising) and creating virtual spaces for the team and the fans to interact despite the no-stadium experience situation this year. The fourth key layer is the use of Delhi as an element to build promotional narratives for the team.

Space For Family

Images and support of the family of the players and the management are often highlighted as a part of the narrative Delhi Capitals has created for itself online. It helps add to the support of the fans as well as facilitate and promote it. The idea of how it all begins at home is pretty evident.

Takeaways

• The year was special for Delhi Capitals and the build-up online was in sync with the triumphs on the field. There was enough pride and focus on players to create a space where fans could stay connected and add to the narrative. This, coupled with their focus on the logo, is useful to facilitate demand for merchandises.
• Virtual Meetups were key to the Delhi Capitals social media strategy as it helped them facilitate and nurture their fandom.