Men’s IPL 2024: Finding the right media mix

As the biggest advertising carnival of India, the Indian Premier League, inches closer, brands will be trying to make the most of this opportunity. While media gurus have not seen the broadcaster and streaming partner engaging in intense rivalry this year due to their impending merger, the advertising opportunities on television and digital present distinct and competitive deals. 

Another challenge that advertisers face is dividing their eggs into different baskets as mega opportunities such as General Elections and World Cup also follow IPL. 

As far as finding the best mix for your brands is concerned, media mavericks let us in on the advantages that both mediums, television and digital offer. 

Speaking about how two mediums are trying to woo advertisers, Karan Anand, SVP – Strategy, Interactive Avenues (the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India) shared, “JioCinema is set to enhance advertiser advantage with features like Brand Spotlight for impactful campaign launches, Custom Feeds for personalised content delivery, Vertical Highlights mimicking social media trends.”

“Star Sports, on the other hand, being a seasoned broadcaster of the IPL, will continue to leverage its extensive reach across television households to offer advertisers traditional yet powerful mass media campaigns, augmented by digital innovations to meet the evolving demands of advertisers,” added Karan Anand. 

He believes that these platforms together are gearing up to offer a comprehensive and immersive advertising environment, blending digital innovation with traditional broadcast reach.

Comparing both platforms, Namrata Soni, Associate Director – Media Planning & Buying, DENTSU CREATIVE India said that streaming platforms have more value add-ons in terms of brand integrations compared to offline TV inventory.

Moment marketing, custom integration, cheaper spot rates compared to TV and higher reach are the top things being offered by streaming platforms to woo advertisers.

- Namrata Soni

Soni anticipates an overall increase of 5-7% in ad spends on Jio cinema this year. 

In the current challenging financial landscape, Soni further expects brands to be cautious about their spending. She said, “Brands with big appetite dedicated purely for high visibility branding campaigns will be taking up a larger share of the overall IPL live streaming inventory pie. Other smaller brands will need to figure out innovative ways such as Meta and Google's moment marketing ads to ride on the IPL frenzy but in a cost-effective manner.”

She added that some traditional brands would continue to prefer inventory on cricket content publishing platforms like Cricbuzz, and ESPNcricinfo.

TV and digital for the win

Media experts further suggested simmering down rivalry between mediums this year, leaving behind the ‘TV v/s digital’ approach while allocating resources for cricket. 

Speaking about the right mix, Abhigyan Shekhar, Founder, Zupotsu said, “The mix/choice is dependent on the advertisers, with TV getting large budgeted advertisers, while digital is able to attract more number of advertisers." 

Amyn Ghadiali, President - Business & Integration, GOZOOP Group shared, that to achieve a substantial return on investment, the dependence on a single medium can prove to be inefficient. He said that an intricate selection of a combination of mediums can prove useful in helping brands achieve targets and in today’s connected world, there is no denying that the relevance of television is still substantially high, especially for events that enjoy high fan following.  

Kavita Acharekar, VP, Zenith India said “When it comes to sports, it is never an option between TV or Digital. Both mediums need to be invested in.”

However, experts anticipate CTV to get the lion’s share.

Ghadiali said, “We expect CTV (connected TV advertising) to take the biggest chunk of the pie. CTV refers to any TV set that is connected to the Internet and allows viewers to stream videos and music, and browse the Web. With CTV being an economical option when compared to traditional cable advertising, alongside the growing user base, the medium just paints a stronger case for brands.”

Similarly, Achrekar said, “The traction will be visible for CTV, which will see a rise in the number of advertisers and year-on-year investments.”

Gulf Oil has had a long-standing relationship with IPL. To make the most of this season, Amit Gheji, Head of Marketing, Gulf Oil Lubricants India shared that this year, the brand is launching ‘Gulf Unstoppable Army’ campaign, focusing on the community of cricket enthusiasts who support Chennai Super Kings. 

Gheji said, “Our media mix will include extensive coverage on digital platforms, social media channels, and collaborations with influencers who embody the spirit of the Gulf Unstoppable Army.”

On the other hand, Delhi Capitals’ Hydration partner, Bisleri has also struck up a balance between television and digital to make the most of IPL. 

Tushar Malhotra, Director- Sales & Marketing, Bisleri believes that IPL is by far one of India's biggest sporting spectacle. He shared that for its latest Bisleri #DrinkItUp campaign, the brand will also be releasing limited edition bottles featuring the players with its partner teams and co-branding its delivery trucks along with creating digital content with the teams.

He said, “In addition, we will also be airing our latest communication campaign on TV and OTT platforms during the IPL matches.”

Biggest spenders for this season

With Men’s IPL being one of the most-watched sporting events in India, advertisers across various sectors are meticulously planning their campaigns to maximise their presence and effectively reach their target audience. 

During the IPL 2023, a total of 195 advertisers advertised on JioCinema and 124 categories were present, according to a TAM Adex report. Out of these 195 advertisers, 42 were present on TV as well and the remaining were digital exclusive. 

Acharekar spoke about three key categories of advertisers that are expected to be more visible in 2024. 

She said, “The first are real cricket advertisers like auto and fintech for whom cricket is an important part of their media strategy. The next is advertisers for whom the business cycle coincides with IPL like carbonated soft drinks, beverages and water. The third is advertisers who use IPL tactically as part of specific campaigns and cricket is not a part of their regular media strategy.”

She believes that this third category of advertisers will increase their investments in IPL and bring growth.

Karan Anand anticipates growing interest from both traditional sectors and emerging digital services. 

He said, “Categories likely to advertise include e-commerce, especially gaming platforms, telecommunications with a focus on 5G technology, FMCG brands, especially in snacks and beverages, and financial services, including new digital payment solutions.”

Ghadiali highlighted that some of the categories that have been consistent in their communication during the IPL season are Pan Masala, Fantasy sports platforms, followed by FMCG. 

He said, “New entrants could include mobile network providers, travel and tourism and electronic gadgets. I am expecting BFSI to be bullish this year considering the fact that brands in that category are looking at digital aggressively.”

Tips to avoid spillover

During major events such as IPL, ensuring that marketing messages reach the right audience can be tricky. While TV offers broad national reach, it often leads to spillovers due to the lack of region-specific targeting. On the other hand, digital platforms offer more precise targeting options, like geo-targeting and demographic targeting, allowing advertisers to reach specific audiences more accurately.

Karan Anand suggested that brands can adopt a strategy focusing on precision targeting and choosing a singular medium that aligns closely with the target audience's behaviour to avoid spillover. This approach involves deep analysis to understand where the core audience consumes content, be it digital, TV, or CTV. 

He said, “By leveraging platform-specific analytics and targeting capabilities, the brand can deliver its message directly to its intended demographic, minimising waste and enhancing engagement efficiency. This focused strategy ensures that marketing efforts are concentrated where they will have the most impact, avoiding the dilution of messages across multiple channels.”

Ghadiali recommended that brands work out strategies that would enable them to reach diverse audiences by segregating audiences based on their locations, age group, viewing preferences and more. 

He said, “However, spillover is inevitable and it should be viewed as maintaining mind space rather than spillage.”

Similarly, Soni believes that spillover on such a large-scale event and multiple viewing habits is inevitable. 

She said, “The entire emotion of cricket is driven by community viewing. What can help avoid brand or creative fatigue is to run multiple variations of creatives over the entire course of time.”

As Men’s IPL 2024 approaches, brands are gearing up to make the most of this highly anticipated event, with an emphasis on innovative strategies and targeted campaigns. With the tournament set to bat on March 22, all eyes are on how brands will capitalise on this opportunity.