Was WPL a missed opportunity to spotlight creativity and generate buzz?

We are in the middle of the week and have already seen many IPL campaigns coming forth, signifying the hype for the loved sport tournament. With stars and athletes promoting it, the Indian Premier League isn’t short of advertisements. Compare it to the Women’s Premier League, which came to an end on March 17 with Royal Challengers Bangalore winning the second edition of the tournament, this being a feat for the franchise.

While still a newly formed tournament with viewership for the season two finale not revealed, the inaugural season of WPL saw more than 10 million new viewers tune in. JioCinema claimed to have clocked more than 50 minutes of watch-time per user per match, delivering the highest viewership for the first season on any Women’s events globally. 

When you think about it, it’s the advertisements that generate anticipation for a sports tournament, making the viewer feel excited about what’s to come. Take Viacom18’s campaign for last year titled ‘Har Zubaan Par Naam Tera’. It relied on the love for sports showcased by women in every nook and corner of the country as they felt inspired by the athletes playing the game. It was a message for every girl who wants to pave the way for herself whether it is in sports or any other field. 

On the other hand, season two of IPL witnessed 48 million viewers for the seven matches on SET Max compared with 46 million viewers for the eight matches in IPL season one, according to aMap data. Back then, IPL clocked in buzz through each teams’ iconic themes that everyone feels nostalgic about - be it ‘Whistle Podu’, ‘Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo’, ‘Duniya Hila Denge Hum’ and more.

These campaigns targeting sports lovers of each region brought in viewers. Fast forward to 2023, IPL garnered a viewership of 449 million overall including 120 million connected TV consumers as revealed by Viacom18 CEO Anil Jayaraj at an event. With more viewers, advertisers have followed, too. 

Disney Star’s spot buy rates stand at Rs 12.8 lakh per 10 seconds for SD and Rs 5.45 lakh per 10 seconds for HD and the combined ad rate is Rs 16.4 lakh, a slight increase from Rs 16 lakh in 2023. 

When WPL has garnered interest owing to the grit and exceptional performances put forth by the players and experts foresaw advertisers’ interest in the beginning of the tournament, how have the campaigns fared?

Engaging the female audience

Samit Sinha, Founder and Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting suggests that for many brands, this was a first-time opportunity to direct their marketing messages towards women, seeing it as an ideal platform to communicate with them. 

“While nowhere near as massive as the IPL, the tournament and its viewership did demonstrate that it is possible for women’s cricket, and perhaps even women’s sports in general, to achieve a critical mass of popular interest in India to be a significantly large advertising opportunity, especially for women-oriented categories.”

The tournament this year saw sponsorships from brands such as Tata Group, Dream11, Amul, Mia by Tanishq, Vega Beauty, Himalayan Face Care, Puma, Galaxy Basmati Rice, Yatra, Navyasa, Joy Personal Care, Lotus Herbals, Ashok Leyland, Usha, Max Life Insurance and more.

It has generated an estimated Rs. 125 crore in sponsorship revenues for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the five teams, as per reports. 

Anurag Agnihotri, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy (West) expresses his enthusiasm about the increasing interest in women's cricket. “Although it's only the second season, the fact that so many brands have jumped on board is promising. There were some good campaigns, but the WPL has a bright future and I'm sure there will be better work on it in the future.”

He particularly finds the approach taken by LoveChild by Masaba to be intriguing from the current lineup of campaigns.

The brand, which sponsored Mumbai Indians, chose to spotlight the different phases of women’s careers and personal journeys, connecting each stage including their successes and failures to the game, ultimately choosing to remind women that their journeys are their own and as they face each hurdle, they can be unapologetically themselves. 

While many brands have attempted to empower women through their campaigns, have they managed to target the right audience? 

Targeting the right audience

Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder & CSO, Bang In The Middle feels this isn’t the case. He comments that this year, most brands have targeted women consumers through advertising believing that there would be more women watching WPL, which he considers a mistake. 

He believes that Women's Cricket has massive potential in India and that brands have just about scratched the surface. WPL has experienced a surge in fan numbers, mirroring the growth seen in the IPL, which appeals to both sports addicts and sports fans.

With this, Gupta shares his observations on WPL viewership stating, “There have been more men who were following WPL, and there was a substantive family audience that watched WPL, so to that extent, the brands have missed the opportunity to connect with the sports fan base.”

The official digital viewership data of 2023 claimed that only 18% of the women who watch men’s cricket watch women’s cricket. In an effort to bring in more women to watch the sport, Puma India, which sponsored Royal Challengers Bangalore, roped in women leaders like actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, entrepreneur Vineeta Singh, boxer Mary Kom to champion the cause of women’s cricket. 

They aimed to encourage women to join them to watch the final match while making a statement that cricket is everyone’s game and as sports lovers, it can be enjoyed beyond genders. 

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Selling sports to viewers can be a job attributed to advertisements and effective marketing. So what does the WPL really need to attract viewers and advertising monies?

Nisha Sampath, Managing Partner, Bright Angles Consulting LLP opines, “I think that the larger issue for WPL is that it needs to increase viewership – across sports lovers, not just women. Creative teams can help to bring in ideas across digital and mass media that create engagement and encourage people to watch the WPL.”

While it's important that women-centric brands like beauty brands have chosen to advertise around WPL, keeping with the theme of women’s empowerment, Sampath thinks that it is important for people in sports to be celebrated for their individual, unique personas as well which goes beyond gender. 

She believes that Nike sets a great example of this by celebrating athletes for their personal achievements and qualities that extend beyond gender stereotypes.

For example, in 2019, the brand released a campaign with Tennis player, Serena Williams highlighting that there’s no wrong way to be a woman and that chasing dreams even if you are called crazy is inspiring. The ad drew parallels with women athletes who have shone through their performances and living their dreams. 

Focus on storytelling

When it comes to the storytelling aspects of the campaigns, Hamsini Shivakumar, Director, Leapfrog Strategy Consulting feels that the WPL ads are ‘brilliant’ and open up a whole different space of womanhood in India. 

“Storytelling for WPL has a huge opportunity to popularise women's cricket in India - to build a pipeline of players, a growing audience base and to shape/mould a new generation of young women and their relationship with sports.”

Focusing on the ads made for WPL in the last season and this one, Shivakumar says, “These ads which, like music videos, are very interesting in the way in which they portray and express the inner Durga in every woman cricketer and in Indian women too.”

Devi symbolises the warrior spirit in women and she thinks, the ads that have portrayed shots and scenes of women from all walks of life dancing, moving and using their bodies as a means of self-expression, represent a different type of awakening of Indian womanhood.

Bright Angles Consulting LLP’s Nisha Sampath mentions that creative teams should collaborate closely with the agencies managing the WPL cricketers. This could help to pinpoint their unique personality traits and build a stronger alignment with their brand stories. By doing so, advertising will go beyond mere endorsement and become more engaging.

While IPL took its time to establish its presence in the last decade, ultimately, the success of the WPL can also be measured by the potential it holds for the future. 

A report by TAM Sports compared the advertising volumes per match between the WPL and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, revealing that the indexed ad volume growth per match was three times higher during WPL compared to the WT20 WC.

Anurag Agnihotri of Ogilvy (West) highlights that women's sports is a huge market just waiting to be tapped into and this is where a lot of potential lies for advertisers. However, it should be noted that WPL is not the IPL with its unique nuances and audiences. 

“Creating campaigns that are cognizant of that will be key to unlocking the WPL's potential,” he concludes.

From what experts observe, the campaigns for the Women’s Premier League have shown glimpses of creativity and with a focus on highlighting athletes’ personalities, it has the potential for a promising future.