IPL 2024: A Peek Into Maruti & Bisleri's Experiential Game
The D-Day is here! The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the big-ticket cricketing extravaganza kicking off on 22 March, will continue through 26 May, 2024. And brands couldn’t be any happier.
Brands such as Tata Motors, Charged by Thums Up, Parle, Britannia, Pepsi, Google Pixel, Haier, Jindal Steel, Vodafone, Dalmia Cements, PayZapp by HDFC Bank, Dream 11, SBI, Cred, AMFI, Upstox, Kamla Pasand, Rapido and many more are eyeing the marketing opportunity that this cricket mammoth brings along with it.
In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, brands are increasingly turning to experiential strategies to forge deeper connections with consumers. With the IPL 2024 underway, this trend has found a dynamic platform for implementation. Experiential marketing, characterized by immersive brand experiences, has become a cornerstone for companies seeking to engage audiences in meaningful ways.
At the IPL 2024, brands are seeking to capitalise on the electrifying atmosphere and massive viewership to create memorable interactions with fans. From interactive zones and pop-up activations to engaging social media campaigns, brands are leveraging the cricket extravaganza to leave a lasting impact on consumers. By immersing spectators in unforgettable experiences that transcend traditional advertising, brands aim to foster emotional connections and brand loyalty. As the IPL continues to captivate audiences worldwide, brands embracing experiential marketing are poised to seize the spotlight and elevate consumer engagement to new heights.
Everything Experiential spoke to experientially robust brands such as Maruti and Bisleri, deep diving into and understanding their perspective about the growing share of experiential marketing as part of their marketing budgets, the associations and on-ground activations that they plan to execute and more.
Experiential Is Taking Up More Of The Marketing Pie
Experiential marketing is emerging as a vital component in the media strategies of numerous brands. This year promises to be even more significant and daring for brands such as Maruti and Bisleri regarding investments in this arena. The emphasis lies in utilising experiential marketing as a potent tool to connect with their target audience(s) and cultivate engaging consumer experiences directly at the IPL venue – brands are structuring their associations too, accordingly.
Maruti, as a brand, has always taken a lead in innovative approaches towards reaching its consumers like through experiential marketing. Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki India reveals that it spends roughly around 15-20 per cent of its media spends on on-ground experiential events. “We value the long term brand impact which events like LFW, IIFA, SIIMA, IPL etc create for the brands and hence have been associated with these properties. Whether it's by way of product integrations, or branded content, branded acts or creative twists, we have thoroughly been pushing boundaries in experiential marketing programs.”
Tushar Malhotra, Director of Sales and Marketing, Bisleri International also underlines that post the pandemic, consumer interest and participation in live experiences and events has increased manifold, providing brands with a platform to engage with the consumers in multiple ways.
“We at Bisleri have built a robust sports marketing programme with multiple hydration partnerships across sports genres be it select franchises in the IPL, ISL, Marathons, National games, Ultimate Table tennis and even sporting events in the UAE like Dubai Marathon and select teams in the UAE ILT20,” he points out.
Focus On Brand Loyalty Through Activations & Other Brand Plans
Malhotra comprehends that the IPL, today, is one of the biggest spectacles not only in India but globally and draws massive interest and viewership from a large audience across the country and across all genders and age groups.
Srivastava realises that IPL provides advertisers with a platform and an opportunity to innovate, build content marketing strategies and leverage moment marketing to showcase their brands and engage with consumers. “In the past, we have experimented and tried innovative forms of marketing like content integrations, moment marketing etc. to engage with our consumers. This year as well we would be leveraging the same. Additionally, with the introduction of vernacular feeds both on Jio Cinema as well as on Star Network, would help us to try and communicate with our audience in the language that they like the most.”
He emphasises that the use of AR/VR experience in Maruti’s car displays, creating custom audience cohorts to reach premium TG and social media integrations like interactive fan polls are being planned for IPL subject to final execution.
Bisleri has ongoing hydration partnerships with Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals and Malhotra expresses his delight about signing on one more iconic team which will be announced soon, taking the brand’s association to five teams.
He adds further, “We will be launching an integrated marketing campaign including limited edition bottles featuring players of each of the partner teams, exciting and quirky digital content, co-branding on Bisleri trucks, on-ground vending and experiences in the stadiums during the match days and of course, media buying in TV and digital.
We will be extending the Bisleri #DrinkItUp campaign to our sporting associations strengthening the connect with hydration, Bisleri and an active lifestyle for our consumers, in particular the Gen Z audience.”
Srivastava wraps up, “IPL offers a massive platform for brands to personalise consumer experiences. Starting from personalising merchandise to tailored food and beverages to data-driven fan experiences, IPL 2024 can make all such efforts possible.”
