There is no dearth of occasions for celebrations in the world. Brands are always on a lookout for such occasions which appeal to the masses. And that’s why, in this part of the sub-continent where most people worship cricket, every advertiser covets a spot during the greatest cricketing event of the world.
Some key advertisers as per an article in Livemint are: PhonePe, OnePlus, Havells, Amazon, Dream11, MRF Tyres, Coca-Cola, Uber, Mondelez, Oppo, Philips, Ceat Tyres and ICICI Lombard.
However, I am pretty surprised, not many brands planned a tactical advert to ride the world cup wave. The ones that have will probably be the most remembered for this period, the good ones, and even the not so good ones.
Lets take a look at some the brands who are contributing to the 1800 cr revenue to STAR (source: Livemint) and do the analysis of whether they are really leveraging this mega event.
Uber: Uber to the cup #uberindia
Uber has been heavily invested in advertising during the world cup. It has come up with interesting and relevant content for its target audience and has roped in key players for its ads in India and Bangladesh.
Uber: UberMoto Uberbangladesh
Uber: #worldcupfananthem
Uber seems to have bet big time this world cup. Apart from their series of ads, they also have come up with the fan anthem.
The anthem is performed by artists like Jahmiel (Jamaica), Catherine Taylor Dawson (UK), Simba Diallo (NZ), Khayelitsha United Mambazo (South Africa) and SANAM – The Band (India).
Although, I didn’t find the song to be catchy and likable, they will be playing it often during the world cup, reinforcing the theme on our minds and giving Uber a lot of exposure.
Coca Cola: Hum Aik Hai #extremelypakistani
This 4 minute long musical journey culminates in the stadium with the energy befitting the adrenaline of a sport that rouses the nation. Coca Cola is the master of branding and throughout this beautiful ad, it weaves the brand in and out and sews it all together in an exquisite fabric of a story that brings Pakistan together.
Its a lovely ad for a lovely brand and as usual Coca Cola continues its magic.
Oppo: Storytelling spoiled forever
Storytelling has been a great form of advertising on the digital platform and even on traditional mass media channels. Brands come up with great stories and weave in the product magically to engage and impress the audience. Oppo tried to do the same here. But well, for all the money they would have spent on this, they failed to get the bang for their buck.
Their claim to glory: OPPO Selfie expert phone, best Diwali gift. Definitely not buying it. This ad has bombed at a spectacular level.
Oh, by the way, somehow, it reminded me of the grand sets of Kalank. Kalank bombed too, didn’t it? Just goes to show, without good content, spending lavishly on looking good doesn’t get you success.
Star Sports: Cricket ka Crown Hum Le Jayenge
STAR has not done poorly either with its ad targeted to the Indian audience, adding a tinge of humor to the tense competition. In good adverts, there are those little moments of chemistry that we are always on a lookout for that makes the ad memorable.
For me in the first ad below, that moment was when the Queen gestures to the guy standing next to jump in and make England proud. She ends up holding the tray of drinks while the guy jumps into the fray: Funny and memorable.
The other ads are also commendable and draws out laughter from the audience. This is very crucial for STAR to stir up more interest in the upcoming event and increase viewership.
Wildstone World Cup ad: Clear in communication, but the most forgettable
Well, deodorant companies don’t seem to have anything to say except getting women crazy. This is a feeble attempt by Wildstone to get itself heard in the clutter of world cup ads.
It is very basic, which works for making it simple in expressing what the brand is here to say, but then again, the ad is very forgettable. Once you have watched it, you wouldn’t want to watch it again. Ever.
A lot of these ads could have been a bit better. People involved in making these ads need to plan way better. I have seen much better ads in previous world cups. Maybe I will do a post on it later.
But why it is important to get advertising in these events right is because:
- No other event gives as much audience as this. More than 1.5 billion people across the globe are the targeted audience. With such a huge audience, your entire A&P spend would be justified and get you huge returns
- It makes sense to advertise in cricket, as the audience are likely to look forward to entertainment in the form of ads. You see, unlike other sports, Cricket has a lot of uneventful pauses. Like water breaks, changing the ball or sometimes bat, waiting for the third umpire. These are pauses which can be filled in with interesting and relevant advertisements. The audience gets more entertained and hence has a better recall for the brands that use this opportunity.
- The breaks are shorter and less taxing. As per an article in Moneycontrol, usual entertainment has advertisements of around 650-700 seconds per hour, and each break lasts around 2-3 minutes, and there are about 4 breaks per hour. But in cricket, there are 12-14 breaks and the breaks last around 50 seconds. This gives smaller doses of ads to the audience, not getting them frustrated or too tired of watching these ads over and over again.
Apart from the reasons cited above, think about the results one could achieve for one’s brands. The first match alone for this world cup recorded a reach of 114 million viewers. The reach is defined as the number of people who watched the match for at least 1 minute during the telecast. (Source: Business Standard.)
We are always on a search for good avenues to advertise on, and for India, Cricket world cup is one the best. Although I didn’t see many of the Indian brands score 6’s in this event, I hope India goes all the way and wins the event for us.