61140922 ipl marketing
DESCRIPTION
iplTRANSCRIPT
AMITY SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS
PROJECT
ON
“IPL MARKETING”
NAME:-ABHILASH ROUT
COURSE:-BBA
BATCH:-2010-13
ENROLLMENT NO:-A3906410288
SUBMITTED TO:-Ms. NEHA GAUTAM
DATE OF SUBMISSION:-22/07/2011
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported
me during the writing of this book.
My deepest thanks to Ms. Neha Gautam mam , the Guide of the project for
guiding and correcting various documents of mine with attention and care.
She has taken pain to go through the project and make necessary correction
as and when needed.
I express my thanks to Prof.(Dr.) Alka Munjal , Director, Amity School of
Business , Noida for extending her support.
.
I would also thank my Institution and my faculty members without whom
this project would have been a distant reality. I also extend my heartfelt
thanks to my family and well wishers.
ABSTRACT
My project is on IPL Marketing.In my project ,I have brought out the
marketing strategies of IPL.IPL has marketed cricket all over the world.It
has combined two religions of india i.e Cricket and bollywood.
With glamour ,money,passion and most importantly cricket ,IPL has grown
up to become a successful business.
Today its called the “Businessman’s Game” and player are like cattles.IPL
concept came into being to compete with ICl.Due to its unique marketing
strategies, its has left its competitors far too behind.Cricket God Sachin
Tendulkar,Badshah of bollywood Shahrukh and sizzling cheerleaders all at
one place, What more people would want?
Even after IPL season,it tries to be in viewers mind by various scams.Today
IPL is a huge success.And soon its going to be the world’s religion.
SL.NO CONTENT Pg no.
1 OBJECTIVE 6
2RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY 7
3 INTRODUCTION 8
4 SWOT ANALYSIS 25
5 IPL MARKETING 29
6 SUGGESTION
&CONCLUSION
63
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY 64
CONTENT
OBJECTIVE
The objective of my project “IPL MARKETING” is as follows:-
- To find out how cricket became a successful business.
- To know about various marketing strategies of IPl.
- To study new marketing mix of IPL.
-To know about various post marketing strategies of IPL.
Research methodology:
There are different types of method through which research can be made. Introduction to these methods are given below:Primary research: collection of data that does not exist yetSecondary research: summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing researchQualitative research: understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviourQuantitative research: systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships
For my project I have chosen secondary research as a research methodology. I have made my research on existing data and derived my conclusion.
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
Indian Premier League
In the year 2008,we did see the birth and rise of one of the greatest
marketing phenomenon in sports marketing in india,Yes ofcourse I am
referring to “IPL” More then cricket,it was this whole business and
marketing angle to it which made it popular.Cricket combined with
entertainment and that too bollywood,what more do you need to pull in
Indian market?After all cricket and bollywood are two religion in India.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional league
for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquartered in Mumbai supervised by
former Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League Chirayu
Amin. It is currently contested by 10 teams consisting of players from
around the world. It was started after an altercation between the BCCI and
the Indian Cricket League.
In 2010, IPL became the first sporting event ever to be broadcast live
on YouTube.[6] Its brand value is estimated to be around $3.67 billion in
fourth season. According to global sports salaries review, IPL is the second
highest-paid league, based on first-team salaries on a pro ratabasis, second
only to the NBA. It is estimated that the average salary of an IPL player over
a year would be $3.84 million.[9] The brand value ofMumbai
Indians (finalist IPL 2010) is estimated at USD 57.13 Million.
HISTORY
First season:-
The inaugural season of the tournament started on 8 April 2008 and lasted
for 46 days with 59 matches scheduled, out of which 58 took place and 1
was washed out due to rain. The final was played in DY Patil
Stadium, Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Every team played each other both at home
and away in a round robinsystem. The top four ranking sides progressed to
the knockout stage of semi-finals followed by a final. Rajasthan
Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings in a last ball thriller and emerged as
the inaugural IPL champions.
Second season:-
The 2009 season coincided with the General Elections in INDIA. Owing to
concerns regarding players' security, the venue was shifted to South Africa.
The format of the tournament remained same as the inaugural one. Deccan
Chargers, who finished last in the first season,were big underdogs, but came
out as eventual winners defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the
final.
Third season:-
The third season opened in January 2010 with the auction for players. 66
players were on offer but only 11 players were sold. In this season, Deccan
Chargers did not play at their preferred home location of Hyderabad,
India due to the ongoing political crisis in the Telangana region . The new
bases for the champions this season were Nagpur, Navi
Mumbai and Cuttack. Four teams qualified for the semi-finals. The first
semi-final was won by Mumbai Indians who defeated Bangalore Royal
Challengers by 35 runs. Chennai Super Kings defeated Deccan Chargers in
the second semi-final. The final was played between Chennai Super Kings
and Mumbai Indians. Chennai Super Kings won by a margin of 22 runs.
After the win Macrina Fernandes multi billionaire from Vasai gifted
Mahendra Singh Dhoni a BMW as a token of appreciation.
Fourth season:-
On 21 March 2010, it was announced in Chennai that two new teams
from Pune and Kochi will be added to the IPL for the fourth season.
However, the bid around the Kochi franchisee turned controversial resulting
in the resignation of minister, Shashi Tharoor from the Central Government
and investigations by various departments of the Government of India into
the financial dealings of IPL and the other existing franchisees. Later, Lalit
Modi was also removed from IPL chairmanship by BCCI. On 5 December
2010, it was confirmed that Kochi will take part in the fourth season of IPL.
The addition of teams representing Pune and Kochi was to have increased
the number of franchises from 8 to 10. The BCCI originally considered
extending the tournament format used in previous season to ten teams,
which would increase the number of matches from 60 to 94. Instead, the
round-robin stage of the tournament was to have been replaced by a group
stage with two groups of five, limiting the number of matches to 74. But this
format was replaced by another one in which each team would play 5 other
teams in a two-way round robin format and there would be 2 teams against
whom they would play only at home and remaining 2 teams against which
they would play only away matches.Thus each team plays 14 matches.Top
four teams would qualify for the semi-finals.
In October 2010, the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had their
franchises terminated for breaching ownership rules. The new Kochi
franchise was also issued a warning to resolve all their ownership
disputes. Two months later both teams were finally allowed to take part in
the 2011 edition after a court ruling.
League organization
Franchises:-
The winning bidders for the eight franchises were announced on 24 January
2008. While the total base price for auction was US $400 million, the
auction fetched US $723.59 million.
Team Name City Inception Owner(s) CaptainHead
Coach
Mumbai
Indians
Mumbai 2008Mukesh Ambani (Owners ofReliance
Industries)Sachin Tendulkar Robin Singh
Royal
Challengers
Bangalore
Bangalore 2008 Vijay Mallya (UB Group) Daniel Vettori Ray Jennings
Deccan
Chargers
Hyderabad 2008T.Venkatram Reddy (Deccan Chronicle)
groupKumar Sangakkara Darren Lehmann
Chennai Super
Kings
Chennai 2008 India Cements (N.Srinivasan)Mahendra Singh
DhoniStephen Fleming
Delhi
Daredevils
New Delhi 2008 GMR Group Virender Sehwag Greg Shipperd
Kings XI
Punjab
Mohali 2008Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta,Dabur, Apeejay
Surendera GroupAdam Gilchrist Michael Bevan
Kolkata
Knight Riders
Kolkata 2008 Red Chillies Entertainment Gautam Gambhir Dav Whatmore
Rajasthan
Royals
Jaipur 2008Emerging Media (Lachlan
Murdoch), Shilpa Shetty, Raj KundraShane Warne Shane Warne
Pune Warriors
India
Pune 2011 Subrato Roy Sahara Yuvraj Singh Geoff Marsh
Kochi Tuskers
Kerala
Kochi 2011 Kochi Cricket Private Ltd Mahela Jayawardene Geoff Lawson
On 21 March 2010, Pune and Kochi were unveiled as the two new
franchises for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. The base
price was $225 million. While Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports
Group for $370 million, the Kochi franchise was bought by Rendezvous
Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. The process was to have been
completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after many bidders
and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses. The second franchise
auction fetched total $703 million.
Rule s :-
There are five ways that a franchise can acquire a player. In the annual
auction, buying domestic players, signing uncapped players, through trading
and buying replacements. In the trading window the player can only be
traded with his consent. The franchise will have to pay the difference
between the old contract price and the new contract price. If the new
contract is worth more than the older one then the difference will be shared
between the player and the franchise selling the player.
Some of the Team composition rules are:
Minimum squad strength of 16 players plus one physio and a coach.
No more than 10 foreign players in the squad and at least 4 foreign players
should be there in each squad.
Minimum of 8 local players must be included in each squad.
A minimum of 2 players from the BCCI under-22 pool in each squad.
Some of the differences to international Twenty20 cricket:
A difference to international cricket is a timeout. It gives the players an
opportunity to strategise and take a drink during the strict 2 minutes, 30
seconds time limit. Each team is awarded two timeouts per innings totalling
to four timeouts for the whole game. The teams can take the timeout when
instructed, but is necessary to take it from 6th to 9th and 13th to 16th over.
IPL is also known for having commercials during the game, hence there is
no time limit for teams to complete their innings. However, there may be a
penalty if the umpires find teams misusing this privilege at their own choice.
The total spending cap for a franchisee in the first player auction was US $5
million. Under-22 players are to be remunerated with a minimum annual
salary of US $20,000 while for others it is US $50,000. The most expensive
players in the IPL to date is Gautam Gambhir of India fetched the highest
price of $2.4 million from Kolkata Knight Riders at the auction for season 4
Statistics and recordsWinners
Season Winners Runners-up Teams
2008 Rajasthan Royals Chennai Super Kings 8
2009 Deccan Chargers Royal Challengers Bangalore 8
2010 Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians 8
2011 Chennai Super Kings Royal Challengers Bangalore 10
Player signings
The first players' auctions were held on 2008. The IPL placed icon status on
a select few marquee Indian players. These players were Rahul
Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender
Sehwag. VVS Laxman initially named an icon player, later voluntarily opted
out of his icon status to give his team (Deccan Chargers) more money to bid
Team Span Titles
Matches Won
Lost No Result Win % For (r/o) Against (r/o) Best Worst
Chennai Super Kings 2008-2011 2 63 36 25 2 58.07 4,752 / 574.4 4,475 / 569.1 Champions (2 Consecutive) Semi-finals
Deccan Chargers 2008-2011 1 59 24 35 0 40.67 4,637 / 580.2 4,694 / 582.4 Champions 8th of 8
Delhi Daredevils 2008-2011 0 56 28 28 1 50.00 4,219 / 524.5 4,330 / 547.0 Semi-finals 10th of 10
Kings XI Punjab 2008-2011 0 56 27 28 0 49.10 4,251 / 531.1 4,274 / 529.1 Semi-finals 8th of 8
Kolkata Knight Riders 2008-2011 0 52 23 28 2 45.19 3,602 / 491.3 3,585 / 459.3 Play-Offs(Eliminator - 4th of 10) 8th of 8
Mumbai Indians 2008-2011 0 60 33 26 1 55.00 3,977 / 505.3 3,898 / 523.1 Runners-up 7th of 8
Rajasthan Royals 2008-2011 1 55 29 25 1 53.63 4,289 / 554.2 4,213 / 564.2 Champions 7th of 8
Royal Challengers Bangalore 2008-2011 0 58 29 29 1 50.00 4,263 / 587.3 4,521 / 574.5 Runners-up 7th of 8
Pune Warriors India 2011 0 14 4 8 0 33.33 1657/227.3 1739/237.4 9th of 10 9th of 10
Kochi Tuskers
Kerala2011 0 14 6 8 0 42.86 1901/256.2 1989/260.4 8th of 10 8th of 10
for players. For the second season, auctions were also held, but free signings
taking place in the off-season by franchises led to calls for a draft-like
system where the lowest ranked teams would be given a first opportunity to
sign players.
Television rights and sponsorships
On 15 January 2008 it was announced that a consortium consisting
of India's Sony Entertainment Television network and Singapore-
based World Sport Group secured the global broadcasting rights of the
Indian Premier League. The record deal has a duration of ten years at a cost
of US $1.026 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI
US $918 million for the television broadcast rights and US $108 million for
the promotion of the tournament.[25] This deal was challenged in the Bombay
High Court by IPL, and got the ruling on its side. After losing the battle in
court,Sony Entertainment Television signed a new contract with BCCI
with Sony Entertainment Television paying 8,700 crore (US$1.94
billion) for 10 years. One of the reasons for payment of this huge amount is
seen as the money required to subsidize IPL's move to South Africa which
will be substantially more than the previous IPL. IPL had agreed to
subsidize the difference in operating cost between India and South Africa as
it decided to move to the African nation after the security concerns raised
because of its coincidence with India's general elections.
20% of these proceeds would go to IPL, 8% as prize money and 72% would
be distributed to the franchisees. The money would be distributed in these
proportions until 2012, after which the IPL would go public and list its
shares (But in March 2010, IPL decided not to go public).
Sony-WSG then re-sold parts of the broadcasting rights geographically to
other companies. Below is a summary of the broadcasting rights around the
world.
On 4 March 2010 ITV announced it had secured the United Kingdom
television rights for the 2010 Indian Premier League. ITV will televise 59 of
the 60 IPL matches on its ITV4 free to air channel.
On April 1, 2011, Rogers Sportsnet announced that it signed a four year
exclusive deal in Canada to broadcast 36 group stage matches, 3 playoff
matches and 1 championship match on Rogers Sportsnet One.
Winning Bidder Regional Broadcast Rights Terms of Deal
Sony/World
Sport Group India10 years, 2008-2017 at
8,700 crore (US$1.94 billion)(revised)[24]
The Times
GroupWorldwide
Global Rights to distribute
onbroadband, mobile and radio. 4 Years
2011-2014, Terms not released.[29]
GEO
Super (2008–
2010) Pakistan Terms not released.
Sri Lanka
Rupavahini
Corporation:
Channel Eye
Sri Lanka Terms not released.
Network
Ten (2008)
One HD (2009–
2010)
Australia: Free-to-air HD and SD television. Owned by Network
TEN.5 years, 2008–2012 at A$10-15 million.[30]
Sky Network
Television (2008
–2010)
New Zealand Terms not released.
PCCW Hong Kong: Broadcast rights on Now TV. 2 years, 2010-2011 terms not released.
StarHub Singapore: Broadcast rights on Cricket Extra. Terms not released
Astro Malaysia Terms not released.
SuperSport South Africa , Angola, Benin, Botswana,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte
d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti,
10 Years, 2008-2017 terms not released.
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria
, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Helena,
Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe
Arab Digital
Distribution
United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Bahrain,
Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya
, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pa
lestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria,
Tunisia, Turkey & Yemen
Broadcast rights on CricOne
10 Years, 2008-2017 terms not released.[31]
ITV (2010–) Seta
nta
Sports (2008–
2009)
United Kingdom: Broadcast on ITV4. 4 Years 2011-2014, Terms not released.
SportsMax Caribbean Terms not released
Rogers
Sportsnet
One (2011–
present) Asian
Television
Network(2008–
2010) ATN-
Asian
Radio(2008–
present)
Canada: Exclusive broadcast rights. 4 years, 2011-2014 terms not released.
Willow
TV (2008–2010) United States
Rights to distribute
on television,radio, broadband and Internet
, for the IPL in North America. 5 years,
2008–2012, terms not released.[32]
NEO
Cricket (2011-)
Dish
Network(2008,
2011-) DirecTV (
2008–2010)
United States Terms not released.
Sponsorships
India's biggest property developer DLF Group paid US$50 million to be the
title sponsor of the tournament for 3 years from 2008 to 2010.Other year
sponsorship agreements include a deal with motorcycle maker Hero
Honda worth $22.5-million, one with PepsiCo worth $12.5-million, and a
deal with beer and airline conglomerateKingfisher at $26.5-million.
Revenue and Profits
The UK-based brand consultancy, Brand Finance, has valued the IPL at
$4.13 billion (Rs 18,998 crore) in 2010. It was valued at U$2.01 billion in
2009 by the same consultancy.
There are disputed figures for the profitability of the teams. One analyst said
that four teams out of the eight made a profit in 2009. While the London
Times said that all but Kings XI Punjab made a profit. In 2008, Kolkata
Knight Riders is the most expensive team followed by the Mumbai Indians
but unable to make it into the semifinals despite being the favourite.
In 2010, the IPL expects to have 80 official merchandising deals. It has
signed a deal with Swiss watchmaker Bandelier to make official watches for
the IPL.
According to a recent study by a UK-based brand valuation consultancy, the
brand value of the IPL has more than doubled to USD 4.13 billion (over Rs
18,000 crore) from USD 2.01 billion in 2009.
The franchises have been a part of this growth. Mumbai Indians has emerged
the most valued franchise in 2010. The MI franchise has moved up the
ladder with a valuation of USD 57.13 million.Chennai Super Kings have a
brand value of USD 70.16 million which places them at the top of the table.
The Kolkata Knight Riders co-owned by Bollywood actor Shahrukh
Khan comes in fourth with a valuation of USD 46 million and the Rajasthan
Royals, co-owned by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty comes in last with
USD 33.78 million. The Royal Challengers Bangalore, owned by Vijay
Mallya, is ranked third with a valuation of USD 47.58 million and is
followed by the, Delhi Daredevils (USD 40.85 million) and Kings XI Punjab
( USD 33.75 million). The Deccan Chargers are at the sixth with a valuation
of USD 38.76 million.
Rank Franchise Brand Value
1 Chennai Super Kings $ 70.16 m
2 Mumbai Indians $ 57.13 m
3 Royal Challengers Bangalore $ 47.58 m
4 Kolkata Knight Riders $ 46.00 m
5 Delhi Daredevils $ 40.85 m
6 Deccan Chargers $ 38.76 m
7 Kings XI Punjab $ 35.75 m
8 Rajasthan Royals $ 33.78 m
Mobile applications
DCI Mobile Studios (A division of Dot Com Infoway Limited), in
conjunction with Sigma Ventures of Singapore, have jointly acquired the
rights to be the exclusive Mobile Application partner and rights holder for
the Indian Premier League cricket matches worldwide for the next 8 years
(including the 2017 season). Recently[,they have released the IPL T20
Mobile applications for iPhone, Nokia Smartphones and BlackBerry devices.
Soon it will be made available across all other major Mobile platforms
including the Android, Windows Mobile, Palm & others.
Official website
The IPL negotiated a contract with the Canadian company Live Current
Media Inc. to run and operate its portals and the minimum guarantee has
been negotiated at US $50 million over the next 10 years. The official
website of the tournament is www.iplt20.com.
Incorporating popular forms of social media into the third season of the IPL,
the website now contains a more holistic presence across all online
mediums. The website apart from featuring new additions to empower user
interaction, has encouraged a wider range of websites around IPL like,IPL
Tracker and IPL Mag amongst other more traditional reporting websites.
Global following
The third season of the IPL saw interest rise dramatically in the United
Kingdom, due in part to telecasts being moved from the subscription-
based Setanta Sports to the free-to-air ITV4. James Macleod stated, "We are
delighted with the viewing figures for the IPL so far". Lalit Modi, then
Chairman and Commissioner, also expressed immense satisfaction on the
way IPL has been accepted by the British audience. "ITV beats Sky Sports
over the weekend in number of viewers. This is great going. The ITV
numbers are double that of rugby league. This is huge by all imaginations.
UK figures for viewership on ITV already 10 times that of last year. This is
just fantastic news," he said.
CHAPTER-2
SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT Analysis Indian Premier League (IPL)
Where will you find the Mumbai Indians, the Royal Challengers, the Deccan
Chargers, the Channai Super Kings, the Delhi Daredevils, the Kings XI
Punjab, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajesthan Royals? In the Indian
Premier League (IPL) - the most exciting sports franchise that the World
has seen in recent years, with seemingly endless marketing opportunities
(and strengths, weaknesses and threats of course!). This SWOT
analysis is about The Indian Premier League.
Strengths:-
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is based upon the Twenty20 cricket game
which should be completed in 2 ½ hours. That means that is fast-paced and
exciting, and moreover it can be played on a weekday evening or weekend
afternoon. That makes it very appealing as a mass sport, just like American
Football, Basketball and Soccer. It is appealing as a spectator sport, as well
to TV audiences.The IPL has employed economists to structure its lead so
that revenue is maximized. The more unified the sport, the more successful
it is.
Weaknesses:-
Twenty20 has been so popular that it could replace other forms of cricket i.e.
damage the game that generated it.Some fans will also have to pay for travel
to the ground. There may be large queues for the most popular games. There
may be some distance between where the fan lives and the cricket
ground.Stakes are very high! Some teams may not weather short-term
failures and may be too quick to get rid of key managers and players if
things don't go well quickly. Famously, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
sacked their CEO Charu Sharma for watching his team lose 6 from their first
8 games.Some teams have overpriced their advertising/sponsorship in order
to gain some short-term returns (e.g. Royal Challengers), and some sponsors
and are moving their investment the more reasonably priced teams.
Opportunities:-
Since it has a large potential mass audience, IPL is very attractive as a
marketing communications opportunity, especially for advertisers and
sponsors.The league functions under a number of franchises. Each
franchisee is responsible for marketing its team to gain as large a fan-base as
possible. The long-term success of all of the franchises lies in the generation
of a solid fan-base. The fan-base will generate large TV revenues.Different
fans will pay different amounts to watch their sport. There will be corporate
hospitality, season tickets, away tickets, TV pay-per-view and other ways to
segment the market for the IPL.There is a huge opportunity for
merchandising e.g. sales of shirts, credit cards and other fan memorabilia.
Grounds can also sell refreshments and other services during the games.
Marketers believe that the teenage segments need to be targeted so that they
become the long-term fan-base. Their parents and older cricket fans may
prefer the longer, more traditional game. The youth market may also impress
on their parents that they want them to buy their club's merchandise on their
behalf - as a differentiator or status symbol.Franchise fees will remain fixed
for the up until 2017-18, which means that the investment is safe against
inflation which is traditionally relatively high in India.
Threats:-
The level of competition that the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) can generate determines long-term viability of the league. If the
level of competition drops, then revenue will fall. For example, if the top
names in cricket cannot be attracted to India, the appeal of the game will
fall. Often getting hold of the big names is a problem - Australian domestic
cricket runs concurrent with the IPL and if players move froMm Australia to
India to follow the money then their domestic game will be hit. This is
known as 'Free Agency.'
If the franchisee's fan-base does not generate income then they may not have
the cash to pay the salaries of the best players. However, if you invest in the
best players and they do not win the trophies, then you may not see a return
on your investment. It won't be a quick return on investment - so owners
need to be in it for the long-term.
Franchises are very expensive. The most expensive franchise - Mumbai
Indians - was bought by Mukesh Ambani for $111.9 million, whereas the
lowest priced franchise - Rajasthan Royals was picked up by Manoj Badale
for a mere $67 million.
The most highly priced teams may not be those that have the early success.
Revenues will come from the most highly supported teams.
CHAPTER-3
MARKETING OF
IPL
The unabashed show of money, glamor, glitz, and power called the “Indian
Premier League” had the entire nation in frenzy, with the recently held
player auction. The show was filled with unexpected twists and turns, with
many unheralded players hitting the jackpot, and many experienced players
being shown the door by franchises. The event attracted the attention of the
entire cricketing fraternity across the globe with many foreign stars in the
fray for IPL spots and the big bucks that accompany them.
The show was an expression of the growing power of cricket in the global
sports arena. Already, the IPL is an event of global popularity, and interest
levels are growing exponentially with each passing year. Also, the CL-T20
is also growing as a brand with each passing year. These are great times
indeed for the game, and India is leading the way forward in revolutionizing
the sport. The leading IPL stars would receive pay equivalent to some of the
top stars in the English Premier League. These are interesting times for
cricket, and if properly marketed and branded, IPL and CL T-20 can become
global brands that can widen the reach of cricket to unexplored regions, and
can help in realizing the dream of all true cricket fans; that of seeing cricket
become a truly global sport one day.
Already, we have seen the unique marketing strategies that the IPL has used
in the last three years which have led to the ever rising popularity of the
event. Along with showcasing world class athletes competing at full tilt, an
IPL match features many other sources of fun. These include cheerleaders
swinging to the tunes being played, while pumping up the crowd along with
them. We also have bands playing exciting music, energizing the public
gathered. These are some of the marketing gimmicks that have been
employed to make cricket even more fun. And these have borne fruit too.
IPL matches have attracted audiences across all age groups including
youngsters, children and women too. It has been publicized as a three hour
fun event where youngsters have a wholesome fun experience along with
quality cricket, and it has clicked big time.
The success of the IPL experiment in India provides clues to all budding
marketers interested in the field of sports marketing, regarding the
importance of innovative strategies and tools that can help in selling any
brand.
And sport is emerging as one of the biggest entertainment sectors in the 21st
There were some suggestions earlier of organizing a T-20 event in USA with
international stars to help popularize the sport there. However, it couldn’t
materialize. century. It will fight with cinema, theme parks, malls and many
others as the prime source of entertainment. Currently, football is the leading
sport in the world. In this competitive scenario, cricket has to come up with
continuous innovation and changes to carve a niche for itself. It is here that
the youngest version of cricket, called T-20 can help in transforming cricket
into a globally watched sport.
As a true cricket fanatic, I sometimes dream of the day when cricket will be
played all across the globe in the US, China, Japan, and indeed everywhere.
That dream can only materialize if those at the helm of cricketing affairs
formulate the right kind of marketing strategies to promote cricket
aggressively across the seven seas, and create brands which can attract
public attention across all sport loving cultures and countries; brands like the
IPL. The time is ripe for the ICC to take the next big step in globalizing
cricket, thus revolutionizing the world of sports. God willing, the day isn’t
far when cricket will become the no.1 sport in the world.
IPL - The New Marketing Cocktail
The IPL auction of cricketers in February was called the 'Mumbai Cattle
Market' by those horrified by the tamasha of industrialists and filmstars
throwing dollars at players. Adam Gilchrist did say that he, for one, felt like
a cow. The creme de la creme of the stars were placed for bidding and
lapped up at varying prices - more for their local star attraction value rather
than their cricketing skills. (A Ponting drew less than an Irfan Pathan .
As a cricket aficionado, it hurt to see filmstars, who live in a fake world of
make up and retakes, put a price on players who play real games in real time
with real skills. But that's the power of money. While the process did seem
distasteful, the money earned by the stars can't be grudged - this was fair
compensation for the blood, sweat and tears they give to the game and for
the country.
It's not cricket, stupid! It's business!
Like it or hate it, the IPL is here. Whether it will stay on or die, the
performance of the first edition, which is currently on, will decide.The IPL is
the biggest marketing initiative of 2008. If five-day cricket was the creation
of sports aficionados and one-day a product of the media, then the IPL is a
result of business.And as all business is ultimately marketing, it's a
marketing concoction. It's about BCCI, business houses, the media and the
film industry putting their collective might to create a
brand of unprecedented proportions.From a consumer viewpoint, IPL is a
cocktail of four Indian diseases.First, the base: cricket. Since India won the
World Cup in 1983, the disease has been spreading like an epidemic. Today,
despite a surfeit of matches, interest hasn't waned. The centre of gravity of
the game is today the Indian sub-continent. The BCCI is so powerful that it
can get its way on any cricketing issue - on or off the field.Add some
glamour in the form of cinema. It has been the opium of the Indian masses.
The arrival of television has not diminished its power. For movie,
entertainment or news channels, cinema is the biggest source of
TRPs.Whether it is by doing world premieres of the latest 'flop'busters or
'block'busters, hosting award shows or just covering the latest gossip about
the stars and their lives, cinema feeds into home entertainment just like
cricket.Shake it with some celebration. Indians need an excuse to celebrate,
to enjoy. Our respect for all faiths gives the average Indian a festival to
celebrate almost everyday. Each has its own rituals of the community
coming together to dance, sing and create general cacophony, unmindful of
environment pollution and civic sense.Finally, top it with Celebrity Craze.
India is a country of 330 million Gods and we make heroes very easily.
Cricket stars or film stars, they are easily deified and venerated. People flock
in thousands just for a real life glimpse of their heroes - often it is part of the
national hobby of timepass.
IPL: The successful business of cricket
India is, perhaps, the only country where a film star, just released from jail,
returns to a hero's welcome and stands on his balcony waving to his fans as
if he has returned from a successful accomplishment.When these four potent
ingredients come together, the cocktail is called the Indian Premier League .
Package this in a business proposition and you have something that could re-
write the rules of business, sports and entertainment.With the backing of
some of the best business groups and the high-decibel promotion, it makes
for an experiment worth watching and tracking.The IPL breaks new ground
in many ways.Cricket started as a competitive sport of bat-vs-ball. The
media took it to the masses as entertainment. The IPL is now converting
cricket into a marketing show. No longer are cricketers just players on the
cricket field, they are performers.And every match is not just a fight between
two teams but an episode in a continuous soap opera. Brands can be plugged
anywhere - in program, on cast, on television, in-stores through
merchandise.Cricketers have their own star power, which makes the game
attractive. Now, they have the added firepower of celebrities - be it filmstars
like Shahrukh Khan or Preity Zinta , or a business tycoon like Dr Vijay
Mallya - that makes the spectacle even grander and bigger. It brings together
the appeal of two diseases - cricket and films.
Cricket has been a national passion. It has been difficult to separate the
Indian identity from the game. The IPL makes a shift - it taps into local
pride. In a global world, where integration is the key, IPL teams are built on
the counter-culture of division. Paul Harris, an eminent LSE sociologist,
says local identity is an opportunity in a global world. The
IPL is, perhaps, latching onto an emerging trend.Cricket has been a team
game - built on players knowing each other and playing alongside each other
at the nets, at domestic level and national level. The IPL changes this and
brings the corporate style of teamwork into play.It expects professionals to
come together for a specific project. It hinges on individual prowess adding
up to a winning formula. With much cricket being played anyway, foreign
players are no longer alien to any team. Simultaneously, the mixed-cultures
team could unconsciously foster greater harmony among different nations.
Marketing Mix Of IPL
IPL – The Indian premier league has taken the
cricketing world by storm. It has also got its
marketing mix spot on. Read on to discover the
perfection in the marketing mix of Indian Premier
League
-Product
IPL stands for Indian Premier League. It is a Twenty20 tournament started
by BCCI. It is the brainchild of Lalit Modi. It started in the year 2008 and
comprises the players from all over the world. A perfect blend of cricket &
entertainment. It’s providing a stage for many youngsters to show their
performance & profitable too to Advertisers and broadcasting channels.
-Price
As far as the IPL pricing structure is concern, The IPL is predicted to bring
the BCCI income of approximately US$ 1.6 billion, over a period of five to
ten years. All of these revenues are directed to a central pool, 40% of which
will go to IPL itself, 54% to franchisees and 6% as prize money. The money
will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of
IPL will be 50%, franchisees 45% and prize money 5%. The IPL signed up
Kingfisher Airlines as the official umpire partner for the series in an Rs.106
Crore’s (1.06 billion) deal. This deal sees the Kingfisher Airlines brand on
all umpires’ uniforms & also on the giant screens during third umpire
decisions. Sony Entertainment Television signed a new contract with BCCI
with Sony Entertainment Television paying a staggering Rs.8700 Crore’s
(87 billion) for 10 years.
-Place
The first season of the Indian Premier League commenced on 18 April 2008
in India, and ended on 1 June 2008 with the victory of the Rajasthan Royals
against Chennai Super Kings in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi
Mumbai.
As the second season of the IPL coincided with multi-phase 2009 Indian
general elections, the Indian Central Government refused to provide the
Indian paramilitary forces to provide security, saying the forces would be
stretched too thinly if they were to safeguard both the IPL and the elections.
As a result, the BCCI decided to host the second season of the league
outside India. All 59 matches of the second season, abbreviated as IPL 2,
took place in South Africa. Ironically, South Africa were also scheduled to
have elections doing the IPL, however, the South African government
provided adequate security for both the South African General Elections and
the IPL.
-Promotion
When Bollywood and cricket met, the result was IPL and it was truly
entertaining to see one’s favorite cricketer as well the Bollywood star on the
same platform. IPL was no doubt an entertaining one. Super stars like Shah
Rukh, Preity, Akshay, Katrina, Hrithik had been a source which provided a
lot of glam to IPL promotion.
To attract the cricket fans, even team-owners have started selling tickets
personally. Preity Zinta, the co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and Australian
pace man Brett Lee sold the tickets along with their autographs.
-People
Indian Premier League is mostly targeted for the younger generation youth.
As the generations are very busy with their day to day work with IPL they
get entertainment along with cricket which helps them to enjoy every aspect
of the game. People are very excited towards IPL as this is only one game
that brings different players of different countries at one platform, for which
they tend to get attracted to see their favorite player perform. Some of the
audiences are also attracted to see their favorite celebrity cheering for the
team.
-Process
Indian Premier League as a whole is the biggest event of the year for which
months of preparation are to be done. For instance organizing the respective
8 teams who are performing for the event and the most important of all is
marketing the IPL as it has to reach the wide range of audience globally. An
arrangement of stadium where this event is going to be held is also finalized
well before. Finally and most important of all is execution of the Event.
-Physical Evidence
Fun, Music, Entertainment & sports, where can you find that, answer for that
is INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE. People wait for this season as they get
everything in a joyful bundle. IPL is also the biggest platform for advertising
and promoting different product or brands which is clearly viewable during
the event.
Marketing and Branding Strategy
One, “Packaging of the Event” from day 1 as entertainment is the biggest
strategic hit. Cricket just happens to be there!
Two, to keep it focussed in 20 overs and inviting International players,
not only enhanced the entertainment value but also factored in the fastest
growing segment of high income youth. This segment is short of time and
wants everything to be packaged small.
Three, It structured teams around states thereby ensuring team and brand
loyalties and assured eyeballs when it comes to media.
Five, by following a well tried international model of clubs and player
auctions, it got players interests and their willingness to give the tournament
their 110%. Knowing that players are going to play attacking entertaining
cricket attracts paid audience to the stadium and draws them towards other
forms of media like TV, internet and print press.
Six, the public and press relations during the first two versions meant media
hype was maintained and that has lead to immense unpaid publicity.
Interestingly in IPL3, the organisers have offered strict terms for freebies for
non-official media. The initial purpose having been achieved, the official TV
channel is getting its due. That again hints to a well planned strategy.
Seven, getting International Cricket Council to keep a window for IPL
season was the biggest strategic coup. Now cricket boards all over the world
want to have similar event but may not be able to get well known players for
their events!
Eight, do not forget that (Board of Cricket Control in India) ensured that
the event got all international recognition and gave it the required financial
backup to conceive and execute the event.
Nine, attracting the movie stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and
Shilpa Shetty along with highly placed industrialist as team owners,
ensured ample media and public interest which further contributed to the
success of the event.
Ten and finally, organisers packaging of all above and ensuring the event
was always in controversies and news, meant branding exercise of the kind
that has not been seen in sports. At the end of the end, we have a happy lot
of bunches – public, sponsors, media and most importantly IPL bankers!
Good job done IPL, Lalit Modi and team- keep the IPL and Indian flag
flying! IPL is one of the ways of telling the world that India has arrived.
Strategy is all about making trade offs between what to do and what not to do. In broad
terms it’s about taking offensive or defensive action to create a defend able position in
the industry, in order to generate a superior ROI (Return on Investment). Indian Premier
League (IPL) generated revenue of $1 billion this season, thanks to huge fan following
across the globe, attracting a large number of advertisers. If we do the Porter’s
Competitive Advantage analysis of the Marketing Strategies implemented in IPL.
Product Differentiation:
IPL match consumes very less time when comparing it with normal ODI and Test
matches.
It’s very clear, 3 hrs entertainment packets with ambiance of cinema hall, fast packed
action, sorrow, happiness everything in one packet "IPL".
Making IPL accessible to mass people. The matches are live streamed on YouTube. So,
that one can easily watch it. It generated huge revenue and T.R.P also shoots up.
To further increase its viewers base it tied up with channels in Australia, UK and US to
broadcast its matches. Hence, making “IPL” a global brand.
One of the best things that we can learn from the marketing strategies of IPL is the hype
that the organizers have created for it. They have left no medium where they have not
promoted their brand say radio, television, hoardings, newspaper, internet etc. Around
100 crore rupees has beenearmarked for the IPL ad Campaigns and marketing.
The learning is simple “Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai". When it comes to strategies the
company follows 2 ways either you do something innovative which will give you first
mover advantage or you are the follower of a strategy which is tried and tested. Now the
question arises is the market good enough to go for first mover or be a follower. The
1st IPLseason was an all time hit so company knows that investing in such a property
doesn’t require second thought.
Focus:
For the first time keep in mind the needs of a common man as they have reduced the
ticket prices to half so that middle and lower class people can also afford it.
The weekday’s matches are scheduled from 8 p.m so that maximum viewers can view the
full match. In a way it allows a common man to watch the after day’s work and it makes
the sponsors happy because it increases the T.R.P.
IPL tried to capture the affinity towards the state from which one belongs, in a sense it
brought about regionalism.
Cost Leadership:
IPL is for everyone, each section of the society is taken care of For example the lowest
tickets are priced at Rs 220/- and the Premium tickets are priced at Rs 11000/- for high
end consumers. Similarly, the lowest price of the tickets for World Cup scheduled to be
held at India in 2011 are generally priced around Rs 1000/-.
IPL gives the best ever opportunity to place Brand Logos. Suddenly there are more
numbers of options available for advertisers. You have got eight teams available hence
more opportunity to place brand logos. For International level the competition is very
tough and costly but in IPL you have got eight teams so opportunity multiplied eight
times.
Brand IPL has a higher valuation than Manchester United, which is valued close to USD
3 billion. The value of IPL's branded business has doubled over last year. The combined
brand value of all franchisees stands at USD 333 million.
IPL Online Tie-ups: Monetization Strategies By IPL
Teams
It looks like IPL Team owners are busy in monetizing their teams by
partnering with various online companies for different Team rights.
Ebay India partners with Kings XI Punjab to bring IPL merchandise to
cricket fans worldwide
Ebay india, India’s leading online marketplace, today announced a
partnership with kings xi punjab, to bring IPL merchandise to cricket lovers
across the globe. kings xi punjab has set up a brand store on Ebay
India providing fans with a one stop shop for all the great fan merchandise.
Ebay India already powers the shopping channel for the kings xi punjab
merchandise page on their website.
The kxip sporty merchandise includes innovative products like car flags, fan
capes, cheering sticks, optical caps, expandable banners, mugs, badges and
collectibles.
Ms. deepa thomas, sr. manager-pop culture, ebay india, said , “we are
excited to partner with kings xi punjab to power E-commerce for their
official website. Ebay users across the world can avail of a wide range of
cool merchandise, autographed memorabilia & celebrity experiences. .”
Yatra.com joins IPL march with Delhi Daredevils as official travel
partner
IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils has roped in Yatra.com as its official travel
partner wherein the latter will take care of the franchise’s travel and stay
requirements in South Africa.
With this tie-up, Yatra.com aims to reach out to cricket enthusiasts across
the country and offer special holiday packages to IPL fans.
Yatra.com has also rolled out a promotional contest, ‘meet the stars and lead
the toss’, as part of its marketing initiative. Under the contest, lucky fans
will be given the opportunity to fly to South Africa to watch the IPL matches
live, meet the cricketers and also lead the captains to the toss.
To be eligible for the contest, fans need to buy any travel service including
flights, trains or hotels through yatra till 10 May. Yatra.com is also offering
free tickets for the matches, free membership to the Daredevils’ members
club, autographed cricket t-shirts, and gift hampers to promote the campaign.
Myntra also in the fray as it Launches Personalized IPL Jerseys from
Reebok
Myntra in collaboration with Reebok – India’s largest sportswear brand
today launched a range of personalized IPL jerseys for the second season of
the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The tie-up would include Jerseys of 4 IPL teams viz:Chennai Super Kings,
Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab & Bangalore Royal Challengers,
being made available on its flagship portalmyntra.com.
Consumers can log on to Reebok store on the Myntra website and choose
jerseys of 4 IPL teams. After selecting the jersey they can submit the name
and number that they would like to personalize their jerseys with. On doing
so a preview of how the jersey would look after personalization is also
available.
Myntra would then process the orders and have the personalized jerseys
shipped to the consumer at the address provided by the consumer.
The personalized IPL jerseys are available in two options – men’s &
boys.Myntra is also accepting bulk orders from corporates and institutions
who would like to gift their priority or loyal clients with personalized jerseys
of their favourite IPL teams.
This tie-up could definitely bolster myntra’s topline in a significant manner
and at the same time would boost its reputation as product personalization as
their current partnership is backed by the product quality assurance of
Reebok.
Advertisement
IPL’s advertisement and marketing is in full swing.IP ads are gaining
momentum on TV,especially due to the theme songs of the teams.Various
advertisements are as follow:-
1.Mumbai Indians take on Delhi Daredevils-the dentist ad really a good
effort.
2.KKR theme song “Korbo Lorbo Jitbo” by Shahrukh Khan have made
viewers crazy about IPL.
3.Royal challengers Bangalore have put their team introduction video with
the song “Eye of the tiger”.
4.Priety Zinta and Yuvraj singh have promoted Kings XI Punjab with a
theme song ,sung by Delair mehendi.
5.Deccan Chargers the unstoppable-they have a pretty cool advertisement.
6.Rajasthan Royals are singing to their theme song “Halla Bol”for IPL
jaipur team.
7.Mumbai India Theme song.
Advertisements for IPL will be generated through four avenues namely,air
time sold by sony entertainment television,BCCI’sown marketing
plan,promotional activities of all teams and from the brands associated with
the League.
An industry said BCCI had allocated roughly Rs 100 croreas its
advertisement budget,while sony is estimated to earn nearly Rs300 crore
from ad slots.In addition,close to Rs200 crore will be spenton the team for
promotion and marketing.
“IPL will have a salient lunch and the advertising spends will be
substantial.But as the league gains popularity,the ad spend will come
down,”saidVikram Sakhuja,coo,South Africa,Group M.
Merchandise
From T-shirts and caps, key chains and pens to lassi glasses and chewing
gum, owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are preparing to roll out
an array of cricketing merchandise as they seek an income boost in the
Twenty20 tournament’s second edition.
Sports merchandising, which contributes 30-35% of total revenue for most
sports bodies in developed markets such as the US and the UK, is still a new
concept in India, where the biggest chunk of revenue for the eight IPL
franchisees comes from a so-called central pool, which includes media rights
and sponsorship revenue.
The teams earned Rs30-35 crore each from the central pool last year, in
addition to a modest amount of revenue from gate receipts, local
sponsorships, uniform merchandising and licensing.
Estimates from at least three executives in three different IPL franchisees,
who didn’t want to be named, indicate that the eight teams are looking at
selling merchandise worth a combined Rs35-40 crore this year. The teams’
own share of this amount will likely be around Rs6-8 crore, with the rest of
the money going to merchandise partners and licensees, who will pay only
royalty to the franchisees.
Chennai Super Kings, owned by Hyderabad-based India Cements Ltd and
led by national team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has tied up in
merchandising deals with retailer Future Group, chewing-gum
maker Wrigley India Pvt. Ltd, pen-maker Camlin Ltdand cola-maker
PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd.
It plans to launch an “affordable” range of apparel and watches, chewing
gum, writing instruments and co-branded beverages likely to hit the market
as early as by mid-March.
“This season, we expect around 8-10% of our revenues other than that from
central pool to come from merchandise,” said Rakesh Singh, marketing
head, India Cements. The franchisee already has a partnership with
sportswear retailer Reebok India and men’s apparel maker Peter England.
“Even our existing partners Reebok and Peter England are working on an
affordable range of apparel,” Singh said.
Mohali-based Kings XI Punjab, co-owned by Bollywood actor Preity Zinta,
is looking at selling items such as lassi (butter milk) glasses, mugs, badges
and special autographed items at points of ticket sales. The team also has a
tie-up for merchandise with textile manufacturer Bombay Dyeing and
Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Rajesh Metal Industries, which makes steel products under the Hot Muggs
brand, is targeting sales of up to Rs12 crore in five years from items it makes
for King’s XI Punjab, said director Rajat Jain.
Likewise, Kolkata Knight Riders, the team co-owned by actor Shah Rukh
Khan, is also expanding its portfolio of products.
“This time, we will have many more items in the kitty such as mugs, pens
and keychains for which we are actively looking for right partners,” said Joy
Bhattacharya, chief executive of the team.
Besides expanding the range of merchandise, the franchisees are also
looking at launching affordable products in an effort to boost sales.
Delhi Daredevils, the team owned by GMR Holdings Ltd and led by
opening batsman Virender Sehwag, tied up with sportswear maker Adidas
India Pvt. Ltd last year. This year it has also tied up with Delhi-based
garment maker Genesis India.
“Genesis will not only make items such as cheering signs, posters and key
chains for us, but also non-branded T-shirts at lower price points,” said
Vidur Naik, marketing manager of the team.
This time, the Adidas merchandise will be available at 71 stores, up from 45
stores last year, he added.
Darshan M., vice-president of commercial operations for Deccan Chargers,
the Hyderabad franchise owned by publisher Deccan Chronicle Holdings
Ltd, said, “Last year, Nike was our partner, but this time it is Puma as the
company gave us a better deal and is willing to develop an affordable range
of apparel and other products.”
One of the primary reasons for the stress on “affordable” prices is to check
sales of fake products that are available at much cheaper prices. “Counterfeit
is a big problem here (in India). Last time, I saw a lot of fans wearing fake
T-shirts. Availability of more affordable original products will help plug this
hole,” said Darshan.
Even as efforts to build the merchandise portfolio gain ground, most
franchisees say it will take the segment some time to generate substantial
sales.
“We are expecting a double-digit growth in the revenues coming from
merchandise this year as compared to the last one,” said a senior executive at
one of the IPL teams who didn’t want to be named. “However, each
franchisee will still get less than a crore (of rupees) this season. It will take
at least two years for every team owner to fetch a couple of crores.”
The Indian Premier League (IPL) fever seems to have spread across borders,
as more and more people from non-cricket playing nations like the US and
Germany are buying merchandise of the franchise teams online.Leading
online market place eBay India, offering merchandise of several IPL teams
is witnessing significant surge in demand for products like jerseys, T-shirts,
shoes and caps.
“The online orders to purchase different products for IPL 2009 is attracting a
number of people from many non-cricket crazy nations, including Finland,
Germany, US and Spain,” eBay India Senior Manager (Pop Culture) Deepa
Thomas said.Nonetheless, the maximum number of buyers are from India,
accounting for nearly 67 per cent of the total purchases.Based on the sales,
eBay India data shows that jerseys and team T-shirts are the most sought
after items by the cricket fans.eBay India has tied up with leading brands
like Puma, Adidas and Reebok for offering the IPL merchandise.According
to the firm's IPL sales barometer or the battle of fan — a measure of
products sales — the merchandise related to Kings XI Punjab is the most
popular among the buyers.
Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad) come next on the list of
popularity. The products are priced between Rs 399 and Rs 2,999.Deepa
Thomas said merchandise falling in the price range of Rs 399 to Rs 1,299
are in high demand and added that business volume is high.Meanwhile, after
cashing in on the popularity of IPL merchandise online, eBay India is
planning to introduce telephonic order facility for booking for the
merchandise.
FAN CLUB
IPL fever has engulfed entire world with its thrill and excitement. IPL is
only in its first year and still the viewership and the passion for it is breaking
records. People can be heard talking everywhere about it. Some say Sehwag
should have played one more over, some say Sachin is still the best. There
are endless debates and comments that go around all day long.
Everyone wants to have a say at the matches, the cheerleaders,the owners
and lots more and now they have got a platform too. IPLfanclub.com is
social networking site for cricket fans all round the world. It is absolutely
free to join .At IPL Cricket Fan Club , you can interact with different
members , post comments, start polls , view match stats and participate in
different contests going around. There are lots of prizes to be won as well,
including the ViP tickets for the final match.
Don’t believe me have a look,
Predict the winners of the IPL matches and win hot cash prizes and other
exciting gifts! What can be a better pass-time for the hard core cricket lover,
to enjoy the game and take home great loot. www.theiplfanclub.com is a site
dedicated to fans of IPL who can indulge their passion with all the gusto and
cheer they can muster.
www.theiplfanclub.com is an online space where fans can root for their
favourite heroes and teams and express themselves like never before. A
place for fans, by fans and designed to be highly interactive. The more active
IPL Fan Club members are, the greater are the chances to win exciting
prizes.
Signing up for the membership at www.theiplfanclub.com is absolutely free.
Membership allows members to interact with other fans, post messages,
access IPL information and participate in the contests. Members who predict
the outcome of the matches accurately win hot cash and other prizes.
Everyday, 2 winners get to win a total Cash Prize of $500 for accurately
predicting the Man of the Match and the Winning Team.
The greatest highlight of the IPL match series will be IPL Fan Club
Tournament. The first three who score the highest points here are set to win
some really exciting prizes. Three overall winners will get a Box ticket to
the finals where they can catch the excitement live! There are more goodies
– 5 star Hotel Stay in Mumbai (No room sharing), interview coverage by a
major TV channel and website, IPL Fanclub T-Shirt, Cricket Bat, trendy
Nike Sportswear and a luxurious Limo to the Stadium! If the winner is from
outside the country, he/she will get an economy class ticket and if the winner
is not from Mumbai, then the person gets upto Rs. 3000/- as travel
allowance
Fans will find it fun and easy to score runs/points at the IPL Fan Club
Tournament. Once they sign up as members, they score runs for fun things
like adding friends, creating blogs, creating new groups, receiving
comments, pointing out bugs and so on. Another exciting thing is that they
can create a cricket photo album and score 10 runs. For every cricket related
photo uploaded, they receive an extra 4 runs and for every non-cricket
related photo uploaded they receive an extra 2 runs. The key is that the more
time they spend on the site, the more they get to score! The Score System
allows them to see where they stand.
Fans are connected to the game on a continuous basis through the Live
Commentary available. They can access various aspects of IPL on the site
via the Live Scoreboard, Live Match, Match Schedules, IPL News and IPL
blogs that contain all the information they would look for. The latest
comments by fans allow them to actually sense the pulsating excitement that
is building up through the matches and also express their own opinions.
The Fan’s Gallery on the site contains memorable moments of the match
ranging from the cricket stars, film stars to the sexy cheer leaders adding
spice to the matches. Video clips of the matches can be viewed too, helping
fans watch replays of the game at their convenience.
The aim of www.theiplfanclub.com is to build an online community that
will bring cricket lovers in India and abroad together on one platform and
foster the true spirit of sportsmanship.
CHEERLEADERS
The stupendous success of IPL demonstrates the transformation of cricket
from sport to pure entertainment. Every piece of the IPL mix has contributed
to making it a heady cocktail of money, power, sport and glamour on a
never-seen-before scale.
Into this mix has been dropped a piece of exotica imported from America,
cheer leaders as an additional source of glamour and entertainment. From
the moment they arrived in IPL 1, they generated controversy. Their skimpy
attire and sexy dance movements, performed live and telecast in real time to
millions raised the ire of the culture custodian political parties. There is also
controversy around the fact that these are white American girls who have
been flown in all the way from the USA, to dance and perform at the IPL
matches. The Indian blogosphere is buzzing with views both for and against
and every single viewer of IPL has an opinion on them. Simply put, they are
a feature of IPL that cannot be ignored.
The level of controversy surrounding the introduction of cheer leaders
means that what these girls signify to the average Indian viewer of IPL on
TV is controversial. Clearly they do not signal wholesome fun, celebratory
enjoyment and good cheer as they do in American basket ball
games. Through their attire and sexy dance display, they suggest the
insertion of a live version of the Bollywood “Item Number” (cabaret routine)
into the game. This blatant insertion of sex to sizzle up the game of cricket
in its avatar as entertainment has riled all audiences, from cricket purists and
fans to culture guardians.
What about the future role for cheer leaders in the next IPL seasons? Some
predict that cheer leading as a feature will wither away as a passing fad, as
they are extraneous to the game. Others wish to build a group of Indian girls
as cheer leaders and recruit them through a reality TV show and contest.
Enlisting cheerleaders is a marketing tactic aimed at striking a connect
between the teams and spectators and an additional attraction to draw
crowds to the games at a time when slowing growth and slumping markets
have enveloped the economy in gloom, franchisees say.
“We look at it as a good marketing initiative. It will help us build buzz
around the team as well as generate additional revenues,” said Rakesh Singh,
chief marketing officer of Chennai Super Kings, the losing finalists last year.
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Super Kings has launched a talent hunt show on Star Vijay, a Tamil general
entertainment television channel, to select the girls who would cheer for the
team on the cricket grounds. The additional revenue Singh referred to
includes advertising the channel will attract for the show.
In a consumer survey conducted by Mindshare, a media buying firm, and
market research agency Synovate India Pvt. Ltd last year after IPL’s
conclusion, Chennai topped the list of cities that had slammed the concept of
cheerleading.
The survey, conducted among 3,602 individuals in the age group of 15-45
across 10 cities in the country, found that while 25% of viewers across the
country “disliked the cheerleaders aspect of IPL”, 39% of people in Chennai,
the highest for any city, found the gyrating dancers in skimpy uniforms
offended their sensibilities.
According to the survey, the second largest percentage of viewers who
found fault with the cheerleaders came from Bangalore, where around 34%
gave them the thumbs down. Flamboyant liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, owner
of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, last year flew in the Washington
Redskins cheerleaders to perform for the team at a cost of Rs12,000 per
hour.
Some conservative politicians and activists last year found the presence of
cheerleaders dressed in short skirts and low tops to be offensive.
The Royal Challengers is now forming its own extravagant local version of
the Redskins.
“We are not getting the Redskins this time, but we are getting some
professional international cheerleaders to train Indian girls to cheerlead our
team,” said Vijay Rekhi, president, United Spirits Ltd, part of Mallya’s UB
Group.
Even Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers, which imported professional
Australian cheerleaders last year, is creating a big marketing blitz this
season. “We are doing something really different around the whole
cheerleading activity this year,” said Darshan M., vice-president of
commercial operations, Deccan Chargers.
He didn’t share details about what the team was up to because of concern
that the idea may be copied by rivals. “All I can say is that it will include
professional cheerleaders and not just some local dance troupes. It is going
to include a lot of excitement and we will build hype around it,” Darshan
said.
Like Chennai Super Kings, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR) has also tied up with a general entertainment channel
—NDTV Imagine—to launch a dance contest to select its squad of
cheerleaders. “The show called Knights and Angels is one of our initiatives
in creating a marketing buzz around season two,” said Joy Bhattacharya,
director, Kolkata Knight Riders.
Last year’s IPL winner, Rajasthan Royals, has launched a contest called
Royal Diva. Targeted at women in the 18-22 age group, it involves a
nationwide hunt for a cheerleading squad for the champions. The winners
will also be part of a music video the Jaipur franchisee is putting together as
part of its marketing exercise.
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, who recently bought a stake in Rajasthan
Royals, will also be actively involved in the hunt for the “best cheerleaders”
for the team.
Mumbai Indians, the franchisee from Mumbai, meanwhile is in talks with a
national dance troupe to cheer for the team, according to the team’s
spokesperson.
While all viewers may not have liked the cheerleaders on the ground last
year, the franchisees say there has been a tremendous response to their
initiatives from the target groups.
“The response to our cheerleading contest has been better than what we
expected. The auditions start next week and we have a lot of college-goers
enlisted,” said Super Kings’ Singh.
Marketing experts argue that cheerleaders add a certain glamour to the
tournament and help prevent monotony from setting in.
POST IPL MARKETING
Indian Premier League (IPL) teams will carry out a slew of marketing
exercises after the 51-day tournament is over to build their brands and keep
interest alive before the next season.
Almost all the franchises that participate in the four-year-old quick-format
cricket tournament are hiring specialised branding firms to help them
organize sporting and non-sporting events throughout the year, particularly
targeting the youth and children.
“When IPL is on, the focus is on players and the matches. When cricket is
not on, we need to strengthen the brand and keep it vibrant and attractive to
our target audience,” said Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer of the Delhi
franchise. “So it’s going to be a comprehensive year-long activity.”
Mathur said the franchise management will sit down with the team’s 14
sponsors—including brands such as Coca Cola, Adidas, Panasonic,
Kingfisher and Idea—to draw up post-tournament promotional events once
the IPL ends on 28 May.
They are already looking at organising music concerts and cricket
tournaments for street children. Fans will be informed about the events
through social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Every team is doing this as it’s not just about the 45-day affair,” said Mehul
Shah, vice-chairman of the Kochi Tusker Kerala team. “The show must go
on for 365 days.”
Rajasthan Royals has hired UK-based Photolink Creative Group, which has
helped with the branding of Manchester United and Everton football clubs.
Photolink will chalk out programmes for engaging fans after IPL, said Holly
Harvey, director of business development at the company’s India unit, but
declined to give details of the strategy.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is working with Mumbai-based MarketGate
Consulting. The marketing firm’s director, Shripad Nadkarni, also declined
to share plans, citing client confidentiality.
OPN Advertising Pvt. Ltd is planning sports-related corporate social
responsibility initiatives for Chennai Super Kings, said S. Chockalingam,
founder and director of the advertising firm. “We thought of doing a
corporate tournament, but it’s too much cricket. That’s why we want to go
beyond cricket to other sports,” he said.
Rakesh Singh, the head of marketing at Chennai Super Kings, said the
franchise will also hold painting competitions for schoolchildren this year
and has launched a monthly comic series featuring its cricketers.
Pune Warriors India is planning cricket coaching camps with its players as
well as local cricket tournaments.
Dhruv Jha, business head for brand experiences at the consulting firm
Lodestar Universal, said team sponsors also want to take IPL-related
marketing beyond the tournament.
“We are talking to a lot of clients in terms of developing plans and proposals
that are non-IPL but yet they will grow both the team’s equity and their
association with them,” said Jha, whose firm advised Tata Motors Ltd’s
sponsorship deal with Delhi Daredevils and KitKat chocolate’s association
with KKR.
“All the franchises have realized that we just come and go and don’t seem to
keep it alive. Now they want to prolong and sustain this as a brand,” he
added.
Mathur of Delhi Daredevils said it makes business sense for the franchises to
come up with year-long marketing strategies. “This year, cricket as well as
the financial side of IPL have undergone phenomenal changes,” he said,
referring to the new players’ bidding that took place ahead of the
tournament, the addition of two new teams and sponsorship changes for
most of the teams.
Franchises have signed players on three-year contracts; the sponsors are also
on similar deals. “Now things are settled to start these kinds of promotions,”
Mathur said.
“Now that the tournament has matured and the teams are in place, there will
be some continued effort to market the team and build the franchises,” said
Shubha George, chief operating officer of media agency MEC.
Television ratings of the first 26 matches of the tournament have, however,
been the lowest since the IPL’s inception in 2008. The average rating for the
26 matches in six metros—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore
and Hyderabad—dropped to 4.3 from 5.52 last year, according to television
audience measurement agency TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd.
Jha of Lodestar said lower ratings should prompt franchises to carry out
more “sustainable activities” to build their brands.
MEC’s George said the fall in television ratings was expected, with the
number of matches going up from 60 last year to 74 this year.
“I don’t think I would be alarmed by the fact that it’s going down,” George
said. “It is going down as there are more matches and it’s not possible for
viewers to watch with the same level of intensity. There will be a middle
period where there will be a slackening of interest.”
CHAPTER-4
SUGGESTIONS &
CONCLUSION
SUGGESTIONS
As we all know that Ipl is a successful business today.But too many games
makes it boring.For example,if Mr Shahrukh Khan is seen in every film
then people would get bored of him.Similarly,IPL management should cut
the number of matches being played on field to make it fresh and
entertaining.
CONCLUSION
So we say that IPL is the newest hit product in the market and the brains
behind this are showing us How to sell the product.The product (Cricket)
was ready existing in the market,it was popular but IPLhas increased the sell
by adding money and glamour to it.It has also contributed in quality
development of cricket.It is nothing but selling old product with attractive
packaging..
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Times of India
2.Economic Times
3 Business Outlook
4.www.wikipedia.org
5.www.iplt20.com
6.www.crcibuzz.com
7.www.iplcricketlive.com