MxMIndia

Tag: MPL

  • Hold panel discussion at Consilience 2023 organised by NLSIU

    Top gaming CEOs oppose “extortionist tax” by Google

    By Our Staff

     

    Top gaming CEOs expressed their concerns over what they have called an “extortionist” 30% tax imposed by Google on gaming apps at a panel discussion held at Consilience 2023, organised by the Law and Technology Society (L-Tech) at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in partnership with All India Game Developers’ Forum (AIGDF).

     

    Said Manish Agarwal, Co-Founder, IndiGG: “The 30% jagirdari tax is an extortion and I believe in India we should not allow anybody to do this, especially when you’re not an Indian company,” he said. He pointed out that in a country like India, the focus needs to be to increase its propensity to pay and reduce friction in spending among consumers. Adding an extra 30% tax on top of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a significant expense for consumers, which he believes is unproductive from a gamer’s perspective.”

     

    Added Anuj Tandon, CEO – Gaming, JetSynthesys: “When app stores and playstores were launched, the 30% fee was revolutionary compared to the 70% charged by OEMs or Telcos for game developers. At that time, it was a very good idea, but as the industry and business models have evolved, there needs to be a relook at the rates.”

     

    Said Sai Srinivas, Co-Founder & CEO, Mobile Premier League (MPL): “Let’s evaluate the unit economics: if a developer charges 100 rupees, 30 rupees go to the play store or app store and 70 rupees goes to the developer. From that 70 rupees, they have to pay for hosting, user acquisition, and other expenses. My view is that we should provide Indian game developers with more revenue to invest in game development and build more games.”

     

  • Teams up with Missing Link Trust to spread awareness

    MPL launches campaign against human trafficking

    By Our Staff

     

    MPL, the mobile and skill gaming platform, jointly with Missing Link Trust, has launched a campaign called #SaveOurMissingGirls to spread awareness on human trafficking. Announced on the eve of United Nations’ World Day against Trafficking in persons, the campaign aims to spread awareness on the dark world of human trafficking through a Role Play Game.

     

    As a part of this week-long campaign starting July 30, MPL has invited people to take a pledge by giving a missed call to the number  9099306000 and show their support towards ending this menace that impacts millions of lives every year.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Namratha Swamy, Country Head for India at MPL, said: “Technology has a big role to play in prevention of human trafficking and we believe online gaming can be an interesting way to sensitize people and raise awareness about eradicating human trafficking. One of the key objectives of the #SaveOurMissingGirls campaign is using games to make more people alert. We have received an overwhelming response from MPL’s  users on Missing ever since its launch on our platform.”

     

    Added Leena Kejriwal, Founder, Missing Link Trust: “The Missing game comes under the genre of ‘Games for Change’ by tackling the first ‘P for Prevention’ of the United Nation’s four Ps against trafficking. We think this campaign along with our collaboration with the MPL platform, with a strong 90 million, will be a game-changer in ensuring a wide reach for the game and making millions of people aware of the menace.”

     

  • The tournament will see over 7 million players and 3.5 million winners

    MPL launches campaign ahead of Great Indian Gaming League

    By Our Staff

     

    Mobile Premier League (MPL), the mobile esports and skill gaming platforms, has announced a 360-degree campaign ahead of the start of the Great Indian Gaming League (GIGL), which begins today (March 24). This is the multi-sport online mobile gaming tournament with a total value of Rs 2000 crore.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Namratha Swamy, Country Head – India, Mobile Premier League (MPL), said: “As the largest multi-game mobile gaming tournament, GIGL will provide access to mobile esports to a vast and diverse group of gamers across the country in line with our vision to democratize esports. We are confident that the tournament will see millions of players participating from across the country. Our league is poised to create the largest number of winners for the first time in a mobile gaming tournament in India. We are also hopeful that this tournament will encourage many first-time gamers to take part in esports competitions.”

    https://youtu.be/PH_fP3kbp9M

  • #FanBannJaaoge is the clarion call by the platform

    MPL Sports campaigns for Indian Olympic contingent

    By Our Staff

     

    MPL Sports Foundation, the community arm of Mobile Premier League (MPL), has launched a campaign featuring some of the biggest Indian Olympic stars. This is part of a nationwide fan campaign to rally the 1.3 billion Indians to become fans of the Indian contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics that begin this Friday.

     

    Said Sai Srinivas, Trustee, MPL Sports Foundation and Co-Founder and CEO, MPL: “The Olympics is the world’s biggest sporting stage and truly a sports movement that cuts across all boundaries. The athletes representing us come from the length and breadth of India and we want the entire country to rally behind them as they seek to bring us laurels. We hope this movement galvanises all Indians to become fans of the Indian Olympic team.”

     

  • Gamers can find out what they are good at

    Mobile Premier League unveils new video

    By Our Staff

     

    Mobile Premier League, Esports and skill gaming platform, has launched its ‘Daya ko apna game pata hain! Kya aapko apna pata hain?’, which is an interesting video released on all their social media platforms.

     

    This is MPL’s campaign based on the insight that digital gamers try a lot of games before they find the game they are good at and then stick to it. This campaign utilised popular celebrities who have found what they are good at, to land the point that on MPL the gamers can find out what they are good at from the 60+ games spread across multiple categories such as fantasy, casual, eSports and many others.

     

  • Come on not everything is about TG and tonality etc. We are talking about ads and sometimes, they do need to break the mould, writes Vikas Mehta

    AdOnIPL21: Hits & Misses

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaSo, the pandemic caught up with IPL too. And some of us are surely going through withdrawal symptoms each evening. But the futility of the sport hits you starkly when a few near and dear one gets affected, as it happened to yours truly too.

     

    Let me bring this series to a logical end. Today I will share with you my hits and misses from the ads released during the IPL. And my Gen Z sample, undoubtedly will have a say in this too.

     

    Frankly, it is easy to talk about the misses. Some of the worst ads featured Ranveer. The toss up in my mind was between JioFiber and JD Mart. Maybe Ranveer should give up endorsing brands starting with J. And on this my Gen Z sample was in total unanimity with me.

     

    Then there were the soft drinks ads. Be it Pepsi, which surprisingly used the old Salman Khan or be it the Coke global ad which desperately tried to have some Indian feel to it. Or the Priyanka Chopra-led B Fizz ads (ok, Gen Z sample did like this one). Or the Katrina Kaif Slice ad which used the 1970s Pepsi Taste Challenge thought but without any conviction. Or the you-blink-and-miss Maaza ad. Or the, you have seen one, you have seen them all, Frooti ads. This category was the biggest disappointment for me at the IPL. What a fall for a category which, till just a few years ago would produce some of the best ads, year after year. And my Gen Z sample had a pertinent point to make. Why did most of the soft drink ads use celebrities who are past their sell-by-date? Maybe because Gen Z celebrities are flash in a pan Tik Tok or Instagram celebrities who shine for a few moments and are quickly replaced by a newer sensation, I suggested. Maybe because the creators of these ads are millennials who are still clinging to the celebrities of their own generation. But a point to ponder.

     

    That question from my Gen Z sample made me think hard and I wondered about another interesting trend. Hardly any cricketer or sportsperson is promoting any of these soft drink nowadays. Bah! That’s easy, said my Gen Z sample. Sportsperson are now more conscious about not associating with unhealthy products. Hmm! I think of Tendulkar with the chubby, wholesome look and then the image of a fit, diving, hurtling Kohli flashes in my mind and though I nod in agreement, give me a Tendulkar any day over a Kohli.

     

    But I digress, who am I to pontificate? I will just continue with my hits and misses. The biggest yawn, no, the biggest turn off for me was the Salman Khan’s Elaichi flavour ad. Till I was corrected by Gen Z sample. The brand was not Salman Khan. I stood corrected. I would prefer the Bolo Zuban Kesari ad any day. So what if it features two more vintage actors. At least it was shot in London and not on a cheap looking Bollywood set.

     

    Hey, all is not doom and gloom. The IPL did have its moments. Not many, but some did stand out. The Phone Pe series for example. For me, this was the stand out IPL campaign. Benefit lead, short plots that did not need major explanation and had ample subjects to reignite interest every time you saw them. In fact re-viewing these was always a pleasure. And these also amplified the stimulus response theory of communication very well, Eh! What’s that, asked my Gen Z sample. Finally, I could pontificate a bit. Do not say the benefit in the ad. But give a stimulus that makes the viewer say the benefit. That’s when generic benefits like easy to use, convenient, fast etc are not only remembered but appropriated by the brand. For the first time I noticed a look of appreciation from Gen Z sample. Small mercies!

     

    Of course the gully cricket ads of Dream 11 were a big hit too. And so were the Dhoni ads for the same brand which epitomised the using of brains to build your fantasy team. But then MPL did a neat little coup by questioning the use of brains in the Hindi proverb-led series. The MPL ads also demonstrated that a good idea can easily upstage the presence of celebrities like Ranveer (again), Dada or Rahane (My 11 circle) or for that matter even K. Rahul (Gamezy).

     

    Finally, it was Cred that stole the show. While the Dravid ad got lot of attention and social media chatter and even though the Jackie Shroff and Kumar Sanu follow up ads were a pale shadow, I think the boy band ad was quite brilliant. For my Gen Z sample it was not just hilarious but as it spoke their language and actually addressed them, it was endearing. Come on not everything is about TG and tonality etc. We are talking about ads and sometimes, they do need to break the mould. Cred is a winner on that front.

     

  • We haven’t yet hit the halfway point also and I just get a feeling that some entertaining ads are on the way, Vikas Mehta

    AdsOnIPL21: Welcome distraction from the doom & gloom

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    I waded into a discussion today about staging IPL with the virus raging all round us. I may sound too simplistic but with all the doom and gloom news which we all are exposed to, much of it at a personal level too, the IPL is a much required distraction and a break. Just like the football leagues have been in Europe during the second wave. And besides the matches one also gets to watch many new old fashioned ads. So, I decided to base my re-view today on the ads which have in some way entertained us. Not just made us smile but also involved and wanting to actually re-view it. (Now you understand why I have been writing review with a hyphen!).

     

    The first such ads that come to my mind is the Phone pe series of ads. They are short, sharp and highlighting the many generic benefits of UPI payment. Sure, the benefits are generic but these ads are appropriating the benefits for Phone Pe with delightful vivid demonstrations, without the need for any audio. And the one ad which did use some dialogue was done very smartly with the play on the word scan. My personal favourite though was the one with the two Bengali women angling for that one last Sandesh. For once, my choice was backed by my Gen Z sample.

     

    Finolex pipes. Not really a consumer product but I think they have done an entertaining job with Sehwag in the series of ads. And a very bold twist to the narrative has been added with the thought of “Jo cheez chalti rahti hain woh kahan yaad rahti hai.” What an interesting twist to long-lasting. Though what my Gen Z sample loved was the product shot at the end. Pipes and fittings in the form of a throne on which Sehwag is sitting for the sign off. A real nice touch, indeed for a boring simplistic looking product.

     

    I did speak about the MPL ad in one of my reviews earlier. I think they have done a good job of taking Hindi proverbs regarding brain and then using these to explain how one can use the MPL ad without too much of brain power, read thinking. Another reason I found these entertaining was because they take a diametrically opposite stance to Dream 11, specially the Dhoni ads which urges people not to use brains for excuses, lying etc but to use it to make the Dream 11 fantasy teams.

     

    Incidentally, I do have a question for MPL. What about the comprehension of these ads in south Indian languages? Do they have similar language idioms? Dear readers, any suggestions?

     

    The Groww ads were intriguing. The whole concept of giving up something close, like your child or a product one developed for nothing is thought provoking. But the link with the product was a bit weak. But hey, this re-view is about entertaining ads. Not necessarily effective. But you know why my Gen Z sample loved it. The line. Invest kar. Kuhud grow kar. Not karo. The irreverence of the line was entertaining for her.

     

    The Gulabjamun wale uncle ads of Swiggy were also entertaining. The guy has become a brand symbol or mnemonic for Swiggy and his losing his own identity is a nice twist.

     

    Sadly, I found not many other entertaining ads. No, I do not find Cred entertaining. Except for Dravid, which was more of a surprise and shock than entertain, the rest have no entertainment or even relevance factor for me. And that Zumba ad was a joke, right?

     

    But there is hope. We haven’t yet hit the halfway point also and I just get a feeling that some entertaining ads are on the way. Keep reading this column for some more.

  • To widen esports portfolio; launches Esports Arena

    MPL acquires GamingMonk

    By Our Staff

    Mobile Premier League has acquired Esports gaming platform GamingMonk. This acquisition will allow MPL to accelerate bringing to market key national, regional and global tournament IPs and allow MPL to develop a full suite of Esports and broadcasting capabilities. GamingMonk hosts Esports tournaments across multiple platforms including PC, Console and Mobile.

    MPL has also launched Esports Arena, the banner under which the platform will host fortnightly Esports tournaments in some of its marquee games such as Chess, WCC, Pool, etc. With Esports Arena, MPL aims to take Esports truly to the masses across India, with gaming titles that are smartphone friendly and can be played on a range of smartphones.

    Said Sai Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO, MPL: “In our mission to serve gamers in India, GamingMonk will augment our efforts in reaching our target audience and engage with our users effectively. With the increased consumption of Esports in the last couple of years and it becoming as competitive as any other sport, it gives us immense pleasure to present our users with the best of games to play, and enjoy their passion for gaming.”

    Added Ashwin Haryani, Co-Founder, GamingMonk: “We are extremely excited to be a part of MPL. From the very onset, GamingMonk’s vision was to change the Esports scenario in India, and I strongly believe that our collaboration with MPL will not only help us accomplish our goal, but also transform the way every individual in our country views esports. MPL has been one of the pioneers in changing the gaming culture in Asia, and it was a no brainer for us that if there was someone who could help us reach our goal at the earliest it had to be them,”

     

     

  • Since there are enough and more new ads around IPL 2021, Vikas Mehta comes up with a bonus add-on to his weekly column

    AdsOnIPL21: Akal Badi ki Ads?

     

    Since there are enough and more new ads around IPL 2021, Vikas Mehta comes up with a bonus add-on to his weekly column

     

    By Vikas Mehta

    Vikas MehtaTrust my Gen Z single sample to ask me a pointed question during the IPL. How do the Indian  cricketers get to shoot ads? Aren’t they in some bubble and get transferred from one bubble to another? We hear them moaning about the mental agony of the bubble, but every few months, they do manage to somehow augment their incomes with new ad campaigns. Bubbles notwithstanding.

    This re-view is dedicated to the new ads during the IPL featuring our cricketers. Past and present.  Last weekend the match between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings was touted as the match between guru and shishya. Dhoni vs Pant. I carried this imaginary rivalry into the ad world while watching the ad for Indigo Paint with Dhoni and then the one with JSW Steel bars (boring, uninvolved, irrelevant category) with neither me nor my Gen Z sample being the intended target. Frankly, the brand decision in both categories, paints and steel bars, is heavily dependent on the middle men and of course our budget, but paints has come a long way and why can’t steel bars hope to go the paint way. Specially when JSW is one of the main sponsors of DC.

    For me, this battle was won by the shishya. The two JSW ads have managed to not only exploit Pant’s personality but have also communicated the brand benefit woven into an involved storyline. The guruji’s ad unfortunately was a damp squib which was content with the typical celebrity formula. Show Dhoni in the ad and the rest will follow. And this in an ad for floor paints. Usually all paint ads are about walls. I think so much more could have been done with Dhoni and floor paint. My Gen Z sample  made another pertinent comment. So many Dhoni ads, he is an old man now (I guess I am vintage for her) shouldn’t the brand make his ads about his experience or his knowledge. Clearly the Gen Z sample is totally influenced by the Gen Z shishya.

    I did re-view Dream 11 last time but as has been the case always, I am now swamped with more fantasy team ads. So, I turned to my Gen Z sample for help. Let it be known that she is an expert on fantasy team contests having participated and won in some EPL contests. For her Dream 11 was the Indian cricket team, My Circle 11 was Dada, MPL was Virat Kohli and Howzatt.com was Yuvraj. Phew! Some clarity.

    MPL though have not used Kohli this time. They have done a literal interpretation of the Hindi proverb “Akal badi ki bhains” (is the brain better or a buffalo! No disrespect to both, please!) and it seems that currently the bhains is winning. I liked the ad because it clearly implies that making your fantasy team is so easy that you do not need to use your brains  to make the team. And it in its own way does take a dig at those short ads for Dream 11 which have Dhoni asking people to use their brains not on buttering your boss or your father but on choosing a fantasy team on Dream 11. Nicely done. My Gen Z sample though did not agree with me. Because she had never heard of the Hindi proverb. You cannot win them all, I say.

    My Circle 11 has roped in Ranveer Kapoor. Maybe Dada did not have enough time with his health issues, so Ranveer is now the co-anchor. And I do think I saw Rahane in one ad too. And me thinks that the ads have been done in a rush. Looked tacky and depended on Ranveer to announce a new promotion. But I do think that in the next few weeks we shall have more ads from My circle 11. I do hope so. Cannot re-view the current ones. What a waste of Ranveer, is the only comment from my Gen Z sample.

    The Yuvraj led Howzatt.com ads sounded familiar. Trust Gen Z sample to come to my rescue. She gently reminded me that the promotion was similar to My Circle 11 ads of beating the teams chosen by Dada, Watson, Rashid etc to win more money. Guess somebody has got me in plumb. Howzatt?

    And before I sign off I thought I saw another fantasy team ad for a new brand which was being endorsed by K Rahul. My head is now totally spinning with so many fantasy team ads, all around cricket. All using cricketers, ex and present. But my Gen Z sample had the last word, better than watching phone ads or ecommerce ads or those perpetually smiling Dhoni ads.

  • Gets Leander Paes and Geeta Phogat as brand ambassadors

    MPL launches new campaign to promote esports

    By Our Staff

    Mobile Premier League (MPL) has launched a national print and TV campaign called ‘Maidan Naya, Khel Wohi’ to encourage participation and promote a culture of esports in the country. The brand has roped in Leander Paes and Geeta Phogat as brand ambassadors. Produced by Citrus Productions, the campaign will have a total of six films, three each featuring Paes and Phogat.

    Said Sai Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO, Mobile Premier League: “Esports witnessed exponential growth in 2020. With esports being included as a medal sport by the Olympic Council of Asia, I believe that India will see a rise in many successful esports athletes. Not just this, we hope to soon see some “Made in India” games being played at International sports events like the Asian Games. The aim of this campaign is to unleash the power of Esports and bring it on par with physical sports. Esports today is accessible to all due to the availability of data and affordable devices thus making it easy for more people to participate. This growth needs to be supplemented with solid regulations and government support.”

     

     

  • The digital content company will be incharge of conceptualising, creating and amplifying content for the e-sports platform’s digital presence

    Mobile Premier League appoints Yaap as social media & content strategy agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    E-sports platform Mobile Premier League has appointed content company Yaap to help them take their digital presence to the next level. This will include the conceptualisation and development of communication across social media to strengthen their presence online.

     

    Said Abhishek Madhavan, SVP, Growth and Marketing, MPL: “With millions of followers across our social media platforms, we have partnered with Yaap to offer our followers a variety of engaging and informative content as we look to scale our social media presence even further. We are excited about having Yaap on board and look forward to working with them.”

     

    Added Manan Kapur, Partner, Yaap: “We are really excited to partner with MPL on this journey. Having observed the growth of the gaming industry over the years and the pioneering work that MPL has done, we’re really looking forward to working with a team that shares the same passion for great work as us. We’re looking forward to doing some great work soon.”

     

     

  • The campaign was made by Ogilvy and is currently live on IPL and other networks

    MPL releases new campaign with the spotlight on users

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mobile Premier League, the esports and mobile gaming platform, has put the spotlight on its users with its latest campaign. Users are the biggest ambassadors for any brand and MPL seeks to highlight its unique proposition using people who have experienced the app and its features to their benefit.

     

    Ogilvy was awarded the campaign after a rigorous multi-agency pitch and has made the films with MPL users featured as most of the protagonists and their success stories told in a semi-fictitious, theatrical manner.

     

    Said Abhishek Madhavan, SVP, Growth and Marketing, MPL: “The lockdown saw many people explore new interests and hence, gaming took off in the country. MPL gained unprecedented traction as people started gaming in a big way from the comfort of their homes, and improved their lives by winning tournaments and contests. We wanted to put our users at the front and center of our major IPL and Bigg Boss campaigns and illustrate how MPL impacted their lives positively,”

     

    N Ramamoorthi

    Added N Ramamoorthi, President, Ogilvy South: “The idea behind the campaign was true honesty. We went through rigorous engagement with real users across the country who have played on MPL and seen the difference it made to their lives. To us, that was the true advertisement of the role of MPL in adding value to people’s lives. And we are happy we contributed to tell these customer stories in a memorable manner.”