MxMIndia

Tag: t20 world cup

  • Will be telecast in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu

    Sony Sports to air of Lanka tour

    Sony Sports Network will air live the India tour of Sri Lanka. The series, starting Saturday, July 27, will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network from 7pm onwards. This will be on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 5 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.

    Said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer – Distribution & International Business and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India: “The broadcast of India Tour of Sri Lanka solidifies Sony Sports Network’s position as a global multi-sports arena for audiences in India. These are exciting times for Indian cricket with the team’s recent T20 World Cup victory, the rise of new young players and the appointment of new head coach. India Tour of Sri Lanka comes at the perfect time for Indian fans who will be eager to watch the new-look team in action at prime time.”

    Added Ashley De Silva, CEO, Sri Lanka Cricket: “We are delighted to welcome India for a limited-over series for the first time since 2021. It will be exciting to see how the team performs under the new head coach. The two teams have a fair share of history between themselves, and it will be exciting to see some top-quality matches during the series, which will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network.”

  • Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah rule T20 WC chatter

    Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah rule T20 WC chatter

    The ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup garnered unprecedented social media chatter, reports Interactive Avenues, the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India which  released its “‘apturing the Glory: A Social Listening Report on #T20WorldCup’ report on Monday.

     

    The report is based on data gathered from social platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and popular cricket forums and reveals  insights on player popularity, most appreciated performances, most talked about matches, top brand partnerships and more.

     

    Commenting on the report, Shantanu Sirohi, COO, Interactive Avenues, said: “The Cricket T20 World Cup has once again proven the unparalleled ability of cricket to captivate audiences. This tournament has set new benchmarks for player popularity, with stars like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah leading the conversations. Our comprehensive social listening report not only highlights the staggering number of mentions and engagements, but also delves into the elements that drove these numbers.”

     

    Key findings of the report:

    Social chatter highlights:

    • Overall, the tournament garnered 55.9Mn mentions and drove 461Mn engagements.
    • Rohit Sharma emerged as the most talked about player and batsman (5.5Mn mentions). Jasprit Bumrah was the most popular bowler (1.2Mn mentions), and Hardik Pandya was the top all-rounder (1.1Mn mentions).
    • The finale between India and South Africa was the most talked about match (2.2Mn mentions), followed by India vs. Pakistan (1.7Mn mentions).

     

    Most thrilling moments:

    • Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch which clinched the T20 World Cup title for India got 209K mentions.
    • Afghanistan beating Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller to seal their semi-final spot drove 156K mentions
    • India’s victory against Pakistan by 6 runs in the low-scoring group stage match garnered 122K mentions.

     

    Most popular players:

    • Powered by consistently stellar performances, India’s Rohit Sharma (5.5Mn mentions), Virat Kohli (4.1Mn mentions), Suryakumar Yadav (1.3Mn mentions), Jasprit Bumrah (1.2Mn mentions) and Hardik Pandya (1.1Mn mentions) emerged as the most popular players on social media.

     

    Top emerging players:

    • Making their debut in a T20 World Cup, players from USA topped the popularity charts among emerging talent. Saurabh Netravalkar led the roster (163K mentions), followed by Ali Khan (67K mentions), Aaron Jones (49K mentions), and Monank Patel (30K mentions).

     

    Top emotional moments:

    • Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ‘bromance’, including videos of their journey together, resulted in 7.1Mn engagements.
    • Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announcing their retirement from T20 international matches drove 4.1Mn engagements.
    • Rohit Sharma kissing Hardik Pandya in an emotional moment after India won the cup garnered 2.3Mn engagements.

     

    Biggest comeback story:

    • After being booed at every match venue during IPL 2024 (92% negative mentions), Hardik Pandya made a spectacular comeback with 88% positive mentions during T20 World Cup 2024.

     

    Top brand partnerships:

    • Brands across diverse industries leveraged T20 CWC-based partnerships to drive engagement. Maruti got 258K mentions, Amul garnered 200K mentions, and ICICI Bank got 145K mentions.
    • Nandini Milk witnessed a whopping 390% increase in average monthly engagement, while BPCL’s “Snap The AD” contest drove a 191% spike in average monthly engagement.
  • Momentum Shifts & Miracles

    Momentum Shifts & Miracles

    Sanjeev KotnalaOn June 30, 2024, much before sunrise, the whole nation was sleepless and celebrating the famous Houdini act of the Indian cricket team. The wait was finally over. A few of the articles covering the event rightly said, India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat or snatched the T20 World Cup from the hands of South Africa. The South African team did nothing wrong, but they still ended up strengthening the choker branding.

    The nation of armchair commentators and experts, with the right of ardent, passionate fans in the country where the game is a religion, was up for debate in person and on social media. In a relay of comments, they took what was served to them by the experts on TV and ran with it with their versions. Each tried to outdo the other in understanding the game’s intricacies.

    So was the fight between turning points and tipping points among the armchair experts. The T20 World Cup Final in Barbados was a great example of the unpredictable nature of Cricket and sports in general.

    A turning point in cricket is the dramatic moment when the match’s momentum shifts decisively from one team to another. Yesterday, there were many such moments in the seesaw battle. The absolute gem of the catch by Surya Kumar Yadav—SKY is the limit on the boundary; the 22 runs over of Axar Patel, the change of gear by Kohli, and the Bumrah 18th over are all examples of it. These are easily identifiable moments, providing clear markers in the match’s narrative.

    On the other hand, a tipping point is more nuanced and subtle. It is the cumulative effect of numerous small events that collectively build up to a decisive shift in the game’s outcome. Unlike a turning point’s sudden and noticeable impact, the tipping point results from sustained pressure, consistent performance, or a series of minor mistakes by the opposing team. The slow and steady build-up of these small factors eventually leads to a significant change, tipping the game’s balance in favour of one team.

    Now, both the tipping and the turning points result from players’ belief that everything is possible until the last moment. It is not just a motivational slogan. A fundamental mindset that fuels resilience, creativity, and relentless effort. This unwavering self-belief is crucial, especially in high-pressure situations with high stakes and uncertain outcomes.

    However, if the same belief shows signs of weakness and doubts creep into the team’s collective psyche, they could choke.

    Self-belief among individual players plays a crucial role in these high-stakes moments. For a batter facing a daunting target, believing in their ability to chase it down can transform their approach, allowing them to take calculated risks and innovate in their shot selection. Kohli, Karlsen and Axar Patel showed it. Similarly, a bowler who believes in their skill can maintain focus and precision under pressure, delivering match-winning performances even in the most challenging circumstances- well, Hardik and Bumrah showed what is possible.

    Cricket history is replete with instances where teams have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, demonstrating that a match is never truly over until the last ball is bowled. The T20 Final on June 29, 2024 was another example of these uncertainties.

    Having celebrated the individual brilliance, we refocus on the fact that cricket is inherently a team sport, and collective performance is equally important. A team of champions need not make a Champion team.

    While individual brilliance can turn games around, the combined effort of the entire team determines the outcome. Effective communication, strategic planning, and mutual trust among team members are essential to a successful collective performance.

    Each player must understand their role and contribute to the team’s objectives, whether building a solid partnership in batting, maintaining high fielding standards, or executing bowling plans meticulously.

    Cricket’s unique charm combines individual heroics and collective synergy. The glorious uncertainties on the field, with everything possible until the last moment, make cricket so thrilling and unpredictable.

    This belief fuels remarkable comebacks, stunning upsets, and the sport’s enduring appeal to fans and players alike. But hell, I would any day take a straightforward, solid win over these tense moments—however, I must admit there is more fun in a win like the T20 World Cup 2024.

  • Reflects the voice of younger generation

    Jockey launches campaign with Wieden+Kennedy

    Wieden+Kennedy India has launched Jockey’s ad campaign that premiered during the T20 World Cup. The core insight behind the campaign titled  ‘Freedom or Nothing’, represents the concept of freedom and how it is perceived in all  aspects of life by the younger generation.

    Said Nihal Rajan, CMO, Jockey India: “Our objective was to appeal to the interests and  passions of a young audience, thereby fostering affinity and love for brand Jockey. We found  an alignment with the concept of freedom presented in Wieden’s creative vision, as it  harmoniously reflects our brand ethos. Our campaign ‘Freedom or Nothing’ is a true  reflection of the emotions and values that today’s generation connects with.”

    Added Yogesh Rijhwani, ECD, Wieden+Kennedy, Mumbai: “Both millennials and Gen Z value  work-life balance and personal freedom. With the ‘Freedom or Nothing’ campaign, we aim to  authentically represent what freedom means to today’s younger individuals. To represent  this campaign, we found a classic track from the 90s that takes on a fresh, new meaning in  this context, reflecting the shared values of today’s youth.”

  • Conceptualised and produced by DDB Mudra

    Dream11’s T20 World Cup launches campaign

    Dream11, the fantasy sports platform, has launched a new campaign for the T20 World Cup, titled ‘Yeh Sabka Dream Hai’. The campaign film has been conceptualised and produced by DDB Mudra.

    Commenting on the campaign, Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream Sports said: “After an intense IPL season marked by team rivalries, the country now unites behind Team India for the World Cup. Our campaigns have consistently endeavoured to adopt a lighthearted approach, rooted in the love for sports which resonates with our users. ‘‘Yeh Sabka Dream Hai’ follows a similar treatment but has a flavour of its own. The campaign highlights the unwavering dedication and support of Indian mothers and the value of “ma ka aashirwad”. The talented Ayesha Raza beautifully captures the sentiments and hopes of our team lifting the cup. Above all, the campaign stays true to our ethos of pure passion for cricket, regardless of age or gender.”

  • IPL’s Run Feast & the Future of Cricket
    From Wikipedia

    IPL’s Run Feast & the Future of Cricket

    Shailesh KapoorWe are in the second half of another engrossing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL0. While the beats of IPL are now all too familiar, this season has managed to catch our attention because of the consistent stream of high scores we have witnessed. Two days ago, Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 166 in less than 10 overs, without losing a wicket.

    The Hyderabad team has been at the forefront of the run feast that’s been unleased in IPL 2024. They account for three of the Top 4 team scores this season, including the top entry: a staggering 287 vs. Bangalore. In the 2024 edition, the 250-mark has been breached eight times already. And we are still 14 games away from the tournament’s end. In contrast, the 2023 edition saw 250 being breached only once, over the entire event!

    This is not an increment change. It’s a sign that the game may be evolving faster than one imagines. 300 is not far away, one imagines. And who knows what the upper limit in a 20-overs innings could be.

    Purists would argue that this makes the sport all too one-sided in the batter’s favour. But the audience, who are essentially there from entertainment, are certainly not complaining. And there is Test cricket for the purists anyway. It’s difficult to compare IPL viewership over the years because the digital component does not have transparency on viewership reporting, and the split between linear and digital continues to change with each passing year. But it’s safe to say that we may be in the middle of the most-watched IPL season of all time.

    The IPL will make way for the T20 World Cup, and the IPL run feast will invariably extend to T20 international games too. This may have been a boost cricket needed, for some sort of global expansion, which the governing body of the sport has been trying for years now, often half-heartedly, mostly unsuccessfully. If only they muster the courage to pull the plug on the ODI format, the future of cricket may not be that bad after all.

    In our latest sports report released in March this year, the awareness and viewership numbers for some of the foreign T20 leagues, especially the Big Bash (Australia), Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League were very healthy. It shows that the Indian audience has developed an appetite for T20-formatted entertainment over time, and this will only rise if we have more high-scoring games. Perhaps it’s time to bring the Champions League, an idea that was too early for its times back in 2008.

    Meanwhile, with 14 games to go, I’m rooting for 300. Sunrisers have two home games to go, and we may not have to wait too long.

  • For the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

    Disney+ Hotstar to offer ‘Free on Mobile’ viewing experience

    Disney+ Hotstar has announced that the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be available to stream ‘Free on Mobile’ for those using the Disney+ Hotstar app.

    Commenting on this, Sajith Sivanandan – Head, Disney+ Hotstar India said: “By offering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 for free on mobile, we aim to make the game of cricket more accessible, reach a wider audience across the country and ensure that none of the sporting action is missed. No sport works as a better catalyst than cricket in bringing people together. Last year’s Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, where we offered both tournaments for free on mobile, allowed us to serve newer audience segments helping us to significantly expand viewership.”

  • Summer Diaries: Elections, Cricket & More

    Summer Diaries: Elections, Cricket & More

    Shailesh KapoorWe are hitting peak summers, and elections are generating their share of heat too. Having watched election coverage over the years, it is impossible to not experience déjà vu. With all the growth in technology, election rallies continue to be a prominent election feature since the 1950s. I first remember watching election rallies in the late 80s, and visuals from the current elections look remarkably similar, just better in video quality.

    Elections are one place where the poor and the rural population, otherwise ignored by media for most part, comes into the mainstream, simply because each vote carries equal value, and the numbers are heavily stacked up outside the big cities and the affluent classes. And this hasn’t changed over decades now.

    But one thing that has changed is the use of the word “manifesto”. Over so many elections, one got a feeling that the term was moving out of election lexicon, and there didn’t seem to be even basic awareness about it among the general voters. But the Congress manifesto being targeted by BJP has stirred up things, and it is hard to find any political speech or interview where the M-word is not uttered.

    We are less than halfway into these long elections, and still four-and-a-half weeks away from June 4, which is the results day. June will be the more interesting month compared to May, as results lead to headlines, irrespective of how emphatic or fractured the mandate is.

    Interestingly, the T20 World Cup kicks off in the same week, and India play their first game on June 5, followed by a marquee clash with Pakistan on June 9. Even the T20 World Cup is month-long now, extending from June 2 to June 29. The venue may be West Indies and USA, but BCCI’s might ensures all India games are 8PM IST. After all, there’s an IPL slot to fill!

    India looks for its first World Cup win in this format since the nobody-saw-it-coming win in the inaugural edition in 2007. But irrespective of whether that happens or not, we are in for a double bill of politics and cricket in June.

    Meanwhile, Malayalam cinema is making waves, and setting all kind of crazy records, which deserve a separate piece of its own someday. After a euphoric 2023, the theatrical business has been tepid so far this year, but for the astonishing performance of Malayalam cinema, which is set to cross its 2023 annual number in just 4.5 months in 2024!

    And since I frequently rant in this column about the lack of innovation in Hindi GEC content, I should take a moment to acknowledge a trend that surprised me, and very pleasantly so. My colleagues Keerat Grewal and Aakriti Bhatia have put together this report on how Hindi GEC women are not housewives anymore. It’s a crazy trend, and even if you have no interest in GECs, I highly recommend reading it, just as a showcase of how data can be so powerful in revealing trends, and in such a simple manner too.

  • ICC may be reluctant to end the format altogether, but it's happening organically anyway, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    End of a World Cup… and a Format

    Australia men’s cricket captain Pat Cummins walking back to the dressing room with the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 trophy. Photograph courtesy screengrab from video on ICC-cricket.com

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorFinally, it’s done. The six-week long Cricket World Cup culminated last Sunday, with an imperfect finale from an Indian perspective. Forty-eight games of potentially 100 overs played out over this period. In the age of instant gratification, where “short” is the way to go for most things, cricket administrators seem to have their own unique ideas, some of which seem rooted in another era.

     

    Last night, India played a T20 game against Australia. It’s the first of the five T20s in a low-key bilateral series. Both sides are resting their star players. Yet, the game had a packed crowd at Vizag. It went to the last ball, something that none of the 48 ODI World Cup games can boast of.

     

    Cricket has even made it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, on the strength of the T20 format. These are just some of the signs on how the future of the sport lies in this format, and the leagues built around it. Test cricket is there to indulge the connoisseurs. But it’s T20 that will expand the sport, taking it to newer audiences and geographies.

     

    ICC may be reluctant to end the format altogether, but it’s happening organically anyway. Over the next 12 months, the major cricketing nations are playing less than 20 ODIs put together. The number of T20s are at least twice that number, and that’s not counting the T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2024.

     

    The World Cup itself had its share of controversies, mostly administrative in nature, ranging from scheduling to the choice of pitches for the knockout games. The crowds in India, especially outside the major centers, can be very ‘un-sporting’, and this became painfully evident in the final, and the prize distribution ceremony that followed. As long as India is winning, all is good. But when we don’t, the picture looks embarrassing from a sporting perspective. It’s perhaps the nature of the hyper-nationalistic times we live in.

     

    Right out of the World Cup, we jump into the elections season. Next Sunday (Dec 3) is the big counting day for legislative assembly elections in five states, which are a lead-up to the big General Elections next year. Just from a thrills perspective, one hopes there are closer finishes in at least a couple of those, compared to the largely one-sided World Cup we witnessed.

     

    On the theatrical front, there are three big movies lined up in December: Animal, Dunki and Salaar. The year is well-positioned to be the highest-grossing year at the Indian box office ever. But that’s another story for another day.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is Founder and CEO of Ormax Media. He writes on MxMIndia on Fridays. His views here are personal.

     

  • Included are Thums Up, Amway, Jindal Steel and Power, Google, HDFC Life

    Star Sports onboards marquee sponsors for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

    By Our Staff

     

    Star Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, has onboarded seven marquee sponsors such as Thums Up, Amway, Jindal Steel and Power, Google, HDFC Life, Kajaria, and Policy Bazaar. Overall, the broadcaster has onboarded 19 brands for the marquee ICC tournament. All the action from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 will be telecast Live & Exclusive on the Star Sports Network & Disney+ Hotstar from February 10-26th, 2023.

     

    Notes a communiqué: “Leading up to the marquee event, Star Sports Network has created an enhanced focus to galvanise support for the Women in Blue as they endeavour to replicate the World Cup triumph of the U19 Indian team, thus creating history and consequently changing it to ‘Her Story’. Adding to the excitement around the Indian matches, Star Sports Network will build surround sound and telecast all Indian matches LIVE in five languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.”

     

  • …of Fifa World Cup-related communication for Indian consumers. A review by Vikas Mehta

    Agony & Ecstasy…

     

     

    With apologies to none at all

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaThe Fifa World Cup is now reaching its crescendo. My social media feed is full of comments on football and I can see lot of angst as the traditional superpowers like Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Brazil have been eliminated. Teams like Morocco or Croatia do not have the same universal appeal and at best are seen as outsiders. But football fans in India have one more angst. The patchy and glitchy coverage of the event in India on the Jio Cinema OTT channel.

     

    I am surprised at the criticism as I was watching the matches on the Sports18 TV channel and the coverage seemed pretty good. But what really got me puzzled was why were most of the people I know, watching the matches on the OTT channel and why not on the traditional DTH channel?

     

    Subscribing for a month or even a quarter was very cheap and no connectivity or downloading speed issues to tackle. Turns out from my limited friend circle that not many knew about the TV option and the addiction to OTT is so great that many have actually given up on DTH TV. The reality had hit home.

     

    Now that I am travelling, I too have started watching the matches on OTT, mobile screen. And to me all seems fine. The glitches about buffering etc have not affected me even though I am in the interiors of Tamil Nadu with some Mandous-related weather issues.

     

    My biggest disappointment with the Football World Cup, as indeed it was with the T20 World Cup is the lack of interesting World Cup-related commercials. On a global scale, Nike, Coke, Pepsi have launched some interesting commercials. Pepsi has brilliantly used its global stars like Messi Ronaldinho, Pogba etc and weaved in the lingo and feel of the Gen Z with slang like nutmugged etc. It also has a flashes of irreverence, chutzpah and of course football. Living upto the expectations of what Pepsi calls “Generation Thirsty”, the ad is about being thirsty for more. The commercial has got a strong backlash too as it seems to have adopted a lot of Moroccan locales and cultural icons which could be interpreted as Qatari. But I guess with the Moroccans having knocked out Spain and now Portugal and having advanced to the semi finals, this anomaly will be overlooked. Watch the Pepsi World cup ad.

     

    Expectedly, Coke, which is the official sponsor of World Cup, has come out with a simple yet strong film which stays true to Coke’s global sign-off of ‘Believing is Magic’. Depicting a young girl swept away in a carnivalesque celebration of football, the film stays true to the brand personality of Coke. Watch it here: Coke World Cup

     

    But Coke has been breaking new grounds of late and it tries to go beyond just advertising. I was therefore not surprised to come across a whole digital campaign which captures a wide range of fans’ devotion for their beloved teams. The ads show the outlandish promises many fans would make if their team could win the World Cup; from getting a tattoo, to shaving their head, to running to work every day—while inviting viewers to share their own promises for possible inclusion in Coca-Cola packaging, digital content or outdoor creative. And Coke is also issuing NFT’s associated with this world cup. Digital Memories that will be for the buyers to own. Watch this: Coke World Cup promise

     

    The piece de resistance for me was definitely the Nike Multiverse campaign. It has a simple global insight of fans’, in this case two scientists in a lab, debating the greatness of their favourite player, across different eras. And then the whole campaign turns into a science induced multiverse universe where players Mbappe and Ronalidinho (he seems to be getting into an advertising renaissance), are zapped into a multiverse universe to have them play against each other. Soon other employees at the lab weigh in with their favourites, present and past, like the Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldo CR7, Alex Morgan, Kevin De Bryun, Virgil Van Dijik etc and the film gets into some crazy football shots with a nice touch of technology. Nike has again outdone itself. Watch the ad. World Cup Nike

     

    All this makes me wonder why brands like Coke or Pepsi who have a strong presence in India and who splurge a lot on advertising, not show any world cup related ad. Coke is a global sponsor of the World Cup and yet it has no presence in either the TV or the OTT telecast. I understand the winter months low soft drink consumption issue but seriously, the world cup is a brand building exercise, not just an increase in sales time. The winters in Europe are much more severe. I also believe that initiatives like the outlandish promises, will work very well in India. Just yesterday I saw a post from a Bengali friend, who, while moaning the exit of Brazil was also depressed that he will have to go non vegetarian till the end of the world cup. Some outlandish promise or wager, is my guess. So why total silence by the brand during world cup football is beyond my comprehension.

     

    I did see a Pepsi ad on TV during the matches but it was a rerun of an old “more fizz” ad featuring the more older Salman Khan. Nothing to do with football.

     

    Byju’s has hired Messi as a brand ambassador for its social cause of education for all. Hyundai is one of the official sponsor of the world cup. Visa is another global sponsor. And Amul is the regional sponsor (whatever that means) of Argentina and Portugal teams. So, let’s look what these brands, who have a strong presence in India, are doing around the world cup in India.

     

    Byju’s had an ad which I saw a month or so ago which announced the partnership with Messi along with Byju’s being an official sponsor of the world cup. A very forgettable and predictable piece of ad which featured some stock footage of Messi and a few supers announcing from India to the world (whatever that means, again) and Byju’s sponsorship. Shoddy, poor quality and unimaginative. There is a separate long video which uses Messi to talk about the importance of choosing the right coach not just in football but in education too. Interestingly done but it’s a long video which is expected to go viral and not being telecast during the matches. Byju’s Messi Ad

     

    Amul has gone the same tacky route. Some stock shots of players of each team with a milk splash effect added on. Mind you, these are still shots, not even video footage. There is a bit of a generic milk benefit lyrics added on which rhyme with the name of the team. Sample this. Go go Portugal. Doodh se mile bal. Tasty har pal. Daud aur uchal. Or this one. Amul Khana peena tasty aur proteina. Cheer Argentina. Some really corny stuff with absolutely no production values. It has an interesting thought in its tagline of being the original energy drink. But it has been relegated to just a tagline. Amul had a budget for sponsoring the teams. Amul has a budget for buying media time. But Amul kept hardly any production budget. Go figure. Amul Argentina Regional sponsor

     

    The auto brand, Hyundai, has followed a global diktat. They are using a global film which is very high on tech with a message of “Beyond Mobility”. The ad is more manufacturer speak rather than consumer benefit or language. Leaves one cold. Watch here. Hyundai beyond mobility

     

    And Visa is re-unning some old ads which showcase the advantage over paying cash by using Visa cards. Tap to pay with Visa. A network that’s fast, secure and convenient. Seriously? In a world dominated by UPI payment that’s Visa’s competitive advantage? Watch here. Visa India

     

    Definitely the World Cup ads in India are a huge disappointment. Rather, these are a case of missed opportunity. The brands have missed out on a chance to use the world cup in a creative and engaging way. The plethora of similar looking automobile ads or RBI ads or Mutual Funds sahi hai ads featuring cricketers and film stars are just using world cup as another event where the brands are throwing good money but not creating any impact. It’s just an item ticked off. And that’s really a pity.

     

    P.S: Ok, I now understand the furore about the Jio Cinema glitches during live telecast. While writing this, I am watching the Morocco vs Portugal match and at half-time for two-three minutes there was nothing happening. Just some shots of the stadiums and some graphics. No commentary, no explanation. And then after 2-3 minutes the match centre came on with a half time report. Very shoddy and unprofessional indeed.

     

  • The more brands use technology to bring alive its promise, the stronger will the emotional connect of the brand be, writes Vikas Mehta

    Emotion & Technology can go hand in hand

     

     

     

    With apologies to none at all

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaDiwali, IPL and World Cup cricket are the times when Indian marketers unveil new campaigns and this year the T20 World Cup coinciding with the Diwali season meant that a deluge of new campaigns could be expected. But now there is also technology into play and this means that the communication is well targeted and not necessarily mass. To this mix, throw in the long videos which advertisers hope will go viral through social media and it becomes more difficult to keep track of such new campaigns.

     

    This is also the time when brands attempt feel-good campaigns. Family bonding, celebrations, helping the needy, are the themes that become norm de rigueur. And many brands flaunt brand purpose at this time. Something which I highlighted in my last post (Festival Videos Article)

     

    It’s definitely a plus for the brands to leave one with a lump in the throat or a tear in the eye with such videos. But a greater impact can be created when brands actually do something which can make a difference in real life. Coke always has an interesting communication around getting together, family values etc. But they would not really do anything to highlight the same. On the other hand, I have seen HP actually do stuff like creating space for local artisans in HP stores to display their talent, bring alive the purpose of helping those who struggled to find space for display (HP Diwali).

     

    Predictably, Coke released an ad which was about not just wishing but meeting people for Diwali. Iss baar gale milke kaho Happy Diwali (say happy Diwali by hugging) was the thought. Watch it here Nice, cute and I thought that was it. So, imagine my surprise when I came across two more versions of the same thought but these used technology to make people actually meet up. Specially locked Coke bottles, which could be ordered using a QR code and unlocked only when the people met, with a code (Watch).

     

    It’s not that Coke has not done something similar in the past. I remember some Open Happiness videos of Coke in various countries where Coke installed phone booths to help migrant workers in the middle east connect back home or the valentine’s day free coke can if one kisses your partner in front of the specially designed vending machine in Europe; this was to me a very good example of taking a festival thought not just as a tagline of an ad but actually making it happen. The most important thing for me was the use of technology.

     

    In marketing and marketing communication, technology was all about either a product improvement or a media innovation. What Coke has achieved is significant as it has transcended the feel-good factor into actually making people experience the feel-good factor. It’s not just preaching about hugging people but enabling them to do so.

     

    And that brings me to the bigger issue. When the first murmurs of brand purpose broke out with the ex-Unilever CEO Paul Polman suggesting brand purpose as mandatory for all Unilever brands, there was lot of hue and cry and pessimism from investors. It exists today also with some pundits asking what could be the brand purpose for Walls Ice cream or Lux Soap. The same argument could be extended to a carbonated sweet drink like Coke. I am not suggesting that Coke has discovered brand purpose but it has shown that using technology any brand can make its promise come alive.  To me that’s as close to brand purpose than anything else.

     

    Till now most of the Diwali or festival ads were woke advertising. But Coke has demonstrated that using technology, one can take the leap to make the emotion come alive. I have no clue how many people actually got the locked Coke bottles and were the bottles easy available. To be honest, I did try to get a locked bottle by scanning the QR code but the message I got was that they have run out of bottles. This could well mean that the locked bottles were a sell out or maybe Coke did a very modest run of the locked bottles. Whatever, this is proof that using technology, brands can make their emotions, if not exactly the purpose, come alive. And that is sure to make the brands more attractive to its potential customers.

     

    Indeed, the brand which has been a pioneer in this field, at least in India has been Cadbury. More than two decades ago the brand came in with a gifting pack called Celebrations. It would be available during Diwali time and with deft and emotional communication the brand took off. Over the last two decades, the brand has become synonymous with gifting and is available through the year. I dare say, today the idea has actually become outdated as every tom dick and harry in confectionary or even Indian namkeens has a gift pack.

     

    Therefore, when Cadbury Celebrations used technology to promote small neighbourhood retailers by using pincodes and geo-location to highlight the name of the retailers in the particular pincode where the ad was played, it was a great breakthrough. This was 2020 when all small local retailers had taken a hit due to pandemic induced lockdowns. The brand reinvented itself by having a strong purpose of helping local retailers and brought its tagline of Kuch meetha ho jaye, kuch achha ho jaye (Have a sweet. Do some good) alive in real terms.

     

    In 2021 the brand went one step further. It used Artificial Intelligence and any retailer, through a website could get its own name endorsed in an ad by Shah Rukh Khan. The ad was then sent by Whatsapp to the retailer who could use it as he desired. And all this happened in almost real time. I helped a neighbourhood retailer in my city to download his personalised ad and he forwarded it to his customers. Many came in just out of curiosity to know how could he get SRK to endorse him.

     

    This year, the brand with QR code on the pack is helping hawkers to put their merchandising on a website and one can find a hawker in the neighbourhood through pincode (Cadbury 2022).

     

    We all talk about technology being an enabler. These examples are showing that in communication too, technology can be an active enabler. For brands which spend money on advertising or brand videos during festival season, the time has come to put the horse before the cart. Be clear on your purpose or on your promise. Decide what will the brand do on ground to make the promise come alive. Then think of the communication. The idea of the activity has to be bigger than the idea of the communication. And tap technology, both for the activity and also for the communication.

     

    The more brands use technology to bring alive its promise, the stronger will the emotional connect of the brand be. I see more such technology induced activities and communication during the festive season in the near future.