WAS IPL WELL MARKETED?

Before the IPL has been launched cricket is quite a long game, and it is preferable by the
males. But IPL had changed the thinking to the new audience and. new generation of
audience embraced the game, and everything happened in very short span of the time. So was
IPL marketed well?
IPL is a professional T20 league initiated by BCCI in 2008. It is one of the most well known
and glamorous league in cricket world.
What is Something Different or new about IPL(Indian Premium League)?

Many big shot businessman of India and many bollywood actors have invested in IPL
that shows Indian fascinations for the game called Cricket and that makes it
successful

Before the IPL the game of cricket is very slow. And it will take whole to finish the
game but the concept of T20 had made the game more interesting and entertaining.
And therefore IPL gets the span of engagement from the user.

How does IPL become Brand?

IPL had reduced the length of the game in an innovative manner such that it caters the
need of busy customers.

In spite of having 20-20 format they had some more things which creates interest in
consumer which are: Owning a team by well known businessman or Actor, Cheer
Leader Stand in the stadium, Support the favourite team.

IPL is selling an experience rather than just a game.

IPL fantasy league is also one of the example of, how they try to engage people by
telling them to select their favourite players.

The business model of IPL is to sell a full filled experience of cricket for 4 hours to a
larger audience than the authentic hard core cricket fans.

Sports marketing is all about Viewers --> Fans --> Addiction.

By mixing the entertainment with an experience, it creates much more higher value in
the mind of the consumer.

INNOVATION in Marketing Strategy

An article published in Business Standard titled "IPL: The $2 bn brand" listed IPL as the one
of the most innovative companies at number 22, which ahead of Samsung and Microsoft.
Some of the IPL's marketing Strategy has revolutionized the field of marketing experience
and entertainment. The following are a few of them -

Live Screening of each and every IPL matches in movie halls

The use of social media extensively to spread the awareness
You can use Twitter for your view on IPL - www.twitter.com/ipl
Hash Tag is used widely for each Match.
Facebook - www.facebook.com/IPL
YouTube live streaming channel -www.youtube.com/user/IPL
Live streaming through two different Apps called Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Online fan club - www.thecricfanclub.com
Wikipedia page -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Premier_League
Official site - www.iplt20.com
Online booking for all matches
Mind boggling Number of tie ups like EBay, Delhi Daredevils, yatra.com etc.
Publicity via word of mouth.
Adoption of worldwide well-known model of clubs and auction, introduced in India
and made a grand success.
The adoption of EPL style model to the Indian context.

Marketing Strategies of IPL

IPL took after a cluster of promoting and marking procedures for advance. Some of the
methodologies by which IPL acheves great success include:

Creating online activity through sites distributed by IPL establishment manager and
Bollywood megastar Shahrukh Khan.

they hired dancers from worldwide teams.

Organizing ability indicates the nation over and broadcasting greatest notices amid
matches on prime times.

Ogilvy and Mather, world's head promoting firm had managed, arranged and executed all the
promotion activities in competitor's area. For producing more build up and dependable fan
base they used TV, radio and slogan on print and outside notices like the "Cricket ka
Karmayudh". IPL got the Sponsorship from the world's most prevalent brands which are
Nokia, Tag Heuer, The Telegraph and Belmonte has likewise figured out how to make a
promoting raid. Nokia took after a 360-degree approach with a reasonable blend of print,
electronic and computerized media. It has likewise completed street indicates in urban
communities like Kolkata in April 2010 (Website, Sify)
By and large, a percentage of the advertising techniques embraced by IPL in its seven years
of presence can be recorded as takes after:

They did the auction for telecasting the IPL, across different TV and Radio channels
so they can get much out of it

Worldwide broadcast for each match.

Auctioning the players who are taking part in the competition of IPL.

Each region has one team and name of the team consist that region name like Chennai
super king, Delhi Daredevils Etc. which serves to pull in the individuals.

The slot for IPL has been chosen very wisely and at that time most of the people are
free so IPL got a span of attraction from household

The celebration of the opening ceremony is experienced with a Live Concert.

The commentators had used phrases which are pleasing sponsors and make them pay
more.

The Indian Premier League utilizes Bollywood stars as grapples. The advancement is
carried out by Akshay Kumar for Delhi Daredevils and Shahrukh Khan for Kolkata
knight riders.

Each team has their own brand ambassador, Song, Flag and promotion activity which
made IPL to the grand success.

In each season they have used different theme songs to attract audience like

2015 : Yeh Hai India ka tyohar

2014 : Come on bulava aaya hai
2013 : Jumping zapang
2012 : Aisa mauka aur kaha milenga
2011 : Dum laga ke mara ray.
Now IPL position itself as entertainment arena rather than just a match of cricket.

Hit and misses from marketing point of view

Though IPL is being succeeded in all its seasons but popularity of 20-20 cricket is quite
declining. And which is quite evident from the decrease in TV viewership and drastic drop in
TRP. Even the number of people going to watch cricket in stadium has been fallen drastically
year after year. So, following are the suggestion which should take place to make it
successful.

IPL's main focus is entertainment and experience rather than a cricket from its first
session. It was a combination of Bollywood, Flesh, Drama, Dance and at last cricket.
They put extreme amount of effort to make IPL an Indian version of European league.
And they had been succeeded to some extent. IPL contains all elements of
entertainment which watchers want.

In the late seasons stage exhibitions by craftsmen have likewise pandered to this need
of stimulation so as to coddle the need of specific fragment a few times advertising
endeavours have gone to an excessive amount of length than really needed

In India whole family use to seat together and watch any entertainment program in
that skimpily dressed cheerleader and their dance is not appreciated by Indian
traditional society.

Marketing of IPL is mostly preferable to the urban part of India. IPL has failed to
target the rural population, which is the major chunk of audience for International
Cricket Team.

IPL has lost to hold couple of parts of cricket as a game. In spite of the fact that it has
been a colossal achievement and has pulled in group from different stroll of life,
however there has been a steadfast fragment of buyer base who take after cricket
genuinely, who comprehend finesses of cricket. This section of individuals, who need
to see cricket alongside diversion rather the other path around, have been floating
away from this new kind of cricket.

The kind of naming which IPL adopt, Majority of people from semi urban and rural
place are looking for their belongingness and they are confused as whom to support as
a team for ex. A people from Patna and Bihar are wondering whether they should
support KKR as a neighbouring team or they should support DD as that team is a
representative of northern states.

Due to some of the match fixing chapter people of India lost their faith in the cricket.
Indian people believes cricket as their religion and cricketer as their God. And In spite
of having lots of fame and money cricketers are fixing match, this that had declined
the popularity of cricket overall.

How to resolve this?

All IPL teams are from Mega city so they should introduce teams from tier two cities
to attract the people from smaller city. They should provide Wild card entry for these
kind of team. For Example IPL commission can target the City like Ahmedabad,
Indore, Ranchi, Patna Etc.

Lately there has been push to make team Cheerleader look more conventional and
illustrative of the groups instead of making it a foul show. That is a much needed
development and must be extolled

To mollify the apprehension of shoppers i.e. the cricket darling that IPL and different
various T-20 arrangement is making the calendar exceptionally repetitive and leaving
senior player no space to rest and putting them on damage. BCCI can think about the
choice of making separate squad of T-20 and 50-50 and test arrangement. India with
an one billion or more populace ought to have the capacity to provide food this
interest of expert cricketer. On the off chance that, BCCI is not ready to do this, it will

ponder ineffectively its administration of country loaded with cricket lover and
blunder of profound pocket attributable to the tremendous prominence of cricket
Controversy in IPL that affects the popularity:

In 2012 Shah Rukh Khan is banned in Vankhede stadium because of his irresponsible
behaviour with security man. And because of this incident population of IPL had been
degraded.
Indian bowler Rahul sharma and African fast bowler Parnnel was caught in rave party.
In the session of 2011 KKR ignored Saurav ganguly and because of that the
population of KKR in Kolkata had been decreased. And they are campaigning "No
Dada, No KKR"
The man who is a pioneer of the T20 cricket in India called IPL is being suspended in
2010 for massive financial irregualtion.
in 2013, the match between KIXP and MI has created one more controversy. In that
Harbhajan Sing slapped Sreesanth for his annoying behaviour.
Last and massive controversy of IPL is spot fixing. In that three players and some of
the owners are banned for any kind of format in cricket.

Conclusion
After examining both side of the coin we can come to the conclusion that IPL was well
marketed. Even the name of the premium league is Indian premium league which having a
dash of patriotism to incalculable optional affiliations that were effectively utilized, IPL as a
yearly datebook occasion is greatly all around promoted. Huge number of foreign players
who are ready to sign a contract with IPL and huge number of franchisees willing t take
participation in IPL makes it more successful. High involvement experience to the customer
was provided by IPL. Any watcher who watches match over the television or at the stadium
undergoes the same kind of experience of entertainment. Such watchers likewise dodge
circumstances where they may get pessimistic input about the IPL and attempt to blend with
individuals who have a positive picture about the idea and adulate it. This is done
intentionally by the shoppers to maintain a strategic distance from cacophony.
So finally was IPL well Marketed? The answer is of cause YES. that IPL was well marketed
but not as a cricket match but as a complete package of experience of entertainment and fun
which creates interest in watchers positively. But in the longer run this may create difficulties
because they have neglected core competency.
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