Cricket and advertising, Made for each other!

The cricket world cup is on and the fever is catching up. India is doing well and the organizers are happy. Currently, the going rate of a 10 second television commercial in the matches featuring India goes for a whopping price of 25 lakh Indian rupees. New Zealand and Australian fans must be hoping for a final between the TransTasmanian rivals. But their respective cricket boards must be hoping that India reaches the final. That would mean no financial worries for the New Zealand and Australian cricket board for a decade or two!

Money has started to rule the game of cricket from 1990 onwards. Dollars have taken over cricket. The domination of the Indian sub-continent, especially India, is because 90% of the funds that come to world cricket are through sponsorships that cricket is able to generate from corporate companies from India.

Cricket means mega bucks for the corporates and the advertising agencies. Cricket is the most watched game in India. But the problem is that sponsorships and advertisement spots have become very expensive. Even if one advertises, there is no guarantee that one’s advertisements would stand out in the clutter. So how do the advertisers make sure that their products stand out and remain etched in the black box of the customer?

Fans come to the stadium in huge numbers. They motivate the players to perform better with their continuous chanting, waving of flags, performing the Mexican wave and clapping. They adore the team that they support and are ready to give their life and limb.

Fans in the stadium are a great source for promotions. They can discreetly be made to wear a particular colour of t-shirts to further promotions. For instance, if the sponsor is Coca-Cola, the fan can be made to wear blue colour T-shirts. At a cue, they could get up, clap and shout in unison. Harmless, one would say! Pepsi Nation – the advertisement proudly claims. And the color is unmistakable. Pepsi is blue. So is the uniform of Indian cricket; the connection is brilliant. Fan can be given caps, four and six placards with sponsor logos. Cricket score cards too can be distributed. The list is endless!

There are many innovations that have been introduced in cricket advertising. For example, the corporates have come out with the concept of third innings. It is the discussion that is conducted between the innings break. Packages from the game are nicely presented to the audience. The terminology also has changed. For the innovative company, there are many ways of making their products and services get registered in the minds of the customer.

Mauka, Mauka (opportunity) series of commercials: Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the 2015 cricket world cup has its future riding on the event, making sure that it garners the largest number of eyeballs. India vs. Pakistan is always the most awaited match. Adding to the spice is the fact that Pakistan has never defeated India in a world cup match.

The Mauka commercial shows a Pakistani spectator with a cracker bought during the 1992 world cup. He postpones the lighting of the crackers as Pakistan is defeated in every world cup. Mauka was Pakistanis’ wait for that elusive win at least in the 2015 tie. The next commercial had two South Africans coming to an Indian house and presenting them with crackers while shouting “Mauka Mauka”.

Star channel cleverly played on the fact that India never won a match against South Africa. But indeed the tables turned and India did win against South Africa. Star has displayed its penchant for innovation, making cult classics of advertisements.

Halls - Appeals: In cricket, the bowler and fielders can appeal for a decision in their favor. The appeal has to be loud and vociferous, which can leave the bowlers and fielders with a dry throat. Thus it is not surprising that the appeals are sponsored by Halls.

Colgate – Talk to me: One campaign that caught the attention of the viewers was the “Colgate Talk to me” ad. As soon as anyone on the field talks, the ad appears on the Television screen. The talkers can be umpires, fielders, batsmen or anyone but the plug is unmistakable.

Ear plugs: The ear plugs that Hansie Cronje, the South African cricket captain, used for the first time in the 1999 cricket world cup created quite a stir. They were, ofcourse, subsequently not allowed. Now-a-days, it is quite common to see earplugs being used by players in 20-20 cricket. The use of ear plugs could provide the marketers of cellphone companies a golden opportunity to jump onto the bandwagon of effective cricket advertising.

Walkie-Talkie: The walkie-talkies used by umpires to communicate with the third umpire have been ignored by many companies and advertisers. Infact, during a critical situation, the viewer’s focus is on the umpire and his walkie-talkie; a golden opportunity for companies like Motorola to get their name etched in the minds of the consumer.

ICICI Prudential - Safe hands: ICICI_Prudential did the Safe hands campaign. The message is very clear; if you insure with ICICI Prudential your life is in safe hands.

Electrolux - Electrifying highlights: The highlights at the end of the telecast are sponsored by Electrolux, an electrical company. The message needs no further explanation.

Britannia - 50:50: Whenever there is a pending third umpire decision, Britannia 50:50 appears on the screen indicating the decision could go either way. One cannot think of a closer association with the product than the third umpire’s decision. This is remarkable for a product whose USP is neither sweet nor salty. Very clever indeed!

TIMEX Superstats: Doordarshan’s popular pre and post-match analysis includes statistics by an expert. These statistics are a delight for number crunching cricket fans. TIMEX, a company known for precision watches, was the sponsor. The programme was called TIMEX Supersats.

MRF – Sachin’s Bat: The broad blade of Sachin Tendulkar’s bat had MRF’s logo on it, an association that immensely benefited MRF. The money paid initially was rumored to be a pittance but MRF struck a deal with Sachin and ever since had become synonymous with the star.

Energizer – run out: Runouts happen due to misunderstandings between two batsmen where eventually one is run out. As the run out batsman dejectedly walks away, the Energizer battery advertiseme appears on the screen indicating that the batsman needs more energy.

By:Dr M Anil Ramesh