Advertisers bowled over

With each passing day, the global cricketing fever is reaching a crescendo, thanks to Cricket World Cup 2015’s surprise twists. The men in blue are in demolition mode, eliminating each and every rival not strong enough to stand the might of Team India. But in many more ways, this year’s World Cup is proving to be much different from its 2011 edition. Here’s how:

From the advertisers’ perspective, a lot has changed since 2011. The digital environment has grown extensively. Research shows many trends in cyberspace. For instance, on-the-move cricket fans are consuming live action on online platforms. Besides this, cyber apps are seeing more traction, thanks to their innovative feeds which provide compelling analytics and the statistical edge to the fan, giving him or her smart talking points.

Advertisers with a quick eye have been sharp in identifying an opportunity here and have embraced this dynamic and evolving medium. Star Sports’ eye-catching campaign, Mauka Mauka, has been performing consistently well on Twitter, making it to the “Twitter Brand Index” for a fourth week now. The campaign was promoted across 45 channels, including news, movies, regional, films, general entertainment channels genre and has received close to 17 million views online. Other brands active on Twitter include Alto 800, Cadbury Dairy Milk India, Castrol Cricket, Axis Bank, and Nike. The advertising and sponsor interest has been gaining momentum as India’s winning streak continues.

e-commerce wants in The broadcaster Star India currently has 38 sponsors across feeds and programming and over 100 brands joining the advertising bandwagon. The India-Pakistan match had 93 advertisers across TV and digital. What is also noteworthy is the fact that the e-commerce category has emerged as a new entrant in the advertising space preferring both television and digital media to launch some of its best campaigns.

The networks plan to broadcast in multiple regional languages and the first ever global telecast in 4K technology has borne fruit as during the first two weeks, half a million viewers tuned into their television sets to capture the live action of the World Cup.

Overall, the game has been providing a rich experience to fans, especially in India, where a billion hopes are pinned on Team India to retain the Cup that matters, once again.