1. Case Study on IPL
By
Namit Khanna -11607615
Atyam Likhith - 11606863
2. INTRODUCTION
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national
governing body for cricket in India.
• The board was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered
under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. Lalit Modi, the then
Vice-President of Board of control for cricket in India brainstormed
with Andrew Wildblood, Vice President of International Management
group, which is an global sports, media and fashion management
organization in thirty countries. The idea was to start a domestic
cricketing event consisting of professional cricket players from all
over the world.
• Thus, Indian Premiere League was born as a sub-committee of BCCI.
3. PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES OF IPL
Some of IPL’s long-term and fruitful strategies are as follows:
1. Merchandise
Selling merchandise, as mentioned earlier, has been one of the biggest
marketing strategies implemented by the IPL.
The tournament tied up with companies like
• eBay India
• HomeShop18
• Twenty Four Seven
for selling merchandise such as team jerseys, caps, shirts, key chains, tattoos,
car flags, bottle chillers, wrist bands, etc. Brands like Reebok went a step
further by offering discounts on the merchandise.
4. 2. Online Advertising
1. Online advertising is still an emerging phenomenon in India.
2. One of IPL’s many marketing strategies included a
strategic tie-up with Google for live streaming of IPL matches through
YouTube, a multi-million dollar deal which worked in the benefit of both the
parties.
3. The main sponsors of this deal were HSBC, HP and Royal Challeger’s Team,
with associate sponsors being
• Airtel
• Coca-Cola and
• Samsung (Website, TMC Net).
5. 3. Screening at cinema halls
IPL also tied up PVR Cinemas, the reigning cinema multiplex group in India, for
LIVE SCREENING OF IPL MATCHES at theaters and other public places.
The exclusive rights for this purpose were held by UFO Movies.
The deal was estimated at USD 10 million.
6. 4. MOBILE MARKETING
IPL provides to browse the homepage through mobile as well through m.iplt20.com, where we
can watch the live videos, updates and the scorecards.
1. www.ticketgenie.in - concentrates on the Knight Riders, Deccan Charges and Royal
Challengers
2. For the teams of Mumbai Indians and Delhi Dare Devils are provided by
www.kyazoonga.com
3. Book my show also provides bookings for Kings XI Punjab matches.
4.The games which are provided in the live site are encouraging the fans to participate
more and to win the special prizes and to win free tickets to watch the matches which are a
part of the marketing strategies.
7. Business model of IPL
• The IPL exists under the system of franchise.
• The franchisees can own 8 teams in the brawl.
• The franchisees can also run the teams in their own style and make their own
sponsors name the team according to their choices.
• They will be free to list their teams on the stock exchange.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India has already signed up 100 International
players and the players are expected to be put for buying and selling the stocks
soon.
• The sports industry caters to a niche market segment, hence marketing strategies
applied to it are entirely different from those applied to commercial products/
services.
• Sports as a product to market is the most difficult and challenging job. Since the IPL
has completely changed the face of world cricket and actually got the business to
be a part of Indian cricket, a detailed research about the effects of IPL on Indiana
cricket and the audience will help uncover the risks attached to it, apart from
highlighting its strengths.
8. Marketing strategies of IPL
The IPL has followed an array of marketing and branding
strategies in order to popularize the franchise.
Some of these strategies include:
1. Creating online traffic through blog published by IPL franchise owner and Bollywood megastar Shahrukh
Khan.
2. Hiring international cheerleaders.
3. Organizing talent shows across the country and telecasting maximum advertisements during matches on
prime times.
4. For instance, Delhi Daredevils owner Religare, an investment firm had invested Rs. 40 million annually in
branding and marketing its team (Website, SifySports).Selling merchandise such as the players’ jerseys.
5. The tournament’s official advertising and marketing strategies are planned and executed by Ogilvy and
Mather, world’s premier advertising firm. With television, radio, print and outdoor advertisements like the
“Cricket ka Karmayudh”, the creators have managed to generate more hype and a loyal fan base.
6. Sponsorship from some of the world’s most popular brands such as
• Nokia
• Tag Heuer
• The Telegraph and
• Belmonte has also managed to create an advertising blitzkrieg.
For instance, Nokia has followed a 360-degree approach with a judicious mix of print, electronic and digital
media.
It has also carried out road shows in cities like Kolkata in April 2010 (Website, SifySports).
9. SWOT
The SWOT analysis of the IPL can be concluded as under:
Strengths
• Strong fan following due to nature of sport.
• Brand ambassadors are celebrities who up the glam quotient.
• Strong marketing strategies like merchandise.
• Substantial investments in marketing strategies lead to innovation.
Weakness
• It is losing its mass appeal due to controversies.
• No innovation in the sport, although the marketing strategies are changing.
• Price of tickets.
Opportunities
• The cricket-crazy nation always brings in opportunity for growth.
• Merchandising as a marketing strategy could bring in more revenues.
• The growing number of teenagers in the country like T-20 concept and celebrities.
Threats
• There is threat of a competing T-20 league emerging any time.
• Intervention of the government bodies may be a hindrance in its growth.
10. Overall, some of the marketing strategies adopted by IPL in its three years of existence can
be listed as follows:
1. Auctioning the different radio and TV channels.
2. Advertising the important thing that is talked about in which the foreign girls attracting a
huge crowd [Bosscher V D, 2006].
3. Worldwide telecast.
4. Auctioning the players participating in the tournament of IPL.
5. The locations or the place chosen for the cricket matches is a strategic choice of places
which are named after the franchisees which helped to attract the people [Mao P, 2002].
6. The timing of IPL has shown its strategic application by choosing the evening time for the
matches, which makes the people to watch the game comfortably and with enjoyment.
7. The gala of the opening ceremony is encountered with a Live Concert.
8. The franchises are taken by the film stars like Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta
etc are the center of attraction which makes the Bollywood stars come for the game
[Boyle R, 2000].
9. The commentators are not less than the use of phrases that pleased the sponsors made
them to pay more.
10. The Indian Premier League uses Bollywood stars as anchors. The promotion is done by
Akshay Kumar for Delhi daredevils and Shahrukh Khan for Kolkata knight riders.
11. REVENUE STREAMS OF IPL
The following are some of the main revenue generated streams of Indian Premiere
League and are as follows:
• Brand Sponsorships
• Revenue through BCCI
• Merchandise Sales
• Prize Money
• Ticket Sales
• In ground Ads
• Player Trading
• Champions League T20
12. Case Based Questions
1. Discuss the concept and journey of IPL as a brand?
2. Delineate the various strategies used to promote the
brand IPL. What further suggestions can you make to
increase the brand value?
3. Delineate the various E-commerce strategies used to
distribute the brand IPL. What further suggestions can
you make to increase the effectiveness of online
delivery?