New! Improved! Cricketwallahs

Yet another edition of the great cricket carnival is almost upon us. Frenzied evenings spent with a bucket of chips and the TV remote, will soon make a comeback. While the studs of various cricket teams are busy slugging it out on the field, marketers and advertisers will be even busier trying to grab millions of glazed eyeballs both in stadiums as well as in front of countless TV sets.

During the last two years, we have seen pretty much every square inch of players, commentators, and even extra innings commentators’ clothing being splattered with logos. Branding of properties like fours, sixes, fifties and action replays is now passé. We have already moved on to sponsoring bowling speeds, reaction times, funny moments on the field, etc. So what else is left? Plenty!!

Are you on the ball?
Players can be instructed to constantly complain that the ball is out of shape. As the umpires very seriously contemplate roundness, the camera can quickly close up and TV viewers can read an entire ad (including body copy) that has been ingeniously engraved on the ball. Ideal for weight loss centers, gyms etc that are constantly advising us to get back into shape.

LBW (Logo Before Wicket)
Different logos can be painted diagonally across every 1 square foot of the cricket field. Overhead cameras (the kind that tracked Action Kumar last season as he swung Tarzan-like across the stadium) can keep zipping over these logos while a fast bowler is ponderously walking back to his mark. To make it more effective you can cut to a soft drink logo when the bowler wipes his brow, cut to a pan masala logo as the bowler helpfully spits onto the field…guess you get the drift.

Loud appeal
A lot of mainline advertising these days has a social slant to it. Corporate heavyweights have realized the importance of lending their voice to causes like conserving water, paper, forests, fresh air, etc. During replays of say someone like a Murlidharan rolling his eyes back and passionately appealing for a caught behind, a Super can dramatically appear next to his face stating Please, Please Grow More Trees along with a prominent corporate logo…

Controversial decision
Nothing works like controversy these days. From launching products to promoting movies, it seems to sell better and sounds far more genuine than regular advertising. Afridi missed a trick by just biting into the ball. Instead, if he had slyly removed a jar of a popular age reversal cream from his pocket (after all he’s forever 23) and generously slathered the lotion onto the ball, imagine the kind of world wide publicity it would have garnered for the brand. He could have then followed it up with hourly tweets that gave his version of the story and ensured the brand front page status for at least a week.

Imaginative players can go a step further and rub anything from paints, shampoos, gels and shaving creams on the ball. As controversially as possible.

It’s a bird? It’s a plane? No, it’s Full Night Spray…
All through these matches the ball is constantly being launched into the night sky by buccaneering batsmen. While the poor fielder is waiting an eternity below to catch it (or drop it) there is a wonderful opportunity for skywriting. Exciting slogans that advertise products to be used just before bedtime can pepper the night sky. Cough drops, bed sheets, performance enhancers…

These are just a few suggestions. I’m sure you can think up a lot more. Do let me know on adds.rain@gmail.com

(The author is National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom)