MRF to Meta: Brands bowl cricket fans over with ads, watchdog on its toes

As the 50-over world cup returns to India — cricket’s commercial capital — after 12 years, brands have already hit the ball out of the park with creative campaigns. The sweep of advertising across channels, with a thrust on digital, has also kept the regulator on its toes.

Leading labels from diverse industries such as Coca-Cola, MRF, Royal Stag, Meta and Booking.com are running ad and marketing campaigns with catchy phrases, trends, and multiple offers to grab the attention of cricket enthusiasts.

While campaigns featuring celebrities and cricketing icons such as Thums Up’s “Thums Up Utha. India India Macha”, Panasonic’s “Load Lega Leader”, Oreo’s “Don’t Jinx It” and Adidas’ “3 Ka Dream” ushered in the quadrennial tournament, MRF’s #drivetothecricketworldcup, Booking.com’s “Howzat for Your Perfect Stay”, Magicpin’s “Super Saver Match Days” are wooing fans with huge discounts, free match tickets and stays.

According to a note issued by brokerage firm Elara Capital in September, the tournament is expected to generate Rs 2,000-2,200 crore in combined advertising revenue on TV and digital platforms compared to the Rs 1,350 crore it garnered in the 2019 edition. The advertising industry, however, pegs the revenue at as high as Rs 3,500 crore.

As the Word Cup clashes with the festival season, advertisers are looking to strike a balance in terms of visibility. “There is tremendous interest in the World Cup 2023. There is no negative impact that we have noticed vis-à-vis the investments that are made during the festival season. While there isn’t growth for general entertainment channels, they haven’t seen de-growth. It only suggests that there is an appetite in the market for marquee events, given the overall growth in the economy,” says Rammohan Sundaram, integrated media president, DDB Mudra Group.

Digital dump

Many brands are relying on social media campaigns to achieve immediate consumer response. For instance, MRF’s #drivetothecricketworldcup invites customers to visit their Instagram account and take part in various contests to win free match tickets. Meta, meanwhile, is aiming to boost its user engagement with the “Super 50” campaign, which offers exclusive access to post-, pre- and live-match conversations for content creators chosen from across the country.

A Meta spokesperson told Business Standard that according to a YouGov study commissioned by the Big Tech firm, people are in a discovery mode when they log in to Facebook and Instagram. In fact, more than half of festive shoppers in the study thought it was helpful to discover items they weren’t even actively looking for. “With tools such as reels, messaging, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions at their disposal, brands can leverage the combined power of the World Cup and festive sentiment to drive sales,” the spokesperson added.

 

Ad rush, AI and the aftermath

High creativity flow, digital growth, and a rise in AI-led experiences have kept the advertising regulator busy. “Cricketing events tend to garner large viewership and campaigns. While over-the-top monitoring is not a standard service offered by most technology partners, for the past three years at the Advertising Standards Council of India’s (Asci) behest they have set this up during the cricketing season,” says Manisha Kapoor, chief executive officer, Asci. “Rather than a weekly feed that we receive throughout the year, on OTT cricket monitoring we look at a daily feed so that the errant advertisers can be brought under scrutiny as soon as possible,” she adds.

Alcohol brands Bira91, Royal Stag, Jacob’s Creek, Kingfisher, Black & White and Diageo are listed among the official World Cup sponsors for the organisers, International Cricket Council (ICC), and Disney+ Star, the streaming partner for the event.

Concerns around surrogacy advertisements — which have dogged liquor brands in the past — have, therefore, resurfaced after the companies launched their tournament campaigns.

A Royal Stag campaign, for example, uses AI-generated pictures and voices of Indian cricket team players Rohit Sharma, Jaspreet Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, including gestures usually associated with alcohol consumption.

“Lack of action against surrogacy violation has been an issue in the industry. The content, especially during World Cup and festival time, is dubious and questionable,” says Sandeep Goyal, managing director, Rediffusion. Goyal wrote a letter to Asci this week expressing such concerns.

Queries sent to Royal Stag did not elicit any response.

Kapoor of Asci says, “Brand extensions of alcohol brands are permitted by law, and this sometimes causes confusion among consumers who regard these as surrogate advertisements.” She adds that Asci’s criteria are well defined. “They separate surrogate ads from brand extensions by way of turnover and investment criteria in such extensions.”

Asked about the role of AI in these, Goyal replies that it is primarily to enhance creativity. “Such ads, when produced with technology, cannot justify misrepresentation.”

Startups on the back foot

The list of official sponsors released by Disney+ Star mentions three startups — PhonePe, Dream11 and Lendingkart — which is considerably fewer when compared to other ICC events in recent years. The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 saw sponsorships from multiple startups, including Byju’s, CarDekho, Pharmeasy, Policybazaar and Swiggy. “This dramatic shift can be attributed to a challenging funding climate that’s compelling startups to conserve resources and prioritise profitability,” says business coach Saurabh Kaushik.

This edition has leaned on traditional business powerhouses, with the likes of Hindustan Unilever and Coca-Cola reclaiming prominent roles. “Past sponsorship challenges, like the ICC’s partnership issue with FTX (cryptocurrency exchange) in 2022, have led to a sense of caution, making the startup ecosystem more hesitant. The evolving landscape underscores the delicate dance between brand visibility and financial prudence in the dynamic business world,” Kaushik adds.

Startups on back foot

The list of official sponsors released by Disney+ Star mentions three startups — PhonePe, Dream11 and Lendingkart — which is considerably fewer when compared to other ICC events in recent years. The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 saw sponsorships from multiple startups, including Byju’s, CarDekho, Pharmeasy, Policybazaar and Swiggy. “This dramatic shift can be attributed to a challenging funding climate that’s compelling startups to conserve resources and prioritise profitability,” says business coach Saurabh Kaushik.
 

This edition has leaned on traditional business powerhouses, with the likes of Hindustan Unilever and Coca-Cola reclaiming prominent roles. “Past sponsorship challenges, like the ICC’s partnership issue with FTX (cryptocurrency exchange) in 2022, have led to a sense of caution, making the startup ecosystem more hesitant. The evolving landscape underscores the delicate dance between brand visibility and financial prudence in the dynamic business world,” Kaushik adds.