NEW DELHI: At last, Indian advertising has found a quick-fix for upturning a downturn. Call it manna from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most happening T20 event in cricket-crazy India. The tournament is tipped to become the best brand-building exercise for launching products in a hurry.

So far, the match ratings (upward of 5 on an average, according to TAM) have been superlative. “Not even World Cup T20 could build such a huge campaign in such a short time. It allows advertisers to get more value for money,” says Leo Burnett India national creative director KV Sridhar. “IPL has given one more platform for launch of products and brand building.”

Take the case of Godrej, for instance. The company invested around Rs 18 crore in the tourney, and now expects an annual growth of over 20%. Godrej Appliances V-P (sales and marketing) Kamal Nandi couldn’t agree more. “It is absolutely true that IPL is a good platform for building brands in a short period of time. We could fathom the excitement associated with the sport and knew that it would be a good substitute for soaps in prime-time slots.”

Some feel that IPL has changed the way cricket was played. “IPL has been a game-changing cricket format. In many ways, it’s like how KBC changed the game on soaps. Nobody expected IPL to be such a success. It’s a great advertising opportunity because it derisks brand investments. Viewer interest is sustained till the end of the tournament versus viewers losing interest once India is knocked out of the tournament,” points out JWT senior V-P & area director-Delhi Rohit Ohri.

Some believe IPL to be a classic case of brilliant merchandising and media management, thanks to the cash-rich BCCI backing it.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com