IPL is undoubtedly the biggest sports tournament for Indian audiences and an effective springboard for brands to reach out to a large audience in one go. As ad watchers, we can look forward to some creative doozies during this time of the year. Dream11 certainly hasn't disappointed with its brand new campaign that tips its hat to Bollywood favourite 3 Idiots.
Viewers were treated to a reunion of the movie's trio Rancho, Farhan and Raju (Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi), locking horns with cricketers who have been showcasing their acting chops in TV ads. In the ad, actors call for a press conference, announcing their decision to play cricket since cricketers have been moonlighting as actors in commercials. The spot by Tilt Brand Solutions showcases not only the timeless chemistry between the 3 Idiots stars but also the surprisingly good comic timings of cricketers Rohit Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rahul Chahar.
The overarching message of the ad is that anyone can play cricket through Dream11, reinforcing the #SabKhelenge proposition. With its generous smattering of nostalgia, the ad has hit it out of the park, winning accolades from the internet. The ad has crossed over 18M views on YouTube.
To amplify the buzz, the supporting cast of the film -- Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, Javed Jaaferi, Boman Irani and Mona Singh -- also took to their social media, asking the three actors whether they are making a sequel for the hit film without them. They all posted the ad on their social media as well.
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Cricketers also joined in on the fun.
#Ad #3Idiots... Challenge accepted! But is it really a challenge? ??
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 25, 2023
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.#SabKhelenge #Dream11 #TeamCricketers @Dream11 pic.twitter.com/IMZaGvBrog
Sirs... Aap logo ko thoda aur practice karna padega.. Acting ka.. Leave Cricket to us ???
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) March 25, 2023
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.#SabKhelenge #Dream11 #TeamCricketers @Dream11 #Ad pic.twitter.com/U49ZCQJLgc
#Ad #TeamActors... I love you all yaar.. But yeh challenge thodi hai. Please wake up from your dream! ?? #SabKhelenge #Dream11 #TeamCricketers @Dream11 pic.twitter.com/axMXhNGL2g
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 25, 2023
#Ad You all are very good at acting, But #Cricket mein... yeh challenge thodi hai. ?? #SabKhelenge #Dream11 #TeamCricketers @Dream11 pic.twitter.com/nTAESlBopX
— Krunal Pandya (@krunalpandya24) March 25, 2023
Praises have been pouring in for the commercial from all quarters. Brand consultant Karthik Srinivasan wrote on LinkedIn, “The expressions of the 3 actors (leads of 3 Idiots) is absolutely fantastic, even as the cricketers too do a phenomenal job (particularly Ashwin!). The script sets the tone for what to expect (actors playing cricket because cricketers are acting too much in ads, these days) right at the outset, but the way they take that premise ahead with back-and-forth dialogs by both parties makes for complete entertainment!”
“This is one of those ads you would watch with a wide grin on your face all through, even bursting out laughing at 0:35 (perfectly cued by Ashwin). This is also an excellent example of ads using celebrities in the most effective way because the script is so well crafted towards that!”
Another expert wrote, “While it's a really fun film, we know where it's headed. Thanks to the watermark of the brand. If it wasn't present, the film would've been more engaging in my opinion.”
“Not just high on entertainment, I see a shift in their communication approach. Earlier, most films were about category building - join in, easy to make teams etc. But in this campaign, they are talking about rivalry. Actually, in the app it is all about whose team performs better, so rivalry is quite apt. But to get downloads, they probably followed inclusivity route. And now to promote usage, they are moving to rivalry," said another.