IPL & WPL: Esports & gaming brands play their game off-field

With the Women Premier League series already in full swing, and Indian Premier League getting ready to line up at the crease, online chatter and television traffic are being dominated by all things cricket. And gaming companies and allied agencies are making the most of it.

According to the Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2023, while TV is still dominant in terms of its slice of the media pie, digital has the fastest growth rate. This has led to a vast amount of collaboration between digital entities and TV media, with brand collaborations and activations across the aisle.

Sunil Yadav, CEO, PlayerzPot, says that over the years, there has been tremendous growth in the online gaming industry, and marquee events like IPL play an important role in the overall traction on the platforms.

“It has always been a fan-favourite event, including the fantasy sports industry too. During the IPL season, cricket or sports enthusiasts look for an option in the market to flaunt their skills, and here, online gaming platforms like PlayerzPot come in and provide them an opportunity to showcase their skills and have a thrilling experience,” he says.

Digital gaming has become highly advanced over time with more and more people joining in each day. Our country is home to over 430 million mobile gamers as we speak, and it is estimated to only grow further in the future.

Mitesh Kothari, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, White Rivers Media, says marketers across industries are on the lookout for relevant opportunities and so is the case with gaming. “A big-ticket event like IPL is an opportune moment for mobile gaming marketing given the large number of target segments being a part of these games. In the coming IPL 2023 season also we are all geared up for gaming and esports advertising with many new trends.”

“Live events, like IPL, present a great opportunity for brands to draw more eyeballs toward their platform and generate more user base,” says Yadav, adding that the brand is preparing to launch a new campaign for IPL this year focusing on new media platforms and collaborations with influencers as well as OTT platforms too.

Krutik Patel, Founder of Cybeart, a gaming chair brand with a presence across the globe, sees the IPL as a vital opportunity. “Our one-of-a-kind collaboration with Gujarat Titans marks the very first time that any chair brand has partnered with a cricketing team and the fact that they are the reigning champions of India’s premier cricket league makes it an even better prospect,” he says.

“Through this association, we will be setting up co-branded experience centers in the team’s home stadium which will provide fans with a first-hand comfortable and unique experience of our exclusive chair. Additionally, many digital activities/contests will be conducted during the season in order to generate engagement toward Cybeart and our partnered teams. Apart from Gujarat Titans, there are a few more upcoming sports activations. Our activation with Warner Brothers will be active very soon,” adds Patel.

Jaya Chahar, Founder and CEO, JCDC Sports Pvt.Ltd. which operates Trade Fantasy Game, says that with the platform having recently been launched and IPL 2023 will be very important for fantasy gaming enthusiasts.

“We will look to leverage the IPL by launching our digital video campaign made with the brand ambassador Deepak Chahar. The campaign will have three phases: pre- IPL buzz; DVC launch during IPL; and post-IPL sustenance,” she says.

Chahar believes the DVCs have a fun, quirky storyline which will resonate with the brand’s target audiences at every level while delivering the correct messaging on app features and gameplay.

“These DVCs (digital video commercials) will be present on all social media platforms, top gaming platforms and some selective sports platforms as well since we have seen a good success rate during our launch through digital mediums with 20,000 plus downloads in two days. We will look to grow our user base and increase user engagement on the app,” she says.

In the meantime, PlayerzPot has rolled out its new campaign #CelebrationKaSeason featuring cricketer and brand ambassador Smriti Mandhana to leverage the potential and popularity of the Women’s Premier League happening in India.

The campaign has four exciting digital films targeting diverse audiences. To attract young gamers, the campaign will focus on features like instant withdrawal, lowest commission rates, opportunity for a second innings, as well as refer and earn campaigns. Like our previous successful campaigns, we are expecting a rise in user base and traffic on the platform from this campaign as well,” says Yadav

TFG is in the process of exploring brand tie-ups with certain sports and gaming platforms to increase its awareness amongst gamers and sports enthusiasts to further boost engagement and retention of users on the platform.

“We run campaigns as part of our social media activation programs and reward users through these activities. This also helps in generating real time feedback from users,” concludes Chahar.

Given the build-up to the IPL, and the attention being paid to mobile audiences as well as free screenings of select matches (with Reliance Jio playing chief disruptor, given that it has promised a gamut of digital offerings during this season), there is plenty more to come. Gaming brands across the board, speaking to e4m, have said they have a lot more brand activations and announcements on the way. Watch this space for more.