500 influencers from across India roped in for ICC World Cup
The ‘Super 50’ creators will have access to the field pre- and post-match, to commentators, and ambassadors
Giving a further push to the burgeoning creator economy, the International Cricket Council (ICC) in partnership with Meta has roped in 500 influencers from across India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which starts Thursday afternoon in Ahmedabad.
Most of them are regional creators, known for their authentic content, and enjoy a huge dedicated fan following. This is believed to be the largest creators' squad in ICC history.
The list includes @manasarora15 of Himachal Pradesh, @Akshay_partha from Chennai and @dasoham_ from Kolkata and @Divyuh Fofani in Pune. Some content from this World Cup's creator squad is already live, a Meta India personnel told e4m.
The financial terms between these influencers, ICC and Meta, are not clear at the moment.
Industry experts say top influencers in India charge anywhere from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore to create and produce a promotional video.
“However, for a long-term deal like for the World Cup where influencers may be putting out dozens of videos for the next one-and-half month, the cost may not be that high. Yet, considering the size of the squad, the entire influencer marketing of the tourney could run into crores,” industry insiders said.
Super 50
Of the 500, creators further shortlisted under “Super 50” will get exclusive access to the field pre- and post-match, to commentators, to ambassadors, pre-match day ground access and more. They will deliver behind-the-scenes content to cricket fans, on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads during all 48 matches. Meta has exclusive digital content rights for ICC events in the Indian subcontinent till 2023.
“The remaining 450 creators will get varying degrees of access and opportunities. Some of them will be part of the 'creator squad', the kinds that we've had at other tournaments before, such as Danish Sait and RJ Karishma at the 2022 ICC Cricket T20 World Cup in Australia,” an official at Meta India said.
Creators have already swung into action:
Funcho -
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Princy
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RJ Praveen
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“The ICC is always looking for ways to reach new fans, and Meta’s platforms are a fantastic way to do that. We can’t wait to see the unique perspectives these creators will bring to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and help make it the greatest cricket event ever,” Finn Bradshaw, ICC Head of Digital, said in a statement.
Paras Sharma, Director and Head of Content and Community Partnerships, Meta, India, says, “To give fans unprecedented access to matches, and give creators a chance to be discovered nationally, we’ve kicked off one of our largest creator campaigns for any sporting event to date. We’re glad to work with ICC on this, and to have their support in unlocking the many social and fan experiences on our platforms. At the scale of this campaign, we’re hoping this revolutionizes the way cricket fans engage with the sport.”
Over the past few years, influencer marketing has emerged as a “middle of the funnel” activity, which not only drives branding but also sales for brands, industry experts say. Even for brand launches, more influencers than journalists are invited these days. On an average, brands are spending 7-10 per cent of their overall annual marketing budgets.
The influencer marketing business in the country touched Rs 1,275 crore in 2022, roughly 1.5 per cent of the estimated total ad spends of Rs 90,000 crore. It has been projected to grow by 25% CAGR for the next five years, according to the INCA-e4m Influencer Marketing Report.
More Platforms
ICC is all set with its new broadcast channels on WhatsApp and Instagram.
"This will be a great source of the latest news and videos, making it easier for people to be connected with the World Cup," ICC said.
The ICC Website and app will have individual highlights of the players and after each game fans will be able to catch up on their favourite player’s performances.
The fielding positions will be available real time along with a VR shot tracker.
