Ipl Marketing

AMITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

PROJECT ON “IPL MARKETING”

NAME:-ABHILASH ROUT COURSE:-BBA BATCH:-2010-13 ENROLLMENT NO:-A3906410288 SUBMITTED TO:-Ms. NEHA GAUTAM DATE OF SUBMISSION:-22/07/2011

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported me during the writing of this book. My deepest thanks to Ms.Neha Gautam mam , the Guide of the project for guiding and correcting various documents of mine with attention and care. She has taken pain to go through the project and make necessary correction as and when needed. I express my thanks to Prof.(Dr.) Alka Munjal, Director, Amity School of Business, Noida for extending her support. . I would also thank my Institution and my faculty members without whom this project would have been a distant reality. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to my family and well wishers.

ABSTRACT My project is on IPL Marketing.In my project ,I have brought out the marketing strategies of IPL.IPL has marketed cricket all over the world.It has combined two religions of india i.e Cricket and bollywood. With glamour ,money,passion and most importantly cricket ,IPL has grown up to become a successful business. Today its called the “Businessman’s Game” and player are like cattles.IPL concept came into being to compete with ICl.Due to its unique marketing strategies, its has left its competitors far too behind.Cricket God Sachin Tendulkar,Badshah of bollywood Shahrukh and sizzling cheerleaders all at one place, What more people would want? Even after IPL season,it tries to be in viewers mind by various scams.Today IPL is a huge success.And soon its going to be the world’s religion.

SL.NO

CONTENT

Pg no.

1

OBJECTIVE

6

RESEARCH 2

METHODOLOGY

7

3

INTRODUCTION

8

4

SWOT ANALYSIS

25

5

IPL MARKETING

29

6

SUGGESTION

63

&CONCLUSION

6

BIBLIOGRAPHY

64

CONTENT

OBJECTIVE

The objective of my project “IPL MARKETING” is as follows:- To find out how cricket became a successful business. - To know about various marketing strategies of IPl. - To study new marketing mix of IPL. -To know about various post marketing strategies of IPL.

Research methodology: There are different types of method through which research can be made. Introduction to these methods are given below: Primary research: collection of data that does not exist yet Secondary research: summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research Qualitative research: understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour Quantitative research: systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships For my project I have chosen secondary research as a research methodology. I have made my research on existing data and derived my conclusion.

CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION

Indian Premier League In the year 2008,we did see the birth and rise of one of the greatest marketing phenomenon in sports marketing in india,Yes ofcourse I am referring to “IPL” More then cricket,it was this whole business and marketing angle to it which made it popular.Cricket combined with entertainment and that too bollywood,what more do you need to pull in Indian market?After all cricket and bollywood are two religion in India. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquartered in Mumbai supervised by former Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League Chirayu Amin. It is currently contested by 10 teams consisting of players from around the world. It was started after an altercation between the BCCI and the Indian Cricket League. In 2010, IPL became the first sporting event ever to be broadcast live on YouTube.[6] Its brand value is estimated to be around $3.67 billion in fourth season. According to global sports salaries review, IPL is the second highest-paid league, based on first-team salaries on a pro ratabasis, second only to the NBA. It is estimated that the average salary of an IPL player over a year would be $3.84 million.[9] The brand value ofMumbai Indians (finalist IPL 2010) is estimated at USD 57.13 Million.

HISTORY

First season:The inaugural season of the tournament started on 8 April 2008 and lasted for 46 days with 59 matches scheduled, out of which 58 took place and 1 was washed out due to rain. The final was played in DY Patil Stadium, Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Every team played each other both at home and away in a round robinsystem. The top four ranking sides progressed to the knockout stage of semi-finals followed by a final. Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings in a last ball thriller and emerged as the inaugural IPL champions.

Second season:The 2009 season coincided with the General Elections in INDIA. Owing to concerns regarding players' security, the venue was shifted to South Africa. The format of the tournament remained same as the inaugural one. Deccan Chargers, who finished last in the first season,were big underdogs, but came out as eventual winners defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.

Third season:-

The third season opened in January 2010 with the auction for players. 66 players were on offer but only 11 players were sold. In this season, Deccan Chargers did not play at their preferred home location of Hyderabad, India due to the ongoing political crisis in the Telangana region . The new bases for the champions this season were Nagpur, Navi Mumbai and Cuttack. Four teams qualified for the semi-finals. The first semi-final was won by Mumbai Indians who defeated Bangalore Royal Challengers by 35 runs. Chennai Super Kings defeated Deccan Chargers in the second semi-final. The final was played between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Chennai Super Kings won by a margin of 22 runs. After the win Macrina Fernandes multi billionaire from Vasai gifted Mahendra Singh Dhoni a BMW as a token of appreciation.

Fourth season:On 21 March 2010, it was announced in Chennai that two new teams from Pune and Kochi will be added to the IPL for the fourth season. However, the bid around the Kochi franchisee turned controversial resulting in the resignation of minister, Shashi Tharoor from the Central Government and investigations by various departments of the Government of India into the financial dealings of IPL and the other existing franchisees. Later, Lalit Modi was also removed from IPL chairmanship by BCCI. On 5 December 2010, it was confirmed that Kochi will take part in the fourth season of IPL. The addition of teams representing Pune and Kochi was to have increased the number of franchises from 8 to 10. The BCCI originally considered extending the tournament format used in previous season to ten teams, which would increase the number of matches from 60 to 94. Instead, the round-robin stage of the tournament was to have been replaced by a group

stage with two groups of five, limiting the number of matches to 74. But this format was replaced by another one in which each team would play 5 other teams in a two-way round robin format and there would be 2 teams against whom they would play only at home and remaining 2 teams against which they would play only away matches.Thus each team plays 14 matches.Top four teams would qualify for the semi-finals. In October 2010, the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had their franchises terminated for breaching ownership rules. The new Kochi franchise was also issued a warning to resolve all their ownership disputes. Two months later both teams were finally allowed to take part in the 2011 edition after a court ruling.

League organization

Team Name

Mumbai

City

Inception

Mumbai

2008

Bangalore

2008

Hyderabad

2008

Indians

Royal Challengers

Owner(s)

Mukesh Ambani (Owners ofReliance Industries)

Vijay Mallya (UB Group)

Captain

Head Coach

Sachin Tendulkar

Robin Singh

Daniel Vettori

Ray Jennings

Kumar Sangakkara

Darren Lehmann

Bangalore

Deccan Chargers

T.Venkatram Reddy (Deccan Chronicle) group

Chennai Super Chennai

2008

India Cements (N.Srinivasan)

Delhi

New Delhi

2008

GMR Group

Mohali

2008

Kolkata

2008

Jaipur

2008

Pune

2011

2011

Kings

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Stephen Fleming

Virender Sehwag

Greg Shipperd

Adam Gilchrist

Michael Bevan

Gautam Gambhir

Dav Whatmore

Shane Warne

Shane Warne

Subrato Roy Sahara

Yuvraj Singh

Geoff Marsh

Kochi Cricket Private Ltd

Mahela Jayawardene

Geoff Lawson

Daredevils

Kings XI Punjab

Kolkata

Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta,Dabur, Apeejay Surendera Group

Red Chillies Entertainment

Knight Riders

Rajasthan Royals

Pune Warriors

Emerging Media (Lachlan Murdoch), Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra

India Kochi Tuskers Kochi Kerala

Franchises:The winning bidders for the eight franchises were announced on 24 January 2008. While the total base price for auction was US $400 million, the auction fetched US $723.59 million.

On 21 March 2010, Pune and Kochi were unveiled as the two new franchises for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. The base price was $225 million. While Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million, the Kochi franchise was bought by Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. The process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after many bidders and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses. The second franchise auction fetched total $703 million.

Rules :There are five ways that a franchise can acquire a player. In the annual auction, buying domestic players, signing uncapped players, through trading and buying replacements. In the trading window the player can only be traded with his consent. The franchise will have to pay the difference between the old contract price and the new contract price. If the new contract is worth more than the older one then the difference will be shared between the player and the franchise selling the player. Some of the Team composition rules are: Minimum squad strength of 16 players plus one physio and a coach. No more than 10 foreign players in the squad and at least 4 foreign players should be there in each squad. Minimum of 8 local players must be included in each squad. A minimum of 2 players from the BCCI under-22 pool in each squad. Some of the differences to international Twenty20 cricket: A difference to international cricket is a timeout. It gives the players an opportunity to strategise and take a drink during the strict 2 minutes, 30 seconds time limit. Each team is awarded two timeouts per innings totalling

to four timeouts for the whole game. The teams can take the timeout when instructed, but is necessary to take it from 6th to 9th and 13th to 16th over. IPL is also known for having commercials during the game, hence there is no time limit for teams to complete their innings. However, there may be a penalty if the umpires find teams misusing this privilege at their own choice. The total spending cap for a franchisee in the first player auction was US $5 million. Under-22 players are to be remunerated with a minimum annual salary of US $20,000 while for others it is US $50,000. The most expensive players in the IPL to date is Gautam Gambhir of India fetched the highest price of $2.4 million from Kolkata Knight Riders at the auction for season 4

Statistics and records Winners Season

Winners

Runners-up

Teams

2008

Rajasthan Royals

Chennai Super Kings

8

2009

Deccan Chargers

Royal Challengers Bangalore

8

2010

Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai Indians

8

2011

Chennai Super Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore

10

Matches

Won Lost

No Result

Win %

For (r/o)

Against (r/o)

Best

Worst

2

63

36

25

2

58.07

4,752 / 574.4

4,475 / 569.1

Champions (2 Consecutive)

Semi-finals

2008-2011

1

59

24

35

0

40.67

4,637 / 580.2

4,694 / 582.4

Champions

8th of 8

Delhi Daredevils

2008-2011

0

56

28

28

1

50.00

4,219 / 524.5

4,330 / 547.0

Semi-finals

10th of 10

Kings XI Punjab

2008-2011

0

56

27

28

0

49.10

4,251 / 531.1

4,274 / 529.1

Semi-finals

8th of 8

Kolkata Knight Riders

2008-2011

0

52

23

28

2

45.19

3,602 / 491.3

3,585 / 459.3

Play-Offs(Eliminator - 4th of 10)

8th of 8

Mumbai Indians

2008-2011

0

60

33

26

1

55.00

3,977 / 505.3

3,898 / 523.1

Runners-up

7th of 8

Rajasthan Royals

2008-2011

1

55

29

25

1

53.63

4,289 / 554.2

4,213 / 564.2

Champions

7th of 8

Royal Challengers Bangalore

2008-2011

0

58

29

29

1

50.00

4,263 / 587.3

4,521 / 574.5

Runners-up

7th of 8

Pune Warriors India

2011

0

14

4

8

0

33.33

1657/227.3

1739/237.4

9th of 10

9th of 10

2011

0

14

6

8

0

42.86

1901/256.2

1989/260.4

8th of 10

8th of 10

Team

Span

Titles

Chennai Super Kings

2008-2011

Deccan Chargers

Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Player signings The first players' auctions were held on 2008. The IPL placed icon status on a select few marquee Indian players. These players were Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag. VVS Laxman initially named an icon player, later voluntarily opted out of his icon status to give his team (Deccan Chargers) more money to bid

for players. For the second season, auctions were also held, but free signings taking place in the off-season by franchises led to calls for a draft-like system where the lowest ranked teams would be given a first opportunity to sign players.

Television rights and sponsorships On 15 January 2008 it was announced that a consortium consisting of India's Sony Entertainment Television network and Singaporebased World Sport Group secured the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League. The record deal has a duration of ten years at a cost of US $1.026 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US $918 million for the television broadcast rights and US $108 million for the promotion of the tournament.[25] This deal was challenged in the Bombay High Court by IPL, and got the ruling on its side. After losing the battle in court,Sony Entertainment Television signed a new contract with BCCI with Sony Entertainment Television paying 8,700 crore (US$1.94 billion) for 10 years. One of the reasons for payment of this huge amount is seen as the money required to subsidize IPL's move to South Africa which will be substantially more than the previous IPL. IPL had agreed to subsidize the difference in operating cost between India and South Africa as it decided to move to the African nation after the security concerns raised because of its coincidence with India's general elections. 20% of these proceeds would go to IPL, 8% as prize money and 72% would be distributed to the franchisees. The money would be distributed in these proportions until 2012, after which the IPL would go public and list its shares (But in March 2010, IPL decided not to go public).

Sony-WSG then re-sold parts of the broadcasting rights geographically to other companies. Below is a summary of the broadcasting rights around the world. On 4 March 2010 ITV announced it had secured the United Kingdom television rights for the 2010 Indian Premier League. ITV will televise 59 of the 60 IPL matches on its ITV4 free to air channel. On April 1, 2011, Rogers Sportsnet announced that it signed a four year exclusive deal in Canada to broadcast 36 group stage matches, 3 playoff matches and 1 championship match on Rogers Sportsnet One.

Winning Bidder

Regional Broadcast Rights

Terms of Deal

Sony/World

The Times Group

10 years, 2008-2017 at

India

Sport Group

8,700 crore (US$1.94 billion)(revised)[24] Global Rights to distribute

Worldwide

onbroadband, mobile and radio. 4 Years 2011-2014, Terms not released.[29]

GEO Super (2008–

Pakistan

Terms not released.

Sri Lanka

Terms not released.

2010) Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation: Channel Eye Network Ten (2008) One HD (2009–

Australia: Free-to-air HD and SD television. Owned by Network TEN.

5 years, 2008–2012 at A$10-15 million.[30]

2010) Sky Network Television (2008

New Zealand

Terms not released.

PCCW

Hong Kong: Broadcast rights on Now TV.

2 years, 2010-2011 terms not released.

StarHub

Singapore: Broadcast rights on Cricket Extra.

Terms not released

Astro

Malaysia

Terms not released.

–2010)

SuperSport

South Africa, Burkina Faso,

Angola, Burundi,

Central African Republic, d'Ivoire,

Benin, Cameroon,

Chad,

Botswana, Cape Verde,

Comoros,

Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Côte Djibouti,

10 Years, 2008-2017 terms not released.

Eritrea,

Ethiopia,

Gambia,

Ghana,

Kenya,

Guinea,

Liberia,

Mauritius, ,

Equatorial Guinea,

Guinea-Bissau,

Madagascar,

Mali,

Namibia,

Niger,

Republic of the Congo,

Rwanda,

Saint Helena,

Senegal,

Seychelles,

Tanzania,

Sierra Leone,

Togo,

Cyprus,

Uganda,

Egypt,

Lebanon,

Nigeria

São Tomé and Príncipe

United Arab Emirates,

,

Malawi,

Mozambique,

Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,

Arab Digital

Gabon,

Zambia &

Algeria,

Iraq,

Swaziland,

Bahrain,

Jordan,

Mauritania,

Zimbabwe

Kuwait,

Morocco,

Oman,

Distribution lestine, Tunisia,

Qatar,

Saudi Arabia,

Turkey &

Sudan,

Libya Pa

10 Years, 2008-2017 terms not released.[31]

Syria,

Yemen

Broadcast rights on CricOne ITV (2010–) Seta nta Sports (2008–

United Kingdom: Broadcast on ITV4.

4 Years 2011-2014, Terms not released.

Caribbean

Terms not released

Canada: Exclusive broadcast rights.

4 years, 2011-2014 terms not released.

2009) SportsMax Rogers Sportsnet One (2011– present) Asian Television Network(2008– 2010) ATNAsian Radio(2008– present) Rights to distribute Willow TV (2008–2010)

United States

on television,radio, broadband and Internet , for the IPL in North America. 5 years, 2008–2012, terms not released.[32]

NEO Cricket (2011-) Dish Network(2008, 2011-) DirecTV ( 2008–2010)

United States

Terms not released.

Sponsorships India's biggest property developer DLF Group paid US$50 million to be the title sponsor of the tournament for 3 years from 2008 to 2010.Other year sponsorship agreements include a deal with motorcycle maker Hero Honda worth $22.5-million, one with PepsiCo worth $12.5-million, and a deal with beer and airline conglomerateKingfisher at $26.5-million.

Revenue and Profits The UK-based brand consultancy, Brand Finance, has valued the IPL at $4.13 billion (Rs 18,998 crore) in 2010. It was valued at U$2.01 billion in 2009 by the same consultancy. There are disputed figures for the profitability of the teams. One analyst said that four teams out of the eight made a profit in 2009. While the London Times said that all but Kings XI Punjab made a profit. In 2008, Kolkata Knight Riders is the most expensive team followed by the Mumbai Indians but unable to make it into the semifinals despite being the favourite. In 2010, the IPL expects to have 80 official merchandising deals. It has signed a deal with Swiss watchmaker Bandelier to make official watches for the IPL.

According to a recent study by a UK-based brand valuation consultancy, the brand value of the IPL has more than doubled to USD 4.13 billion (over Rs 18,000 crore) from USD 2.01 billion in 2009. The franchises have been a part of this growth. Mumbai Indians has emerged the most valued franchise in 2010. The MI franchise has moved up the ladder with a valuation of USD 57.13 million.Chennai Super Kings have a brand value of USD 70.16 million which places them at the top of the table. The Kolkata Knight Riders co-owned by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan comes in fourth with a valuation of USD 46 million and the Rajasthan Royals, co-owned by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty comes in last with USD 33.78 million. The Royal Challengers Bangalore, owned by Vijay Mallya, is ranked third with a valuation of USD 47.58 million and is followed by the, Delhi Daredevils (USD 40.85 million) and Kings XI Punjab ( USD 33.75 million). The Deccan Chargers are at the sixth with a valuation of USD 38.76 million.

Rank

Franchise

Brand Value

1

Chennai Super Kings

$ 70.16 m

2

Mumbai Indians

$ 57.13 m

3

Royal Challengers Bangalore

$ 47.58 m

4

Kolkata Knight Riders

$ 46.00 m

5

Delhi Daredevils

$ 40.85 m

6

Deccan Chargers

$ 38.76 m

7

Kings XI Punjab

$ 35.75 m

8

Rajasthan Royals

$ 33.78 m

Mobile applications DCI Mobile Studios (A division of Dot Com Infoway Limited), in conjunction with Sigma Ventures of Singapore, have jointly acquired the rights to be the exclusive Mobile Application partner and rights holder for the Indian Premier League cricket matches worldwide for the next 8 years (including the 2017 season). Recently[,they have released the IPL T20 Mobile applications for iPhone, NokiaSmartphones and BlackBerry devices. Soon it will be made available across all other major Mobile platforms including the Android, Windows Mobile, Palm & others.

Official website The IPL negotiated a contract with the Canadian company Live Current Media Inc. to run and operate its portals and the minimum guarantee has been negotiated at US $50 million over the next 10 years. The official website of the tournament is www.iplt20.com. Incorporating popular forms of social media into the third season of the IPL, the website now contains a more holistic presence across all online mediums. The website apart from featuring new additions to empower user

interaction, has encouraged a wider range of websites around IPL like,IPL Tracker and IPL Mag amongst other more traditional reporting websites.

Global following The third season of the IPL saw interest rise dramatically in the United Kingdom, due in part to telecasts being moved from the subscriptionbased Setanta Sports to the free-to-air ITV4. James Macleod stated, "We are delighted with the viewing figures for the IPL so far". Lalit Modi, then Chairman and Commissioner, also expressed immense satisfaction on the way IPL has been accepted by the British audience. "ITV beats Sky Sports over the weekend in number of viewers. This is great going. The ITV numbers are double that of rugby league. This is huge by all imaginations. UK figures for viewership on ITV already 10 times that of last year. This is just fantastic news," he said.

CHAPTER-2

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT Analysis Indian Premier League (IPL) Where will you find the Mumbai Indians, the Royal Challengers, the Deccan Chargers, the Channai Super Kings, the Delhi Daredevils, the Kings XI Punjab, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajesthan Royals? In the Indian Premier League (IPL) - the most exciting sports franchise that the World has seen in recent years, with seemingly endless marketing opportunities (and strengths, weaknesses and threats of course!). This SWOT analysis is about The Indian Premier League.

Strengths:The Indian Premier League (IPL) is based upon the Twenty20 cricket game which should be completed in 2 ½ hours. That means that is fast-paced and exciting, and moreover it can be played on a weekday evening or weekend afternoon. That makes it very appealing as a mass sport, just like American Football, Basketball and Soccer. It is appealing as a spectator sport, as well to TV audiences.The IPL has employed economists to structure its lead so that revenue is maximized. The more unified the sport, the more successful it is.

Weaknesses:Twenty20 has been so popular that it could replace other forms of cricket i.e. damage the game that generated it.Some fans will also have to pay for travel to the ground. There may be large queues for the most popular games. There may be some distance between where the fan lives and the cricket ground.Stakes are very high! Some teams may not weather short-term failures and may be too quick to get rid of key managers and players if things don't go well quickly. Famously, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) sacked their CEO Charu Sharma for watching his team lose 6 from their first 8 games.Some teams have overpriced their advertising/sponsorship in order to gain some short-term returns (e.g. Royal Challengers), and some sponsors and are moving their investment the more reasonably priced teams.

Opportunities:Since it has a large potential mass audience, IPL is very attractive as a marketing communications opportunity, especially for advertisers and sponsors.The league functions under a number of franchises. Each franchisee is responsible for marketing its team to gain as large a fan-base as possible. The long-term success of all of the franchises lies in the generation of a solid fan-base. The fan-base will generate large TV revenues.Different fans will pay different amounts to watch their sport. There will be corporate hospitality, season tickets, away tickets, TV pay-per-view and other ways to segment the market for the IPL.There is a huge opportunity for merchandising e.g. sales of shirts, credit cards and other fan memorabilia. Grounds can also sell refreshments and other services during the games. Marketers believe that the teenage segments need to be targeted so that they become the long-term fan-base. Their parents and older cricket fans may

prefer the longer, more traditional game. The youth market may also impress on their parents that they want them to buy their club's merchandise on their behalf - as a differentiator or status symbol.Franchise fees will remain fixed for the up until 2017-18, which means that the investment is safe against inflation which is traditionally relatively high in India.

Threats:The level of competition that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can generate determines long-term viability of the league. If the level of competition drops, then revenue will fall. For example, if the top names in cricket cannot be attracted to India, the appeal of the game will fall. Often getting hold of the big names is a problem - Australian domestic cricket runs concurrent with the IPL and if players move froMm Australia to India to follow the money then their domestic game will be hit. This is known as 'Free Agency.' If the franchisee's fan-base does not generate income then they may not have the cash to pay the salaries of the best players. However, if you invest in the best players and they do not win the trophies, then you may not see a return on your investment. It won't be a quick return on investment - so owners need to be in it for the long-term. Franchises are very expensive. The most expensive franchise - Mumbai Indians - was bought by Mukesh Ambani for $111.9 million, whereas the lowest priced franchise - Rajasthan Royals was picked up by Manoj Badale for a mere $67 million. The most highly priced teams may not be those that have the early success. Revenues will come from the most highly supported teams.

CHAPTER-3 MARKETING OF IPL

The unabashed show of money, glamor, glitz, and power called the “Indian Premier League” had the entire nation in frenzy, with the recently held player auction. The show was filled with unexpected twists and turns, with many unheralded players hitting the jackpot, and many experienced players being shown the door by franchises. The event attracted the attention of the entire cricketing fraternity across the globe with many foreign stars in the fray for IPL spots and the big bucks that accompany them. The show was an expression of the growing power of cricket in the global sports arena. Already, the IPL is an event of global popularity, and interest levels are growing exponentially with each passing year. Also, the CL-T20 is also growing as a brand with each passing year. These are great times indeed for the game, and India is leading the way forward in revolutionizing the sport. The leading IPL stars would receive pay equivalent to some of the top stars in the English Premier League. These are interesting times for cricket, and if properly marketed and branded, IPL and CL T-20 can become global brands that can widen the reach of cricket to unexplored regions, and can help in realizing the dream of all true cricket fans; that of seeing cricket become a truly global sport one day. Already, we have seen the unique marketing strategies that the IPL has used in the last three years which have led to the ever rising popularity of the event. Along with showcasing world class athletes competing at full tilt, an IPL match features many other sources of fun. These include cheerleaders swinging to the tunes being played, while pumping up the crowd along with

them. We also have bands playing exciting music, energizing the public gathered. These are some of the marketing gimmicks that have been employed to make cricket even more fun. And these have borne fruit too. IPL matches have attracted audiences across all age groups including youngsters, children and women too. It has been publicized as a three hour fun event where youngsters have a wholesome fun experience along with quality cricket, and it has clicked big time.

The success of the IPL experiment in India provides clues to all budding marketers interested in the field of sports marketing, regarding the importance of innovative strategies and tools that can help in selling any brand. And sport is emerging as one of the biggest entertainment sectors in the 21st There were some suggestions earlier of organizing a T-20 event in USA with international stars to help popularize the sport there. However, it couldn’t materialize. century. It will fight with cinema, theme parks, malls and many

others as the prime source of entertainment. Currently, football is the leading sport in the world. In this competitive scenario, cricket has to come up with continuous innovation and changes to carve a niche for itself. It is here that the youngest version of cricket, called T-20 can help in transforming cricket into a globally watched sport. As a true cricket fanatic, I sometimes dream of the day when cricket will be played all across the globe in the US, China, Japan, and indeed everywhere. That dream can only materialize if those at the helm of cricketing affairs formulate the right kind of marketing strategies to promote cricket aggressively across the seven seas, and create brands which can attract public attention across all sport loving cultures and countries; brands like the IPL. The time is ripe for the ICC to take the next big step in globalizing cricket, thus revolutionizing the world of sports. God willing, the day isn’t far when cricket will become the no.1 sport in the world.

IPL - The New Marketing Cocktail The IPL auction of cricketers in February was called the 'Mumbai Cattle Market' by those horrified by the tamasha of industrialists and filmstars throwing dollars at players. Adam Gilchrist did say that he, for one, felt like a cow. The creme de la creme of the stars were placed for bidding and lapped up at varying prices - more for their local star attraction value rather than their cricketing skills. (A Ponting drew less than an Irfan Pathan . As a cricket aficionado, it hurt to see filmstars, who live in a fake world of make up and retakes, put a price on players who play real games in real time with real skills. But that's the power of money. While the process did seem distasteful, the money earned by the stars can't be grudged - this was fair compensation for the blood, sweat and tears they give to the game and for the country.

It's not cricket, stupid! It's business! Like it or hate it, the IPL is here. Whether it will stay on or die, the performance of the first edition, which is currently on, will decide.The IPL is the biggest marketing initiative of 2008. If five-day cricket was the creation of sports aficionados and one-day a product of the media, then the IPL is a result of business.And as all business is ultimately marketing, it's a marketing concoction. It's about BCCI, business houses, the media and the film industry putting their collective might to create a brand of unprecedented proportions.From a consumer viewpoint, IPL is a cocktail of four Indian diseases.First, the base: cricket. Since India won the

World Cup in 1983, the disease has been spreading like an epidemic. Today, despite a surfeit of matches, interest hasn't waned. The centre of gravity of the game is today the Indian sub-continent. The BCCI is so powerful that it can get its way on any cricketing issue - on or off the field.Add some glamour in the form of cinema. It has been the opium of the Indian masses. The arrival of television has not diminished its power. For movie, entertainment or news channels, cinema is the biggest source of TRPs.Whether it is by doing world premieres of the latest 'flop'busters or 'block'busters, hosting award shows or just covering the latest gossip about the stars and their lives, cinema feeds into home entertainment just like cricket.Shake it with some celebration. Indians need an excuse to celebrate, to enjoy. Our respect for all faiths gives the average Indian a festival to celebrate almost everyday. Each has its own rituals of the community coming together to dance, sing and create general cacophony, unmindful of environment pollution and civic sense.Finally, top it with Celebrity Craze. India is a country of 330 million Gods and we make heroes very easily. Cricket stars or film stars, they are easily deified and venerated. People flock in thousands just for a real life glimpse of their heroes - often it is part of the national hobby of timepass.

IPL: The successful business of cricket India is, perhaps, the only country where a film star, just released from jail, returns to a hero's welcome and stands on his balcony waving to his fans as if he has returned from a successful accomplishment.When these four potent ingredients come together, the cocktail is called the Indian Premier League . Package this in a business proposition and you have something that could rewrite the rules of business, sports and entertainment.With the backing of

some of the best business groups and the high-decibel promotion, it makes for an experiment worth watching and tracking.The IPL breaks new ground in many ways.Cricket started as a competitive sport of bat-vs-ball. The media took it to the masses as entertainment. The IPL is now converting cricket into a marketing show. No longer are cricketers just players on the cricket field, they are performers.And every match is not just a fight between two teams but an episode in a continuous soap opera. Brands can be plugged anywhere - in program, on cast, on television, in-stores through merchandise.Cricketers have their own star power, which makes the game attractive. Now, they have the added firepower of celebrities - be it filmstars like Shahrukh Khan or Preity Zinta , or a business tycoon like Dr Vijay Mallya - that makes the spectacle even grander and bigger. It brings together the appeal of two diseases - cricket and films. Cricket has been a national passion. It has been difficult to separate the Indian identity from the game. The IPL makes a shift - it taps into local pride. In a global world, where integration is the key, IPL teams are built on the counter-culture of division. Paul Harris, an eminent LSE sociologist, says local identity is an opportunity in a global world. The IPL is, perhaps, latching onto an emerging trend.Cricket has been a team game - built on players knowing each other and playing alongside each other at the nets, at domestic level and national level. The IPL changes this and brings the corporate style of teamwork into play.It expects professionals to come together for a specific project. It hinges on individual prowess adding up to a winning formula. With much cricket being played anyway, foreign players are no longer alien to any team. Simultaneously, the mixed-cultures team could unconsciously foster greater harmony among different nations.

Marketing Mix Of IPL

IPL – The Indian premier league has taken the cricketing world by storm. It has also got its marketing mix spot on. Read on to discover the perfection in the marketing mix of Indian Premier League

-Product IPL stands for Indian Premier League. It is a Twenty20 tournament started by BCCI. It is the brainchild of Lalit Modi. It started in the year 2008 and comprises the players from all over the world. A perfect blend of cricket & entertainment. It’s providing a stage for many youngsters to show their performance & profitable too to Advertisers and broadcasting channels.

-Price As far as the IPL pricing structure is concern, The IPL is predicted to bring the BCCI income of approximately US$ 1.6 billion, over a period of five to ten years. All of these revenues are directed to a central pool, 40% of which will go to IPL itself, 54% to franchisees and 6% as prize money. The money will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of IPL will be 50%, franchisees 45% and prize money 5%. The IPL signed up Kingfisher Airlines as the official umpire partner for the series in an Rs.106 Crore’s (1.06 billion) deal. This deal sees the Kingfisher Airlines brand on all umpires’ uniforms & also on the giant screens during third umpire

decisions. Sony Entertainment Television signed a new contract with BCCI with Sony Entertainment Television paying a staggering Rs.8700 Crore’s (87 billion) for 10 years.

-Place The first season of the Indian Premier League commenced on 18 April 2008 in India, and ended on 1 June 2008 with the victory of the Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. As the second season of the IPL coincided with multi-phase 2009 Indian general elections, the Indian Central Government refused to provide the Indian paramilitary forces to provide security, saying the forces would be stretched too thinly if they were to safeguard both the IPL and the elections. As a result, the BCCI decided to host the second season of the league outside India. All 59 matches of the second season, abbreviated as IPL 2, took place in South Africa. Ironically, South Africa were also scheduled to have elections doing the IPL, however, the South African government provided adequate security for both the South African General Elections and the IPL.

-Promotion When Bollywood and cricket met, the result was IPL and it was truly entertaining to see one’s favorite cricketer as well the Bollywood star on the same platform. IPL was no doubt an entertaining one. Super stars like Shah Rukh, Preity, Akshay, Katrina, Hrithik had been a source which provided a lot of glam to IPL promotion.

To attract the cricket fans, even team-owners have started selling tickets personally. Preity Zinta, the co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and Australian pace man Brett Lee sold the tickets along with their autographs.

-People Indian Premier League is mostly targeted for the younger generation youth. As the generations are very busy with their day to day work with IPL they get entertainment along with cricket which helps them to enjoy every aspect of the game. People are very excited towards IPL as this is only one game that brings different players of different countries at one platform, for which they tend to get attracted to see their favorite player perform. Some of the audiences are also attracted to see their favorite celebrity cheering for the team.

-Process Indian Premier League as a whole is the biggest event of the year for which months of preparation are to be done. For instance organizing the respective 8 teams who are performing for the event and the most important of all is marketing the IPL as it has to reach the wide range of audience globally. An arrangement of stadium where this event is going to be held is also finalized well before. Finally and most important of all is execution of the Event.

-Physical Evidence Fun, Music, Entertainment & sports, where can you find that, answer for that is INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE. People wait for this season as they get

everything in a joyful bundle. IPL is also the biggest platform for advertising and promoting different product or brands which is clearly viewable during the event.

Marketing and Branding Strategy One, “Packaging of the Event” from day 1 as entertainment is the biggest strategic hit. Cricket just happens to be there! Two, to keep it focussed in 20 overs and inviting International players, not only enhanced the entertainment value but also factored in the fastest growing segment of high income youth. This segment is short of time and wants everything to be packaged small. Three, It structured teams around states thereby ensuring team and brand loyalties and assured eyeballs when it comes to media. Five, by following a well tried international model of clubs and player auctions, it got players interests and their willingness to give the tournament their 110%. Knowing that players are going to play attacking entertaining cricket attracts paid audience to the stadium and draws them towards other forms of media like TV, internet and print press. Six, the public and press relations during the first two versions meant media hype was maintained and that has lead to immense unpaid publicity. Interestingly in IPL3, the organisers have offered strict terms for freebies for non-official media. The initial purpose having been achieved, the official TV channel is getting its due. That again hints to a well planned strategy. Seven, getting International Cricket Council to keep a window for IPL season was the biggest strategic coup. Now cricket boards all over the world

want to have similar event but may not be able to get well known players for their events! Eight, do not forget that (Board of Cricket Control in India) ensured that the event got all international recognition and gave it the required financial backup to conceive and execute the event. Nine, attracting the movie stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty along with highly placed industrialist as team owners, ensured ample media and public interest which further contributed to the success of the event. Ten and finally, organisers packaging of all above and ensuring the event was always in controversies and news, meant branding exercise of the kind that has not been seen in sports. At the end of the end, we have a happy lot of bunches – public, sponsors, media and most importantly IPL bankers! Good job done IPL, Lalit Modi and team- keep the IPL and Indian flag flying! IPL is one of the ways of telling the world that India has arrived. Strategy is all about making trade offs between what to do and what not to do. In broad terms it’s about taking offensive or defensive action to create a defend able position in the industry, in order to generate a superior ROI (Return on Investment). Indian Premier League (IPL) generated revenue of $1 billion this season, thanks to huge fan following across the globe, attracting a large number of advertisers. If we do the Porter’s Competitive Advantage analysis of the Marketing Strategies implemented in IPL.

Product Differentiation: IPL match consumes very less time when comparing it with normal ODI and Test matches. It’s very clear, 3 hrs entertainment packets with ambiance of cinema hall, fast packed action, sorrow, happiness everything in one packet "IPL".

Making IPL accessible to mass people. The matches are live streamed on YouTube. So, that one can easily watch it. It generated huge revenue and T.R.P also shoots up. To further increase its viewers base it tied up with channels in Australia, UK and US to broadcast its matches. Hence, making “IPL” a global brand. One of the best things that we can learn from the marketing strategies of IPL is the hype that the organizers have created for it. They have left no medium where they have not promoted their brand say radio, television, hoardings, newspaper, internet etc. Around 100 crore rupees has beenearmarked for the IPL ad Campaigns and marketing. The learning is simple “Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai". When it comes to strategies the company follows 2 ways either you do something innovative which will give you first mover advantage or you are the follower of a strategy which is tried and tested. Now the question arises is the market good enough to go for first mover or be a follower. The 1st IPLseason was an all time hit so company knows that investing in such a property doesn’t require second thought. Focus: For the first time keep in mind the needs of a common man as they have reduced the ticket prices to half so that middle and lower class people can also afford it. The weekday’s matches are scheduled from 8 p.m so that maximum viewers can view the full match. In a way it allows a common man to watch the after day’s work and it makes the sponsors happy because it increases the T.R.P. IPL tried to capture the affinity towards the state from which one belongs, in a sense it brought about regionalism.

Cost Leadership:

IPL is for everyone, each section of the society is taken care of For example the lowest tickets are priced at Rs 220/- and the Premium tickets are priced at Rs 11000/- for high end consumers. Similarly, the lowest price of the tickets for World Cup scheduled to be held at India in 2011 are generally priced around Rs 1000/-. IPL gives the best ever opportunity to place Brand Logos. Suddenly there are more numbers of options available for advertisers. You have got eight teams available hence more opportunity to place brand logos. For International level the competition is very tough and costly but in IPL you have got eight teams so opportunity multiplied eight times. Brand IPL has a higher valuation than Manchester United, which is valued close to USD 3 billion. The value of IPL's branded business has doubled over last year. The combined brand value of all franchisees stands at USD 333 million.

IPL Online Tie-ups: Monetization Strategies By IPL Teams It looks like IPL Team owners are busy in monetizing their teams by partnering with various online companies for different Team rights. Ebay India partners with Kings XI Punjab to bring IPL merchandise to cricket fans worldwide

Ebay india, India’s leading online marketplace, today announced a partnership with kings xi punjab, to bring IPL merchandise to cricket lovers across the globe. kings xi punjab has set up a brand store on Ebay India providing fans with a one stop shop for all the great fan merchandise. Ebay India already powers the shopping channel for the kings xi punjab merchandise page on their website. The kxip sporty merchandise includes innovative products like car flags, fan capes, cheering sticks, optical caps, expandable banners, mugs, badges and collectibles. Ms. deepa thomas, sr. manager-pop culture, ebay india, said , “we are excited to partner with kings xi punjab to power E-commerce for their official website. Ebay users across the world can avail of a wide range of cool merchandise, autographed memorabilia & celebrity experiences. .” Yatra.com joins IPL march with Delhi Daredevils as official travel partner IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils has roped in Yatra.com as its official travel partner wherein the latter will take care of the franchise’s travel and stay requirements in South Africa. With this tie-up, Yatra.com aims to reach out to cricket enthusiasts across the country and offer special holiday packages to IPL fans. Yatra.com has also rolled out a promotional contest, ‘meet the stars and lead the toss’, as part of its marketing initiative. Under the contest, lucky fans will be given the opportunity to fly to South Africa to watch the IPL matches live, meet the cricketers and also lead the captains to the toss.

To be eligible for the contest, fans need to buy any travel service including flights, trains or hotels through yatra till 10 May. Yatra.com is also offering free tickets for the matches, free membership to the Daredevils’ members club, autographed cricket t-shirts, and gift hampers to promote the campaign. Myntra also in the fray as it Launches Personalized IPL Jerseys from Reebok Myntra in collaboration with Reebok – India’s largest sportswear brand today launched a range of personalized IPL jerseys for the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tie-up would include Jerseys of 4 IPL teams viz:Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab & Bangalore Royal Challengers, being made available on its flagship portalmyntra.com. Consumers can log on to Reebok store on the Myntra website and choose jerseys of 4 IPL teams. After selecting the jersey they can submit the name and number that they would like to personalize their jerseys with. On doing so a preview of how the jersey would look after personalization is also available. Myntra would then process the orders and have the personalized jerseys shipped to the consumer at the address provided by the consumer. The personalized IPL jerseys are available in two options – men’s & boys.Myntra is also accepting bulk orders from corporates and institutions who would like to gift their priority or loyal clients with personalized jerseys of their favourite IPL teams. This tie-up could definitely bolster myntra’s topline in a significant manner and at the same time would boost its reputation as product personalization as their current partnership is backed by the product quality assurance of Reebok.

Advertisement

IPL’s advertisement and marketing is in full swing.IP ads are gaining momentum on TV,especially due to the theme songs of the teams.Various advertisements are as follow:1.Mumbai Indians take on Delhi Daredevils-the dentist ad really a good effort. 2.KKR theme song “Korbo Lorbo Jitbo” by Shahrukh Khan have made viewers crazy about IPL. 3.Royal challengers Bangalore have put their team introduction video with the song “Eye of the tiger”. 4.Priety Zinta and Yuvraj singh have promoted Kings XI Punjab with a theme song ,sung by Delair mehendi.

5.Deccan Chargers the unstoppable-they have a pretty cool advertisement. 6.Rajasthan Royals are singing to their theme song “Halla Bol”for IPL jaipur team. 7.Mumbai India Theme song. Advertisements for IPL will be generated through four avenues namely,air time sold by sony entertainment television,BCCI’sown marketing plan,promotional activities of all teams and from the brands associated with the League. An industry said BCCI had allocated roughly Rs 100 croreas its advertisement budget,while sony is estimated to earn nearly Rs300 crore from ad slots.In addition,close to Rs200 crore will be spenton the team for promotion and marketing. “IPL will have a salient lunch and the advertising spends will be substantial.But as the league gains popularity,the ad spend will come down,”saidVikram Sakhuja,coo,South Africa,Group M.

Merchandise From T-shirts and caps, key chains and pens to lassi glasses and chewing gum, owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are preparing to roll out

an array of cricketing merchandise as they seek an income boost in the Twenty20 tournament’s second edition. Sports merchandising, which contributes 30-35% of total revenue for most sports bodies in developed markets such as the US and the UK, is still a new concept in India, where the biggest chunk of revenue for the eight IPL franchisees comes from a so-called central pool, which includes media rights and sponsorship revenue. The teams earned Rs30-35 crore each from the central pool last year, in addition to a modest amount of revenue from gate receipts, local sponsorships, uniform merchandising and licensing. Estimates from at least three executives in three different IPL franchisees, who didn’t want to be named, indicate that the eight teams are looking at selling merchandise worth a combined Rs35-40 crore this year. The teams’ own share of this amount will likely be around Rs6-8 crore, with the rest of the money going to merchandise partners and licensees, who will pay only royalty to the franchisees. Chennai Super Kings, owned by Hyderabad-based India Cements Ltd and led by national team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has tied up in merchandising deals with retailer Future Group, chewing-gum maker Wrigley India Pvt. Ltd, pen-maker Camlin Ltdand cola-maker PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. It plans to launch an “affordable” range of apparel and watches, chewing gum, writing instruments and co-branded beverages likely to hit the market as early as by mid-March.

“This season, we expect around 8-10% of our revenues other than that from central pool to come from merchandise,” said Rakesh Singh, marketing head, India Cements. The franchisee already has a partnership with sportswear retailer Reebok India and men’s apparel maker Peter England. “Even our existing partners Reebok and Peter England are working on an affordable range of apparel,” Singh said. Mohali-based Kings XI Punjab, co-owned by Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, is looking at selling items such as lassi (butter milk) glasses, mugs, badges and special autographed items at points of ticket sales. The team also has a tie-up for merchandise with textile manufacturer Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Rajesh Metal Industries, which makes steel products under the Hot Muggs brand, is targeting sales of up to Rs12 crore in five years from items it makes for King’s XI Punjab, said director Rajat Jain. Likewise, Kolkata Knight Riders, the team co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, is also expanding its portfolio of products. “This time, we will have many more items in the kitty such as mugs, pens and keychains for which we are actively looking for right partners,” said Joy Bhattacharya, chief executive of the team. Besides expanding the range of merchandise, the franchisees are also looking at launching affordable products in an effort to boost sales. Delhi Daredevils, the team owned by GMR Holdings Ltd and led by opening batsman Virender Sehwag, tied up with sportswear maker Adidas India Pvt. Ltd last year. This year it has also tied up with Delhi-based garment maker Genesis India. “Genesis will not only make items such as cheering signs, posters and key chains for us, but also non-branded T-shirts at lower price points,” said Vidur Naik, marketing manager of the team.

This time, the Adidas merchandise will be available at 71 stores, up from 45 stores last year, he added. Darshan M., vice-president of commercial operations for Deccan Chargers, the Hyderabad franchise owned by publisher Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, said, “Last year, Nike was our partner, but this time it is Puma as the company gave us a better deal and is willing to develop an affordable range of apparel and other products.” One of the primary reasons for the stress on “affordable” prices is to check sales of fake products that are available at much cheaper prices. “Counterfeit is a big problem here (in India). Last time, I saw a lot of fans wearing fake T-shirts. Availability of more affordable original products will help plug this hole,” said Darshan. Even as efforts to build the merchandise portfolio gain ground, most franchisees say it will take the segment some time to generate substantial sales. “We are expecting a double-digit growth in the revenues coming from merchandise this year as compared to the last one,” said a senior executive at one of the IPL teams who didn’t want to be named. “However, each franchisee will still get less than a crore (of rupees) this season. It will take at least two years for every team owner to fetch a couple of crores.”

The Indian Premier League (IPL) fever seems to have spread across borders, as more and more people from non-cricket playing nations like the US and Germany are buying merchandise of the franchise teams online.Leading online market place eBay India, offering merchandise of several IPL teams is witnessing significant surge in demand for products like jerseys, T-shirts, shoes and caps. “The online orders to purchase different products for IPL 2009 is attracting a number of people from many non-cricket crazy nations, including Finland, Germany, US and Spain,” eBay India Senior Manager (Pop Culture) Deepa Thomas said.Nonetheless, the maximum number of buyers are from India, accounting for nearly 67 per cent of the total purchases.Based on the sales, eBay India data shows that jerseys and team T-shirts are the most sought after items by the cricket fans.eBay India has tied up with leading brands like Puma, Adidas and Reebok for offering the IPL merchandise.According to the firm's IPL sales barometer or the battle of fan — a measure of products sales — the merchandise related to Kings XI Punjab is the most popular among the buyers.

Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad) come next on the list of popularity. The products are priced between Rs 399 and Rs 2,999.Deepa Thomas said merchandise falling in the price range of Rs 399 to Rs 1,299 are in high demand and added that business volume is high.Meanwhile, after cashing in on the popularity of IPL merchandise online, eBay India is planning to introduce telephonic order facility for booking for the merchandise.

FAN CLUB IPL fever has engulfed entire world with its thrill and excitement. IPL is only in its first year and still the viewership and the passion for it is breaking records. People can be heard talking everywhere about it. Some say Sehwag should have played one more over, some say Sachin is still the best. There are endless debates and comments that go around all day long. Everyone wants to have a say at the matches, the cheerleaders,the owners and lots more and now they have got a platform too. IPLfanclub.com is social networking site for cricket fans all round the world. It is absolutely free to join .At IPL Cricket Fan Club , you can interact with different members , post comments, start polls , view match stats and participate in different contests going around. There are lots of prizes to be won as well, including the ViP tickets for the final match. Don’t believe me have a look, Predict the winners of the IPL matches and win hot cash prizes and other exciting gifts! What can be a better pass-time for the hard core cricket lover, to enjoy the game and take home great loot. www.theiplfanclub.com is a site dedicated to fans of IPL who can indulge their passion with all the gusto and cheer they can muster.

www.theiplfanclub.com is an online space where fans can root for their favourite heroes and teams and express themselves like never before. A place for fans, by fans and designed to be highly interactive. The more active IPL Fan Club members are, the greater are the chances to win exciting prizes. Signing up for the membership at www.theiplfanclub.com is absolutely free. Membership allows members to interact with other fans, post messages, access IPL information and participate in the contests. Members who predict the outcome of the matches accurately win hot cash and other prizes. Everyday, 2 winners get to win a total Cash Prize of $500 for accurately predicting the Man of the Match and the Winning Team. The greatest highlight of the IPL match series will be IPL Fan Club Tournament. The first three who score the highest points here are set to win some really exciting prizes. Three overall winners will get a Box ticket to the finals where they can catch the excitement live! There are more goodies – 5 star Hotel Stay in Mumbai (No room sharing), interview coverage by a major TV channel and website, IPL Fanclub T-Shirt, Cricket Bat, trendy Nike Sportswear and a luxurious Limo to the Stadium! If the winner is from outside the country, he/she will get an economy class ticket and if the winner is not from Mumbai, then the person gets upto Rs. 3000/- as travel allowance Fans will find it fun and easy to score runs/points at the IPL Fan Club Tournament. Once they sign up as members, they score runs for fun things like adding friends, creating blogs, creating new groups, receiving comments, pointing out bugs and so on. Another exciting thing is that they can create a cricket photo album and score 10 runs. For every cricket related photo uploaded, they receive an extra 4 runs and for every non-cricket related photo uploaded they receive an extra 2 runs. The key is that the more

time they spend on the site, the more they get to score! The Score System allows them to see where they stand. Fans are connected to the game on a continuous basis through the Live Commentary available. They can access various aspects of IPL on the site via the Live Scoreboard, Live Match, Match Schedules, IPL News and IPL blogs that contain all the information they would look for. The latest comments by fans allow them to actually sense the pulsating excitement that is building up through the matches and also express their own opinions. The Fan’s Gallery on the site contains memorable moments of the match ranging from the cricket stars, film stars to the sexy cheer leaders adding spice to the matches. Video clips of the matches can be viewed too, helping fans watch replays of the game at their convenience. The aim of www.theiplfanclub.com is to build an online community that will bring cricket lovers in India and abroad together on one platform and foster the true spirit of sportsmanship.

CHEERLEADERS The stupendous success of IPL demonstrates the transformation of cricket from sport to pure entertainment. Every piece of the IPL mix has contributed

to making it a heady cocktail of money, power, sport and glamour on a never-seen-before scale.

Into this mix has been dropped a piece of exotica imported from America, cheer leaders as an additional source of glamour and entertainment. From the moment they arrived in IPL 1, they generated controversy. Their skimpy attire and sexy dance movements, performed live and telecast in real time to millions raised the ire of the culture custodian political parties. There is also controversy around the fact that these are white American girls who have been flown in all the way from the USA, to dance and perform at the IPL matches. The Indian blogosphere is buzzing with views both for and against and every single viewer of IPL has an opinion on them. Simply put, they are a feature of IPL that cannot be ignored. The level of controversy surrounding the introduction of cheer leaders means that what these girls signify to the average Indian viewer of IPL on TV is controversial. Clearly they do not signal wholesome fun, celebratory enjoyment and good cheer as they do in American basket ball games. Through their attire and sexy dance display, they suggest the insertion of a live version of the Bollywood “Item Number” (cabaret routine) into the game. This blatant insertion of sex to sizzle up the game of cricket

in its avatar as entertainment has riled all audiences, from cricket purists and fans to culture guardians. What about the future role for cheer leaders in the next IPL seasons? Some predict that cheer leading as a feature will wither away as a passing fad, as they are extraneous to the game. Others wish to build a group of Indian girls as cheer leaders and recruit them through a reality TV show and contest. Enlisting cheerleaders is a marketing tactic aimed at striking a connect between the teams and spectators and an additional attraction to draw crowds to the games at a time when slowing growth and slumping markets have enveloped the economy in gloom, franchisees say. “We look at it as a good marketing initiative. It will help us build buzz around the team as well as generate additional revenues,” said Rakesh Singh, chief marketing officer of Chennai Super Kings, the losing finalists last year. Click here to watch video Super Kings has launched a talent hunt show on Star Vijay, a Tamil general entertainment television channel, to select the girls who would cheer for the team on the cricket grounds. The additional revenue Singh referred to includes advertising the channel will attract for the show. In a consumer survey conducted by Mindshare, a media buying firm, and market research agency Synovate India Pvt. Ltd last year after IPL’s conclusion, Chennai topped the list of cities that had slammed the concept of cheerleading. The survey, conducted among 3,602 individuals in the age group of 15-45 across 10 cities in the country, found that while 25% of viewers across the country “disliked the cheerleaders aspect of IPL”, 39% of people in Chennai, the highest for any city, found the gyrating dancers in skimpy uniforms offended their sensibilities. According to the survey, the second largest percentage of viewers who

found fault with the cheerleaders came from Bangalore, where around 34% gave them the thumbs down. Flamboyant liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, last year flew in the Washington Redskins cheerleaders to perform for the team at a cost of Rs12,000 per hour. Some conservative politicians and activists last year found the presence of cheerleaders dressed in short skirts and low tops to be offensive. The Royal Challengers is now forming its own extravagant local version of the Redskins. “We are not getting the Redskins this time, but we are getting some professional international cheerleaders to train Indian girls to cheerlead our team,” said Vijay Rekhi, president, United Spirits Ltd, part of Mallya’s UB Group. Even Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers, which imported professional Australian cheerleaders last year, is creating a big marketing blitz this season. “We are doing something really different around the whole cheerleading activity this year,” said Darshan M., vice-president of commercial operations, Deccan Chargers. He didn’t share details about what the team was up to because of concern that the idea may be copied by rivals. “All I can say is that it will include professional cheerleaders and not just some local dance troupes. It is going to include a lot of excitement and we will build hype around it,” Darshan said. Like Chennai Super Kings, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has also tied up with a general entertainment channel —NDTV Imagine—to launch a dance contest to select its squad of cheerleaders. “The show called Knights and Angels is one of our initiatives in creating a marketing buzz around season two,” said Joy Bhattacharya,

director, Kolkata Knight Riders. Last year’s IPL winner, Rajasthan Royals, has launched a contest called Royal Diva. Targeted at women in the 18-22 age group, it involves a nationwide hunt for a cheerleading squad for the champions. The winners will also be part of a music video the Jaipur franchisee is putting together as part of its marketing exercise. Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, who recently bought a stake in Rajasthan Royals, will also be actively involved in the hunt for the “best cheerleaders” for the team. Mumbai Indians, the franchisee from Mumbai, meanwhile is in talks with a national dance troupe to cheer for the team, according to the team’s spokesperson. While all viewers may not have liked the cheerleaders on the ground last year, the franchisees say there has been a tremendous response to their initiatives from the target groups. “The response to our cheerleading contest has been better than what we expected. The auditions start next week and we have a lot of college-goers enlisted,” said Super Kings’ Singh. Marketing experts argue that cheerleaders add a certain glamour to the tournament and help prevent monotony from setting in.

POST IPL MARKETING

Indian Premier League (IPL) teams will carry out a slew of marketing exercises after the 51-day tournament is over to build their brands and keep interest alive before the next season. Almost all the franchises that participate in the four-year-old quick-format cricket tournament are hiring specialised branding firms to help them organize sporting and non-sporting events throughout the year, particularly targeting the youth and children. “When IPL is on, the focus is on players and the matches. When cricket is not on, we need to strengthen the brand and keep it vibrant and attractive to our target audience,” said Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer of the Delhi franchise. “So it’s going to be a comprehensive year-long activity.” Mathur said the franchise management will sit down with the team’s 14 sponsors—including brands such as Coca Cola, Adidas, Panasonic, Kingfisher and Idea—to draw up post-tournament promotional events once the IPL ends on 28 May. They are already looking at organising music concerts and cricket tournaments for street children. Fans will be informed about the events through social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. “Every team is doing this as it’s not just about the 45-day affair,” said Mehul Shah, vice-chairman of the Kochi Tusker Kerala team. “The show must go on for 365 days.” Rajasthan Royals has hired UK-based Photolink Creative Group, which has helped with the branding of Manchester United and Everton football clubs. Photolink will chalk out programmes for engaging fans after IPL, said Holly Harvey, director of business development at the company’s India unit, but declined to give details of the strategy.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is working with Mumbai-based MarketGate Consulting. The marketing firm’s director, Shripad Nadkarni, also declined to share plans, citing client confidentiality. OPN Advertising Pvt. Ltd is planning sports-related corporate social responsibility initiatives for Chennai Super Kings, said S. Chockalingam, founder and director of the advertising firm. “We thought of doing a corporate tournament, but it’s too much cricket. That’s why we want to go beyond cricket to other sports,” he said. Rakesh Singh, the head of marketing at Chennai Super Kings, said the franchise will also hold painting competitions for schoolchildren this year and has launched a monthly comic series featuring its cricketers. Pune Warriors India is planning cricket coaching camps with its players as well as local cricket tournaments. Dhruv Jha, business head for brand experiences at the consulting firm Lodestar Universal, said team sponsors also want to take IPL-related marketing beyond the tournament. “We are talking to a lot of clients in terms of developing plans and proposals that are non-IPL but yet they will grow both the team’s equity and their association with them,” said Jha, whose firm advised Tata Motors Ltd’s sponsorship deal with Delhi Daredevils and KitKat chocolate’s association with KKR. “All the franchises have realized that we just come and go and don’t seem to keep it alive. Now they want to prolong and sustain this as a brand,” he added. Mathur of Delhi Daredevils said it makes business sense for the franchises to come up with year-long marketing strategies. “This year, cricket as well as

the financial side of IPL have undergone phenomenal changes,” he said, referring to the new players’ bidding that took place ahead of the tournament, the addition of two new teams and sponsorship changes for most of the teams. Franchises have signed players on three-year contracts; the sponsors are also on similar deals. “Now things are settled to start these kinds of promotions,” Mathur said. “Now that the tournament has matured and the teams are in place, there will be some continued effort to market the team and build the franchises,” said Shubha George, chief operating officer of media agency MEC. Television ratings of the first 26 matches of the tournament have, however, been the lowest since the IPL’s inception in 2008. The average rating for the 26 matches in six metros—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad—dropped to 4.3 from 5.52 last year, according to television audience measurement agency TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd. Jha of Lodestar said lower ratings should prompt franchises to carry out more “sustainable activities” to build their brands. MEC’s George said the fall in television ratings was expected, with the number of matches going up from 60 last year to 74 this year. “I don’t think I would be alarmed by the fact that it’s going down,” George said. “It is going down as there are more matches and it’s not possible for viewers to watch with the same level of intensity. There will be a middle period where there will be a slackening of interest.”

CHAPTER-4

SUGGESTIONS & CONCLUSION

SUGGESTIONS As we all know that Ipl is a successful business today.But too many games makes it boring.For example,if Mr Shahrukh Khan is seen in every film then people would get bored of him.Similarly,IPL management should cut the number of matches being played on field to make it fresh and entertaining.

CONCLUSION So we say that IPL is the newest hit product in the market and the brains behind this are showing us How to sell the product.The product (Cricket) was ready existing in the market,it was popular but IPLhas increased the sell by adding money and glamour to it.It has also contributed in quality development of cricket.It is nothing but selling old product with attractive packaging..

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Times of India 2.Economic Times 3 Business Outlook 4.www.wikipedia.org 5.www.iplt20.com 6.www.crcibuzz.com 7.www.iplcricketlive.com