MUMBAI: Indian advertisers who were lukewarm about spending during the Cricket World Cup are rethinking their stance in the light of the Indian team's early victories.
Some were deterred by the team's pre-tournament performances, by the timings of the games in New Zealand and by what they regarded as the high rates being charged by broadcasters.
But with wins over major rivals Pakistan and South Africa, and as many as 300m tuning in to watch, attitudes are shifting.
"Suddenly, there is a possibility that India will go a long way in the tournament," said Nandini Dias, chief executive officer at media agency Lodestar UM.
"We are already getting feelers from brands who now want to invest in the World Cup," he told the Economic Times. And Star India, which owns the broadcasting rights, confirmed that more brands were coming on board after witnessing India's early wins.
Some, however, are prepared to wait it out further: one media planner said Coca-Cola was considering advertising if India reached the final stages of the tournament.
Others see opportunities to increase their current level of activation or to change the channels they are using.
For carmaker Hyundai, Rakesh Srivastava, svp/sales and marketing, explained that the brand was pleased with the engagement levels it had achieved with younger consumers. "We would like to further enhance our engagement and these wins act as a stimulus," he added.
And at digital agency Gozoop, CEO Ahmed Naqvi had observed clients making tactical shifts to capitalise on the Indian team's performance. "Some brands of ours such as Mad Over Donuts are even taking one of their offline campaigns online to increase engagement after these two wins," he said.
Star has also been pushing the competition with a series of ads which are specific to each game India plays and the sporting history between it and the opposition, incorporating real-time feedback and reactions to the campaign as it develops the next stage.
Some were deterred by the team's pre-tournament performances, by the timings of the games in New Zealand and by what they regarded as the high rates being charged by broadcasters.
But with wins over major rivals Pakistan and South Africa, and as many as 300m tuning in to watch, attitudes are shifting.
"Suddenly, there is a possibility that India will go a long way in the tournament," said Nandini Dias, chief executive officer at media agency Lodestar UM.
"We are already getting feelers from brands who now want to invest in the World Cup," he told the Economic Times. And Star India, which owns the broadcasting rights, confirmed that more brands were coming on board after witnessing India's early wins.
Some, however, are prepared to wait it out further: one media planner said Coca-Cola was considering advertising if India reached the final stages of the tournament.
Others see opportunities to increase their current level of activation or to change the channels they are using.
For carmaker Hyundai, Rakesh Srivastava, svp/sales and marketing, explained that the brand was pleased with the engagement levels it had achieved with younger consumers. "We would like to further enhance our engagement and these wins act as a stimulus," he added.
And at digital agency Gozoop, CEO Ahmed Naqvi had observed clients making tactical shifts to capitalise on the Indian team's performance. "Some brands of ours such as Mad Over Donuts are even taking one of their offline campaigns online to increase engagement after these two wins," he said.
Star has also been pushing the competition with a series of ads which are specific to each game India plays and the sporting history between it and the opposition, incorporating real-time feedback and reactions to the campaign as it develops the next stage.
Data sourced from Economic Times, Business Standard; additional content by Warc staff
