WPL draws new advertisers to cricket | WARC | The Feed

WPL draws new advertisers to cricket

With the first season of the Women’s Premier League under way, Indian cricket is expanding its advertiser profile in a move that could be transformational for the sport.

Why it matters

Cricket is vastly popular across India, but its traditional advertiser profile skews toward male pursuits, or male-focused products. A story in Afaqs explains that the inaugural WPL is bringing together a crop of brands looking to tap the large audience that the competition is likely to bring together from around the world.

It speaks to a deeper trend of women’s cricket viewership in the country, partly because of the recent successes of the women’s national team. A similar trend has been observed in the men’s IPL.

What’s going on

Afaqs reports some of the deals already cut for certain teams:

- Royal Challengers Bangalore: jewellery brand Mia by Tanishq, and Himalaya Face Care.

- Delhi Capitals: saree brand Navyasa and skincare brand Joy Personal Care.

- Mumbai Indians: Lotus Herbals, a cosmetics brand.

Meanwhile, at the broadcaster level, Viacom18 Sports – which will show both the TV and digital editions of the league – has named the World Gold Council as a sponsor. It has also launched its own major campaign to promote the WPL.

A new opportunity

What’s interesting is how the brands talk not just about finding reach alongside a popular sport (and its stars who are likely to feature as brand ambassadors), but how it creates opportunities to establish their credentials on equality. It also allows women-focused brands to tell a different kind of story. 

“Each of them have their unique stories of fighting the odds to reach the pinnacle of success,” Sonia Sharda, vice president-operations at Dentsu Creative, tells Afaqs.

“And these are the stories that women-oriented brands have been looking for, stories that will resonate with their audiences – the girl next door, a student, a working professional”.

Sourced from Afaqs, WARC, LiveMint

[Image: Board of Control for Cricket in India]