Field of Dreams: Edition 13

Greetings dear reader,

Welcome to something I’ve never done before, fresh out of my drafts - a themed Field of Dreams, around IPL 2024, an edition I hope you enjoy reading through!

IPL 2024 has been a riveting season of integrating new tech and marketing moments - both unexpected and awe-striking.

My team at ITW has had quite the rewarding start to the quarter and rightfully so- they’ve been hard at work hitting all the right notes with the solid partnerships they’ve facilitated.

Without further ado, here’s an edition I truly enjoyed putting together??

IPL at its Peak!

Known for its power to create amazing narratives, this year’s IPL delivered spectacularly on that count, from Gautam Gambhir’s triumphant KKR return to SRH redefining the realms of the possible.?

Here are my top 5 favourites so far!

Resurgent RCB :

It is amazing to see how a team that had less than 1% chance of making it this season had a mighty return in a match against the Super Kings! Winning 6 matches in a row, RCB rose through the ranks like no other and gosh, I didn’t see it coming!?

When the IPL made it big!

Relatively speaking it may be the new kid on the block, but the IPL has 4 times the viewership of one of the world’s largest sporting events- the Super Bowl, with close to 550 million viewers!

According to former England Captain Andrew Strauss, the IPL is set to become the largest domestic sporting event in the world and its value is predicted to grow as the Indian economy becomes one of the top 3 world economies by 2040!

Rajasthan Royals’ Youngest Centurion!

In his early days, Yashasvi Jaiswal left his parents’ home and reached Mumbai in pursuit of his cricketing dream. From sharing tents with ground staff at stadiums and assisting street food vendors to making $737,000 per season, he is taking each match by storm with his left-handed stride, standing strongly as a testimony to the life-changing opportunities the IPL creates!

It is raining MEMES!

Wearing its 14.6% success rate of CTA as a badge of honour, campaigns tapping into the social currency of memes, have surpassed all traditional forms of marketing for being short, sweet, subtle- still, getting the job done!?

Dhoni’s “Bole jo Koyal” has been the greatest example this season and we’re grateful to have had the opportunity to onboard him for this EMotorad campaign!

Sustainability Season!

Fans and brands have especially taken to sustainability as a cause this year! The Souled Store in collaboration with CSK won hearts with the unveiling of their jerseys made with 15 plastic bottles each! If I remember correctly, the production of this jersey required 90% less water too. Not to forget RCB too, who were seen flaunting their iconic green jerseys!

What were some moments that you found truly memorable this year?

Tech for Thought

The 2024 IPL has been the first truly tech driven season. This newsletter could have easily been a tech-only edition for the impeccable advancements made to raise the bar of the broadcasting game, creating a surreal fan experience.

Here are some developments that I found tech-stremely good!

?? Smart Replay System

Introduced for the first time ever, this system uses 8 high-speed Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd cameras with two operators from Hawk-Eye collaborating with the TV umpire- providing them with real-time images to facilitate quicker and more accurate decision-making.

Employing this piece of tech, confusion over waist-high no-balls are now a thing of the past.

?? Commentary in Kind!

Opening up the horizons for a whole new audience, this initiative by India signing Hands Private Limited brings commentary in Sign Language for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing; there also was audio description commentary for the visually impaired.

Alok Kejriwal Founder & CEO of ISH is himself a deaf cricket fan who has enabled millions of viewers to have the world of excitement that is cricket, right at their fingertips and make the sport more inclusive and accessible.

?? AI in Translation

Disney Star’s revolutionary AI feature facilitates popular international commentators to speak in regional languages without a change in their original tone of voice- connecting them to people from all parts of the country.

If you see Steve Smith or Stuart Broad demonstrating the use of this technology, you’ll see just how seamless it is in eliminating any language barrier!

Star Sports has knocked it out of the park (pun intended ??) with this year’s IPL broadcasting experience ensuring that every fan- beyond the barriers of ability, language or circumstance - can immerse themselves in the game.

Market Mania

Concept, culture, cricket- the trifecta that makes a memorable IPL marketing campaign.?

Swiggy’s Wholesome Act

Noticing the daily vlogs uploaded by a delivery partner who crazed about the IPL, Swiggy invited Shubham to watch an IPL match in Delhi. They went the extra mile and gifted him a jersey with his favourite cricketer - Dhoni’s - jersey number on it!

Looking at the IPL through a new lens!

Jio Cinema and Snapchat collaborated to create an innovative lens that offers live updates of scores and presents with fan-favourite cricketers who react in real time, all happening against the backdrop of the sky!

This incredible experience is powered by Sky Segmentation technology, which uses Snap's advanced camera to identify and enhance elements against the sky.

Colgate’s “Sweet” Reminder

This campaign (Indian Sweet League) was a part of Colgate’s #BrushTonight initiative which urged fans to look after their oral health, reminding them that as important as it is to eat that sweet treat on your favourite team’s victory, brushing your teeth before bed is only twice as important. A “winning smile” is a must after all!

Did you have a favourite marketing moment? Let me know!

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With the IPL living up to, if not exceeding expectations, both TV and Digital are predicted to make a combined revenue of ?4,000 crores which is at par with the 2022 season.?

As the IPL comes to an end with various players putting their best foot forward (yes, the puns end here), June is all I can think of.?

An enticing World Cup awaits and I can almost hear the lyrics-?

Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly?

And the dreams that you dream of, Dreams really do come true…

Until then,?

Bhairav Shanth…