Interactive Avenues, a full-service digital agency and the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India, revealed findings from its social media listening report titled ‘IPL 2023: Unveiling the Roar’.
Chennai Super Kings, which went on to lift the trophy, topped the social media charts with 98m engagements and 7.6 mn mentions, followed by tournament runner up Gujarat Titans that had 6.2 mn mentions. The second highest team in terms of social media engagement was Mumbai Indians, at 53 mn.
The report leveraged social media listening tools to gather and analyse data from platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and popular cricket forums. It zoomed in on aspects like player controversies, performances, public sentiments, and the impact of emerging talent.
Virat Kohli emerged as the most popular player, with 7 million social media mentions across IPL 2023. Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore’s defeat by Gujarat Titans in the final league game, Kohli was ahead of MS Dhoni on social media, who garnered 6 million mentions.
Kohli generated more brand-related chatter than the next nine players combined, finds the study. His controversial argument with Gautam Gambhir and Naveen-ul-Haq generated the most mentions (270K) and engagement (4 million).
Rinku Singh’s historic match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans received the highest number of social media likes. Singh topped the charts among emerging players with 940K mentions, followed by Yashashvi Jaiswal (250K mentions) and Tilak Verma (190K mentions).
IPL-based partnerships were prominent on social media with gaming being the leading category with 120K mentions, followed by media with 70K mentions. Puma’s ‘Go Green’ campaign in collaboration with Royal Challengers Bangalore garnered 67.2K mentions and drove engagement of more than 1 million, says the report.
Shantanu Sirohi, COO, Interactive Avenues, said, “We are thrilled to present the findings of our report ‘IPL 2023: Unveiling the Roar.’ The social media buzz surrounding the tournament was truly remarkable, with player controversies and emerging talent capturing the hearts and attention of fans. This report offers valuable insights into the power of social media in shaping the narrative of IPL 2023, highlighting the immense popularity of players like Virat Kohli and the impact of strategic partnerships. It is a testament to the ever-growing influence of digital platforms in the world of sports and entertainment.”
