New Delhi : It is no secret that cricket, in India, is a national passion. It shows in how Indian cricket fans read sports interviews, re-watch classic encounters, and follow top cricketers on social media. This dedication has also been driving the recent trend of cricket-based mobile gaming apps, which enable users to assume the role of a cricketer themselves and satiate their need to interact and engage with their favourite sport.
But can this passion be used to facilitate better brand-consumer interactions? Top gaming and digital advertising platforms such as POKKT and Nazara Technologies definitely believe that to be the case.
POKKT, for instance, has been partnering with mobile game developers to build a comprehensive in-app ecosystem, with a major focus on cricket-based mobile gaming apps. As the leading smartphone advertising platform for mobile games in India and Southeast Asia, POKKT is leveraging the medium of cricket to reach out to larger audiences and newer consumer demographics. The platform is currently working with more than 90% of cricket-based mobile gaming apps in India.
Speaking about the focus on cricket-based apps, Rohit Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder POKKT, said, “As a country, India is extremely enthusiastic about sports, but no other sport elicits the kind of emotion that cricket does. It is this dedication that POKKT has been tapping into through its various partnerships with mobile game developers which have innovative cricket-based gaming apps in their portfolio. This access to user data and behaviour enables us to deliver innovative in-app advertising solutions that drive higher end-user engagement, market penetration, brand salience, and RoI for our clientele.”
Through its partnerships with leading mobile developers, POKKT constantly augments and enriches its platform data with the massive sports fan user base that cricket-based gaming apps have access to. With the adoption of such apps expected to increase exponentially ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, POKKT plans to leverage its extensive platform data to enhance the value that it delivers to brands.
“The upcoming, high-intensity cricketing season will drive an explosion in the user adoption of cricket-based mobile gaming apps in India. We plan to leverage that to provide advertisers a lucrative opportunity to initiate personalised brand interactions within a captive medium, at a time when the end-user is most receptive,” Rohit Sharma, POKKT added.
Global mobile gaming company, Nazara Technologies Ltd has also been reaping the rewards of India’s passion for cricket. At present users spend more than 40 minutes engaging with Nazara’s cricket games every day. Making Nazara the 4th largest digital cricket gaming network with access to over 20 million monthly active users (MAUs) across their vast portfolio of cricket-centric mobile games. Popular games including RCB Star Cricket, Epic Cricket and popular IP’s (intellectual property) like ‘Royal Challenger Bangalore’ and ‘Chennai Super Kings – Battle of Chepauk 2’. In the past Nazara Technologies has created games with Cricket sensations such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Nazara has also acquired Nextwave Multimedia, a leading mobile game developer in the sports genre recognised for its World Cricket Championship fame.
Manish Agarwal, CEO, Nazara Technologies, said, “With IPL (Indian Premier League) and the World Cup around the corner, cricket games will go through a booming phase in India. We expect a sharp HIKE in consumption patterns and engagement in the first 45 days itself, an opportunity that we believe brands should not miss. Also, targeting and delivering through relevant brand advertising helps monetize and increase engagement levels with the end-user through domain-leading technology.” Nazara Spokesperson concluded.
