Subbu’s Outlook on Television Advertising during IPL 2019

By Subbu P

This is a window that is high on cost but delivers the desired audience to the advertiser. The aura around IPL has only grown year on year and the viewership and the cost of advertisements are proportionately increasing. The brand if used the window judiciously can gain considerable share of voice for sure. Surprisingly the quality of communication is on  a decline and we still have to search for those magical 30 sec TVCs.

We saw more Celebrities : Aamir Khan, Shahrukh, Amitabh, Salman, Akshay, Dhoni, Madhavan, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Deepika, Ayushmann Khurana, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Paresh Rawal, Ajay Devgn, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Hemamalini etc., Who says Celebrities in advertising don’t work? But it look likes unless we spend time in crafting the communication, chances are that we might go unnoticed/

There is a long list of commercials that ran during this IPL which I have tried listing and at the end I have chosen my favourities:

1. FOGG Deodorant : “Aur kya Chahiye”Rolled out multiple TVCs.
2. Lloyds Air conditioners : Featured Deepika and Ranveer Singh.The communication was around the high end mobile operated controls of the AC
3. Byju’s Learning APP: SRK with Kids, had a set of commercials, everything looked pretty much the same except for the last shot.
4. Dr Fixit : Amitabh Bachan highlighted the need for waterproofing before construction. (Octopus, Frog and Tortoise)
5. PayTM : Had multiple commercials highlighting the ease of using this app.
6. Poly Cab : Continued the last year’s Paresh Rawal Commercial and did a new product intro through another brand ambassador : Ayushmann Khurana
7. Tata Intra : Multiple Akshay Kumars launched the mini truck from Tata
8. Swiggy : Continued its No minimum order, faster delivery etc.,
9. Vivo : Aamir Khan presented the new high definition pop up camera feature
10. OPPO : Did the same as VIVO
11. Urban Clap : Wanted to cash in on the season’s necessity : AC servicing through the App. (Brand Ambassador : Ayushmann Khurana)
12. Usha : Set of Fan commercials
13. Cadbury’s : Did Silk, Fuse and Dairy Milk
14. Kent RO : Mundane Hemamalini Testimonials
15. Policy Bazaar : Akshay Kumar presenting the advantage of using this for choosing the best insurance
16. Maruti Vitara Brezza: Multiple commercials focussed on Attitude
17. Havell’s : Presented its Circuit breaker through multiple situations depicting the importance of the product
18. Big Bazaar : Focussed on “SALE” aspect of the brand through other brands
19. Tasty Treat : The inhouse brand of Future Group presented their entire range
20. Haier : Advertised its range of products through multiple TVCs
21. Phone Pe App : Aamir and a Kid demonstrated all the features of the APP
22. Britannia : Ran its 97 promo “ Britannia Khao World cup Jao” for the upcoming world cup
23. Dream 11 : This cricket focussed App had some very interestingly shot TVCs that shared some very realistic situations. These TVCs had a lot of empathy factor in them. (Dhoni the Brand Ambassador)
24. Jio : Song and dance that used almost all the IPL teams
25. Kingfisher Radler : A new non-alchoholic beverage
26. CK Birla Group: Dhoni the brand ambassador was promoting Orient Fans
27. VIVO : Had different commercials for their phones
28. Asian Paints : Multiple commercials were running. They promoted Tractor Emulsion, bacteria free paints, and Luxury Emulsion brands . Brand Ambassador : Ranbir Kapoor
29. Hero : Complete Range of Two wheelers, tried promoting as a Global Brand
30. Sprite : Had some interesting TVCs that highlighted the product’s proposition “The coolant”
31. Amul : Promoted its icecream
32. Voltas Adjustable Inverter AC :
33. Toyota Glanza : More Space
34. Hector : Futuristic Cars
35. Heineken 0 : Set of interesting TVCs established the product promise
36. Samsung S10: Wireless charging feature of its products
37. Linkdn: Powerpoint style TVCs brought out the benefit of networking
38. TATA’s Harrier SUV: Set of 4 commercials, nothing great
39. Vimal Pan masala : Ajay Devgan featuring in this long commercial
40. Daily Hunt : Parrot ad
41. Frooti with Aliabhatt and Varun Dhawan
42. Coke : Ranbir Kapoor and Paresh Rawal combination
43. Magic Bricks
44. Thumsup : Ranveer Singh
45. Appy Fizz : SalmanKhan
46. Colgate : “Start with a smile” TVCs
47. Makemytrip : Aliabhatt and Ranveer Singh
48. Netflix for Selection Day

My choice of advertisements that had some recall value and stood high on empathy quotient were, ( Not in order of choice )

• Heineken 0
• Coke
• Sprite
• Dream 11
• Phone pe App
• Magic Bricks (though a old ad, still has relevance)
• Swiggy (Minimum order by the oldman, this time Motichoor Laddu)
• Netflix, Selection day Promo films

What we learn from this window of advertising?

1. You cannot garner mileage with one standalone advertisement, as the time span for the IPL is roughly 60 days. You need to create atleast 4-5 TVCs that can be played at regular intervals. This also helps in engagement with the TVC. A Good example is Phone Pe App and Aamir Khan.
2. Use Celebrity not as an endorser but as a character and try to weave the story around. Eg : Coke – Ranbir and Paresh Rawal
3. Real life situations drawn from experience and with engaging production value will stand out. Eg: Dream 11 commercials

Article Authored by: Subbu P, Chief Executive Officer, Flame Advertising