The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is not just a cricketing extravaganza; it’s a golden opportunity for advertisers to catapult their brand impact. The power of live cricket on television to drive immediate and exponential results is unrivaled, and the 2023 World Cup is no exception.
Immediate Surge in Viewership: According to BARC, the 2023 Cricket World Cup witnessed an astonishing 22% growth in watch time during the first 11 matches. Television reached a staggering 301 million viewers in a remarkably short span, reaffirming its status as the premier medium for advertisers to make their mark.
Search Interest and App Downloads Skyrocket: A study on the initial impact for TV advertisers during the World Cup revealed a significant surge in Google searches and app downloads in less than two weeks of the mega event. Here are some standout success stories:
- Handset Brand Dominates: A leading handset manufacturer launched a premium range of smartphones at the start of the World Cup. Their TV campaign empowered the brand to outperform the market leader in its category. The brand generated 1.6 times higher search interest than its competitor and achieved a remarkable 25-fold increase in search interest for the smartphone.
- UPI Brand’s Remarkable Performance: A prominent UPI brand that advertised extensively on television during the World Cup recorded a stunning 5.6 million app downloads during the mega event. This brand achieved double the downloads and a 40% higher search interest than its primary competitor, which primarily leveraged digital platforms for brand promotion.
- EV (Two Wheelers) Brands Soar: Multiple two-wheeler EV brands capitalized on television advertising to promote their festive launches and experienced a 2-fold increase in search interest quickly. This phenomenon highlights how multiple brands in the same category benefit when advertising during cricket events. Notably, one of these brands, despite sponsoring IPL 2023 on digital platforms, failed to witness any growth in search interest during the tournament.
Rapid Growth Across Various Categories: The World Cup also brought significant growth in brand metrics for several advertisers, including tractors (commercial vehicles) and EVs (4-wheelers). This early success of the Cricket World Cup generated substantial growth in advertiser interest, as evidenced by recent BARC data on advertiser participation.
Advertiser Enthusiasm: The enthusiasm among advertisers for this mega event was palpable. A total of 73 unique categories were advertised on television during this edition, representing a remarkable 35% growth compared to the previous edition. India hosting the festive World Cup provided an extra impetus, as 41 new categories, absent in 2019, came onboard TV this year. These included sectors like airlines, banking, loans, life insurance, building materials, 2-wheelers, footwear, telecom, and paints.
The ICC Men’s 2023 Cricket World Cup has proved to be a game-changing event for advertisers, offering a golden opportunity to drive immediate and exponential brand impact. Television emerged as the preferred medium, with viewership skyrocketing and various brands achieving remarkable success in search interest and app downloads.
The World Cup’s early success resulted in significant growth in advertiser interest, with a diverse range of categories leveraging this unique platform to connect with their audiences. This case study underscores the unparalleled potential of live cricket on television to transform brand fortunes and captivate the hearts and minds of millions of viewers.
Stats. Source: Exchange4media