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Tag: Dream11

  • Brands with most integrated marketing plans to win as cricket season heats up

    Brands with most integrated marketing plans to win as cricket season heats up

    MUMBAI: Franchises, brands, broadcaster and most importantly the fans were left delighted on Tuesday as news trickled in that the Indian Premier League 2019 will be played entirely in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced that the 12th edition of the cash-rich league will commence from 23 March 2019.

    This is the first time since the inception of the IPL that all its matches will be played in India during a general election year. In a sense, this is a testament to the humongous popularity of the cash-rich league. It must be noted that the entire 2009 edition was moved to South Africa, while in 2014, some matches were played in the UAE.

    Season 11 of the IPL was a runaway success on every front. Broadcaster Star India leveraged 17 of its channels, including Star Plus and Star Gold, to make the finals a smash hit. It was aired in eight languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi and Malayalam.

    Last year, the IPL was broadcast in six different languages – Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali. While Star was unable to get full-fledged Telugu, Kannada and Bengali channels up and running at that time, it ensured that viewers from these regions didn’t miss out on the experience. It aired the matches on Suvarna Plus (Kannada), Maa Movies (Telugu) and Jalsha Movies (Bengali).

    The thrilling final powered the network’s growth by 34 per cent with 52.9 million average impressions. The final between Chennai Super Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad was produced with 11 live feeds across the TV network and Hotstar.

    Brands have long recognised the power and popularity of cricket in India.  However, with video proliferation and regional language market expansion, more avenues seem to have opened up for the marketers to position their products.

    With India kicking off the year with a historic 2-1 Test series win against Australia, 2019 could be the year the nation is hooked on to cricket like never before.

    PwC India partner- media, entertainment and sports Raman Kalra says, “India is always a cricket hungry nation and will always continue to be cricket loving nation. A lot of diversified brands will be seen participating. The important thing is how they weave this story into a much more deeply integrated marketing plan. It is not just about running one campaign or two campaigns, can they really integrate the storyline throughout the ATL and BTL and do something beyond what is being done.”

    Barring series (ongoing Australia versus India and West Indies versus India in the month of July and August) Star is bound to be the home of cricket for India’s cricket-loving public.

    The broadcaster’s offering in 2019 commences with New Zealand versus India series followed by Australia’s visit to India, followed by the IPL and the all-important 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup among others.

    Sports advertising expenditure is largely driven by cricket with other sports contributing a minor share. According to India Sports Sponsorship report 2018 by ESP properties and SportzPower, media spending in sports as a whole grew 15.8 per cent from Rs 3511 crore ($ 516 million) to Rs 4065 crore ($ 616 million), driven even more strongly in 2017 by Television On Air, which grew an incredible 42.7 per cent from Rs 2376 crore ($ 348 million) to Rs 3379 crore ($ 512 million). The other reason for sports adex increase is the annual increase in ad rates, especially on IPL.

    “The crux would be which brand has the most integrated marketing plan and go beyond the TV, digital campaign to engage with the audience and convert them into fans,” Kalra adds.

    The marquee cricket season is also an opportunity for new brands to tap into a wider audience and amplify their reach and communication.

    Some of new brands that associated with the IPL last season were AMFI, Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Blue Star, Ceat Tyres, Crompton, Dollar, Ford, Haier, Luminous, Pidilite, Sleep Well, Vanessa, Vimal Pan Masala and Voltas joined the existing ones like Vivo, Colgate, Amul, Dream11, Elcia, Kent, Parle Agro, Polycab to name a few.

    When it comes to the big ICC events, the likes of Oppo, Nissan, MRF Tyres, Emirates, Uber, Bira, Dream11, and Royal Stag do not miss a chance to grab the audiences’ attention.

    Some industry experts believe that advertisers could be looking at an option that includes featuring both during the IPL and the World Cup as part of a combo deal.

  • Hero ISL helps create positive image among consumers: Amul MD RS Sodhi

    Hero ISL helps create positive image among consumers: Amul MD RS Sodhi

    MUMBAI: We’re halfway through the fifth edition of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) and for now, Bengaluru FC leads the table to capture the coveted crown. Hero ISL has helped bring football to the mainstream and aided the popularity of the sport at the grassroots level.

    Season 5 kicked off on 29 September 2018 with six different languages- English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.  While five languages are on the Star Sports network, the Kannada feed will air on the newly launched Colors Kannada Cinema. On the digital front, the league is also live streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.

    This year, the league is being backed by Hero, DHL, Bisleri, Maruti Suzuki Arena, Dream11, Zeven, Nivia and Imperial Blue.

    With football becoming a prime sporting choice for a growing number of Indians, brands have realised the need to step in early in the game. Amul – probably the most ‘Indian’ brand there has ever been- has teamed up with the league for the last four years. The brand, which is famous for its catchy, witty and ironic campaigns with the Amul Girl, has been looking to cash in on the enthusiasm inside the stadiums. Indiantelevision.com caught up with Amul MD RS Sodhi to discuss his iconic brand’s collaboration with the league.

    Excerpts:

    The Hero ISL has become a powerful sporting property that brands want to piggyback on. Not many people thought this would be the case with football in India. What are your thoughts on it?

    The football culture of India has been an active sub-culture in its initial days which has grown over the last two decades significantly among the youngsters. This can be attributed to their exposure to international football events such as EPL, Bundesliga, La Liga, Euro Cup and the World Cup. Also, during this period, Indian football at school and district level leagues have increased, thereby adding to more interest among youngsters.

    Five years back when Hero ISL began, this generation was in between the age of 20 -30 years. It was a moment of awakening among Indians for we were able to see and appreciate this sporting culture in its vibrancy. A new format wherein this generation celebrated international footballers they grew up admiring and appreciating the raw tenacity and skill of Indian football. Many Indian brands saw the potential of the event and its ability to engage with the youth of India both on-ground and on-air through TV and digital.

    How does a brand further tap into the Hero ISL audience, which is young, affluent, informed and passionate?

    Hero ISL as an event has been well received among the youth of India and therefore a new media for brands to engage. However, as Amul, we are very careful to have meaningful engagement with them. For example, as a food brand we focussed on identifying moments where as a brand, we could address the needs of our consumers inside the stadium. We realised that the high levels of enthusiasm inside the stadium can tire our consumers. So we decided to nourish the energetic and health conscious youngsters with our milk, beverages and ice creams. We had our teams present in every match selling our range of beverages and ice cream. This gave the brand a positive image among our consumers as we were able to attend to their needs inside the stadium in every match. In addition, we were also reaching out to the audience across the country with our communication campaigns on TV.

    Grassroots football development appears to have got a boost with the Hero ISL. How can the football administrators build on this?

    The event has triggered conversation among brands, football associations, clubs, schools and parents regarding football in different contexts. This is a positive outlook as a country with a young growing population. Our country needs the youth to be physically active and they should be motivated to plan and pursue a career in sports.

    This has led to setting up of football academies by Pune FC for example and many other clubs and football associations will definitely take up such initiatives. This will help our youth to build a healthy lifestyle and alternate career opportunities where they will be more passionate.

    Do you thing the emergence of Hero ISL is among one of the key reasons behind the improved performances of the Indian national team in the last few years?

    It would not be fair to attribute the success of the Indian national team to Hero ISL alone, for our team has been playing really well. But we can definitely say that their exposure to playing in Hero ISL with international players of repute and experience would have helped them to improve their game plans and strategies. At the same time, there has been an increase among fans of the sport across age groups and genders which are motivational for our team. They follow the team as they travel from championship to championship and stand by them. All of these are positives which I am sure would be helping our team to help stay confident and perform to their best abilities in every game they play.

    CMOs of some of the most reputed brands have expressed their satisfaction over their association with top football leagues in the world (Barclays and the Premier League, Santander and La Liga). How can Indian marketers/brands help fuel a similar integration at scale?

    I believe for any brand to truly see results, they should invest in these events and not look at it purely as an advertising campaign. At Amul, we have been associated with the event for the last 4 years and have supported this initiative. We believe milk is the world’s original energy drink and associating with Hero ISL has helped to strengthen this communication among the youngsters of India. So, for Indian brands, it would be wise if they continue to pursue sporting events with similar mindsets and in the days to come they will see the results.

  • Dream11 urges users to #KheloDimaagSe in new rap-led campaign

    Dream11 urges users to #KheloDimaagSe in new rap-led campaign

    MUMBAI: Dream11, India’s biggest fantasy sports platform, has launched #KheloDimaagSe, its newest integrated with its brand ambassador and Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    The new campaign gives all passionate Indian cricket fans the opportunity to engage deeply with the sport. The brand believes that all Dream11 users aspire to employ the same kind of thinking prowess that has made Dhoni the master of the game.

    Dream11 first introduced this positioning through #DimaagSeDhoni, its maiden campaign that helped build the fantasy sports category in India. It established Dream11 as a game of thrill, skill and sporting pride, in addition to growing the brand’s user base by three times. Through #KheloDimaagSe, Dream11 wants to reach a larger audience base and target adoption at an unprecedented scale.

    The campaign has been conceptualised and created by Leo Burnett Orchard.

    Speaking about the new campaign, Vikrant Mudaliar, chief marketing officer, Dream11 said, “In a cricket-dominated country like India, every cricket fan is an expert. With the new #KheloDimaagSe campaign, Dream11 provides users with a unique opportunity to use their sports knowledge, expertise and skill much like the players on the field. With fantasy gaming fast capturing the imagination of the country, Dream11 is a perfect foil for sports fans who love their game and further enhance their love through our platform.”

    Leo Burnett Orchard was tasked with creating a campaign that would appeal to more people across India, beyond just the core cricket fan-base. Its vision was identical to Dream11’s – to make Dream11 India’s biggest fantasy sports game.

    People get excited by and partake in everything that is adopted by a large number of people. Playing on this insight, Leo Burnett Orchard decided to project Dream11 as a mass phenomenon and not something that is isolated or individualistic.

    Speaking about the campaign, Leo Burnett Orchard Executive creative director Amod Dani says, “Dream11 is a game that needs a coherent understanding of cricket and its statistics. While the ‘Dimaag se Dhoni’ campaign made an immediate impact for the brand, making it one of the most sought after games in India, the core objective of ‘Khelo Dimaag Se’ is to make the platform far more social and inclusive. The motormouth, rap approach brings alive exactly what the users are thinking while Dhoni plays a central role in walking us through this musical.”

  • Dream11 Launches ‘#BeAGameChanger’, Celebrating A Culture Driven By Passion, Purpose And Performance

    Dream11 Launches ‘#BeAGameChanger’, Celebrating A Culture Driven By Passion, Purpose And Performance

    MUMBAI: India’s biggest sports gaming platform and the fastest growing sports tech company today unveiled its digital-first employer branding campaign – ‘Be a GameChanger, Be a Dreamster’.  

    The campaign celebrates Dream11’s vibrant and dynamic work culture where talented sports tech enthusiasts, celebrate their professional ambitions while aptly balancing their personal aspirations. The digital campaign moulded by FoxyMoron will be seen across the brand’s social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. It has been kick-started with an animated video bringing alive Dream11’s characteristic work culture and ethos.  This campaign highlights various facets of Dream11 as a great place to work, giving every Dreamster the freedom to dream big!

    Here is a video celebrating and explaining the same passion that drives Dreamsters to excel – on & off the field: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7G4qINrz5w

    Commenting on the Dream11 Culture tenets, Harsh Jain, CEO & Co-Founder, Dream11, said, “What brings Dream11 together, makes our team greater than the sum of our individuals and unites us, is OUR CULTURE. It is our team spirit, team chemistry & HOW we play to win every day. We believe in hiring great talent and help us transform the way a sports fan consumes sports.”

    On the launch of its new people focused campaign, Kevin Freitas – Chief Human Resource Officer, Dream11 said “The sports gaming industry has been growing at an exponential pace. We believe our new campaign will inspire existing and future Dreamsters to come together and be the architect of this young and evolving industry. We always believed that Dream11 is the best place for talented and committed individuals who believe in smart work, are go-getters, learners and team players. Being certified as a Great Place to Work® is the greatest validation of our culture, processes and beliefs.”

    Speaking about this unique campaign, Pratik Gupta, Co-founder, FoxyMoron, said, “At FoxyMoron, people are at the heart of what we do. From the very beginning, we have been one of the few places where culture comes first, and we make bonds beyond just the workplace. Therefore, this campaign is very close to our hearts (hence all the visual oxymorons).”

    A people focused company, Dream11 offers a host of people – friendly policies. Dream11 was recently recognised as one of the ‘Top 10 mid-sized places to work – 2018’. Some of its interesting policies & activities include:

    Instant Relocation: Dreamsters can start their innings with the company, including free flight and up to 3 weeks of stay for all those with a permanent address out of Mumbai
    Live closer to the Stadium aka office: Dreamsters staying near the vicinity of the office, can avail half month’s rent (upto INR 20,000)
    #Unplugged – Plan your vacation: Need a break longer than drinks on-field? This policy allows Dreamsters to completely disconnect from work for up to 5 working days of their annual planned leave, with no access to work email.
    Hack your way to the dream with #DreamHackathon: Propagating freedom of ideas, the Hackathon enables Dreamsters to submit their ideas which can be developed and worked upon freely
    #FlexPlay –  Plan your work day: An early test match start, or a day nighter, there are no fixed work timings and no minimum hour rule at Dream11
    A sporty workspace: A visual retreat/haven for all sports lovers, the Stadium gives Dreamsters an off field experience inspiring them to push limits and create new records everyday

    Currently Dream11 has around 150 Dreamsters across Tech, Product, Marketing and other departments and is looking forward to hiring 100 passionate & talented Dreamsters.

  • Star India pegged to earn close to Rs 450 cr from ISL 5

    Star India pegged to earn close to Rs 450 cr from ISL 5

    MUMBAI: Star India is aiming to earn more from this year’s Indian Super League (ISL). Industry experts believe it will earn close to Rs 450 crore revenue from advertising and sponsorship. The projected revenue includes broadcast as well as digital. Season 5 starts from 29 September 2018 to 16 December 2018.
    “Star is eyeing around Rs 450 crore. This was the aim last time but this time it looks like they will be able to achieve it because they have put Star Gold and Star Utsav in the frame,” an industry source informed Indiantelevision.com on condition of anonymity.

  • Dream11 aims to increase user base with Hero ISL season 5: Vikrant Mudaliar

    Dream11 aims to increase user base with Hero ISL season 5: Vikrant Mudaliar

    MUMBAI: Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) season five is just around the corner and Dream11 being the official fantasy football partner and home to more than four crore fantasy sports fans is looking to capitalise on the championship’s buzz to expand its user base.

    Looking at the increase in the number of users playing fantasy football on the platform, the company felt partnering with the Hero ISL was an ideal opportunity to deepen fan engagement

    The fifth edition of the Hero ISL is set to kick off on 29 September 2018 with broadcast in six different languages English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada. On the digital front, the league will also be live streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV. 

    Dream11 CMO Vikrant Mudaliar said, “Fantasy sports enjoys a symbiotic relationship with real-life sports and we firmly believe in growing with sports leagues by partnering with them. Globally, almost all major sports leagues are using fantasy sports as their primary tool of fan engagement and in India we have taken the lead to partner with some of the sports leagues like Hero ISL to provide great fan experience.”

    According to Mudaliar, Hero ISL has helped bring football to the mainstream and aided the popularity of the sport at the grassroots level. It is good to see another sport taking the lead for a change in a cricket focused country. 

    Mudaliar believes that the whole experience of consuming the sport can be made more enriching by offering fans experiences which cater to their lifestyle and living experiences. Right from the commute to the stadium to the food delivery at home to the sports merchandise being bought by the ardent fans – it is all a part of the overall sports experience.

    These are all opportunities and touch point for brands to get involved in a sports fan’s life and provide them with an enriching, immersive experience. He also believes in working with sports leagues to drive sports promotion and awareness.

    For Dream11, associating and partnering with sports leagues and platforms is a natural fitment. It enjoys a close relationship with real-life sports and therefore sports leagues become the natural choice for association. It also provides sports leagues an opportunity to deepen their fans’ engagement with the sport.

    “We can together dip into each other’s expertise offering a great product + market fit to cater to a loyal fan base and provide incremental connect for the users,” he concluded.

  • Dream11 gets funding of Rs 719 crore from Tencent Holdings

    Dream11 gets funding of Rs 719 crore from Tencent Holdings

    MUMBAI: Chinese social media and gaming giant Tencent Holdings has invested $100 million (around INR 719 crore) in Mumbai-based Dream 11 Fantasy according to VCCircle.

    Dream11 had been in advanced stages of discussion with Tencent about raising funds from the Chinese behemoth since April 2018. Further, media reports at the time had also indicated that Tencent may invest close to $100 million in Dream11 at a pre-money valuation of around $400-500 million.

    It has also been reported that Tencent has been planning to invest close to $200 million in gaming ventures in India. The Chinese firm has also, in the past, held talks with two social gaming companies – Octro and MoonFrog Labs for potential acquisition or investment opportunities.

    The report in VCCircle quotes an unnamed executive of Dream11 confirming that the transaction with Tencent Holdings has been completed.

    In March 2018, the company roped in cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as brand ambassador and signed a deal with Star India to be the associate sponsor of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a twenty-twenty cricket tournament.

    According to the company’s spokesperson, Dream11 has around 41 million users and is set to grow to 100 million users by 2019. “Our goal is to create awareness around fantasy sport in the country and keep getting more of India’s 800 million sport fans to play fantasy sport on Dream11,” the spokesperson added.

    The investment deal by Tencent is the biggest transaction in the India gaming industry and makes Dream11 the most expensive and highly valued online gaming company in the country.

  • Dream11 ropes in MS Dhoni as brand ambassador

    Dream11 ropes in MS Dhoni as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Indian online sports gaming platform Dream11 has announced cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its new brand ambassador. The former Indian captain will be the new face of Dream11’s multi-channel marketing campaigns and brand engagement activities.

    Dream11 is a game of skill that offers sports fans a platform to showcase their knowledge. Dhoni’s immense popularity will play a significant role for attracting more users.

    Dhoni is delighted on the new association and said, “It gives millions of sports fans an opportunity to be the decision maker, create their own team and experience the game first-hand. The Dream11 platform perfectly defines the importance of choosing the right players and building a team as per the playing conditions.”

    “We are thrilled to have Dhoni on board, who is well-known for being a strategic thinker and a visionary leader – attributes that resonate perfectly with Dream11’s brand proposition. This partnership is impeccably timed with Dream11’s next phase of growth and the unveiling of its new logo and visual identity. We believe that our association with Dhoni will further build the Dream11 brand, enabling sports fans to experience our unique format,” said Dream11 CMO Vikrant Mudaliar.

    On Dream 11 platform fans can create their own team of real-life players from upcoming matches, score points based on on-field performance and compete with other fans. It helps sports fans increase their engagement and connect deeper with the sport they love by being a team owner, not just a spectator.

    Also Read:

    HARMAN announces Priyanka Chopra as global brand ambassador

    Irrfan Khan is Mastercard’s first Indian brand ambassador

  • NBA and Dream11 to bring fantasy basketball to India

    NBA and Dream11 to bring fantasy basketball to India

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Dream11 today announced a partnership making Dream11 an official fantasy partner of the NBA in India.

    Beginning this season, the NBA and Dream11 will introduce an official NBA daily fantasy game, which allows fans to simulate the role of an NBA general manager. In daily fantasy, fans create virtual teams of NBA players and accumulate points based on their selected players’ statistics in real life.

    The free-to-play game will offer a variety of prizes as rewards, including NBAStore.in gift cards, NBA merchandise, Dream11 game bonuses, and the opportunity to win a trip to the U.S. to attend the 2018 NBA Finals.

    “We are excited to partner with the NBA to add basketball to our growing set of fantasy sports offerings,” said Dream11 CEO & Co-Founder Harsh Jain. “Fans of the official NBA fantasy game will enjoy a fast and responsive platform which delivers a rich user experience. We believe that avid and casual fans alike will enjoy this simple and easy to understand way of engaging with the NBA.”

    “The official NBA fantasy game with Dream11 will be a great platform for fans to engage with the league alongside millions of NBA fans,” said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. “Fantasy basketball provides an engaging fan experience and can help drive tune in to our NBA game broadcasts on Sony SIX and Sony Ten 3.”

    The official NBA fantasy game will reside on NBA.com, the NBA’s official digital destination in India.

    Follow the NBA on Facebook (Facebook.com/NBAIndia), Twitter (@NBAIndia) and Instagram (@NBAIndia), and download the NBA App on iOS and Android for the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.