MUMBAI: With the cricket World Cup preceding the Indian Premier League (IPL), Max has decided to up its marketing spend by 30 per cent for the fourth edition of cricket‘s hottest property.
Max, the official broadcaster of the IPL, has also unveiled its marketing and communication campaign even as it targets a cumulative viewership of 150 million.
The new positioning this year is ‘IPL on, toh Bharat Bandh‘. Stretching across a period of six weeks till the launch of the tournament, the communication will be a complete 360 degree rollout across mass media.
"We have upped our marketing spend for promoting the IPL this year by 30 per cent. We expect the IPL to touch a cumulative viewership of 150 million, up from 142 million last year," says Max senior executive VP, business head Sneha Rajani.
Starting with TVCs, the communication will be seen across television, print, radio, Internet, billboards, mobile, BTL and Out of Home.
There are a series of seven TVCs which will be released over the next few weeks at weekly intervals. Each of these humorous films describes what happens in India when the DLF IPL is on.
Created and conceptualised by Max‘s creative agency JWT and directed & filmed by ad film and feature film director Shashank Ghosh, this series of films is being produced by director Rajkumar Hirani.
Backed by hilarious scripts, Raju‘s inputs and Shashank‘s comic sense, the films promise to entertain and build incredible momentum to the IPL 2011 campaign.
Says Rajani, "What we have seen over three years is that people change their routine to accomodate the IPL. This is what we have encapsulated. With the “Bharat Bandh” campaign this year, we have an immensely strong idea that the people of India will immediately identify with and relate to as well. We look forward to yet another record breaking edition of the IPL on Max this year.”
Canvas Films producer Rajkumar Hirani was actively involved in creating these campaigns. "When my partner Sanjiv Kishinchandani and I, first heard the idea of the Bharat Bandh, I realised that it had huge potential. If I had the time, I would have directed it myself. The next best way was to produce it, offer inputs and oversee it. Finally Shashank directed them. I feel he has done a brilliant job. I‘m sure these films will bring a definite smile to people‘s faces," he says.
Shashank Ghosh has directed the TVCs. He says, "It‘s been great fun working on the “Bharat Bandh” films. I have tried to depict, with a humorous take, on how we all react to the IPL. It’s been a game changer in entertainment in India, and everybody at some level has altered their lifestyles and routines to accommodate it. I hope the people at large will like the series of commercials and wait with bated breath for the IPL to start."
