Mumbai: With Indian Premier League (IPL) fever spreading across India and marketers promoting the event as one of the biggest advertising ecosystem in the country, a whopping 71 per cent of the respondents surveyed said their buying decisions get influenced if there is a Bollywood celebrity in streaming ads. Digital marketing agency iCubesWire conducted a IPL marketing and advertising survey among 1,000 respondents from mid-March to mid-April.

The survey further indicates that a significant 74 per cent of the respondents agreed that their buying decisions from IPL streaming ads get influenced by such ads that are targeted towards children or liked by younger age segment.

“IPL is one of the biggest sporting event on the planet and lot of advertising money is spent on its broadcasting by brands to reach out to their target group," iCubesWire CEO Sahil Chopra. "This survey has clearly indicated that brands are still banking on Bollywood celebrities to deliver their message to end users, a trend which we believe will continue to stay with many OTT celebrities also joining the fray.”

As the country in the last few years has also been witnessing a major push towards getting back to Indian roots, 73 per cent of the respondents said they prefer watching ads that show Indian culture or legacy.

Not surprisingly, Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we buy products and services with healthcare becoming the top concern for everyone. The healthcare sector including health insurance advertisements during IPL streaming has led to 78 per cent of the surveyed respondents to invest on their physical fitness and health.

Other key findings are:

·  IPL survey says that 80 per cent of fans enjoy interaction over chat apps during live streaming.

·  Nearly 64 per cent people of the poll takers like to watch IPL matches on TV. On the other hand, 32 per cent of the people like to watch IPL matches on their mobile phones, a number that has been consistently growing over the last few years.

·  In terms of language, respondents preferred to watch ads in both English and Hindi equally at 47 per cent.

·  Fantasy cricket leagues have been gaining traction as one of the leading advertisers on IPL, and 69 per cent of the respondents agreed that they participate in such gaming leagues.

·  As fast internet has reached to almost all corners of India, 80 per cent of the respondents said they participate in community viewing virtually and chat with friends and relatives on the streaming apps.