MSM ups marketing spend for IPL 7 by 15%

[Deepu]

Multi Screen Media (MSM) has increased marketing spend for its biggest property, the Indian Premier League (IPL), by 15 per cent, a senior official from the company said. While Sony Max and Sony Mix EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas refused to reveal the exact marketing expenditure, the network is believed to have spent an estimated Rs. 250 million on promoting the IPL last year. Vyas also revealed that the network has kick-started its marketing campaign for the seventh edition of the IPL. This year the campaign theme is ‘Come on Bulaava Aaya Hai’. “The basic idea behind the campaign is that people cannot resist the call of the IPL. As has been the case with most of our IPL campaigns, this one is also entertaining because IPL is a sportainment property,” Vyas stated. Comprising six television commercials, the campaign broke on YouTube on Friday followed by television on Saturday. This year, the broadcaster’s campaign got delayed due to the suspense over IPL schedule. Last year, it had kick-started the campaign by February. However, Vyas feels that a month and a half is enough to create buzz around the property. Besides, the BCCI will also do its own marketing campaign. “The commercials celebrate the euphoria of cricket. It is entertaining and highlights the values of the IPL,” added Vyas. Television, as always, will be the mainstay of the campaign with campaigns running across the MSM network channels. The broadcaster will also buy spots on other national and regional channels to get a wider reach. “While television will be the main medium of communication, we will also be aggressive on print, radio and digital. We will also be doing a lot of activations,” revealed Vyas. In addition to the Hindi-speaking markets (HSM), the campaign will also target the Southern markets with TVCs dubbed in local languages. Starting on 16 April, the IPL season 7 will culminate on 1 June. The first leg of the tournament from 16–30 April will be played in the UAE, while the second leg from 1–12 May could be played in Bangladesh if the Home ministry does not give permission. The third and the last leg will take place in India from 13 May–1 June.

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