As Indian fan excitement rises at the start of the new cricket season and the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cadbury Dairy Milk partnered with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and agency Ogilvy India to celebrate and support the often unnoticed heroes of the league – the ground staff.
For the 2022 season, the Mondelez International owned brand aims to become ‘the official sponsor of ground staff’ to drive home a message that the brand is committed to and supportive of those whose work goes largely unacknowledged.
To activate the initiative, Cadbury sought to treat the Mumbai ground staff like the players – to make them equal stars of the tournament. This included best-in-class travel and accommodation, supplying nutrition to enhance their performance and provide them with customised jerseys designed by fashion designer Masaba Gupta.
The brand has linked this initiative to its ‘official goodness partner’ sponsorship of the IPL side the Mumbai Indians.
The campaign was created for client Mondelez India by a creative agency Ogilvy Mumbai and media agency Wavemaker India.
The activation rolled out across TV, web and social platforms from 25 March and was led by a launch film celebrating the skills and acknowledging the work of the Mumbai Indians ground staff which was titled ‘Let’s Celebrate The Unacknowledged Superstars Of Cricket.
This was immediately followed by a second film called ‘Jersey’ which featured Mumbai ground staff team member ‘Ganesh’ talking about his professional experience and showcasing his new customised jersey.
A third film, titled ‘Bus’, starred another member of the Mumbai ground staff called ‘Nitin’ who shares the impact of the initiative on his team.
The trio of spots was supported by additional social content with assets linked via the campaign hashtags #ProudSponsorsOfTheGroundStaff, #CadburyDairyMilk and #KuchAchhaHoJaayeKuchMeethaHojaaye.
“As a brand, Cadbury Dairy Milk has always believed that a little bit generosity can go a long way and its often the smallest acts of kindness that have the biggest impact,” explained Mondelez India Vice President Marketing Anil Viswanathan. “Taking this narrative and purpose a step ahead, our partnership with Mumbai Cricket Association this year celebrates the lesser-known heroes of cricket, the ground staff. Through our initiative, we want to support and bring forth stories of these members who tirelessly work behind the scenes to create magic for the entire nation. We hope our initiative acts as a springboard and spreads the message of acknowledging the unacknowledged.”
A Mumbai Cricket Association statement commented: “Acknowledging the real heroes behind the scenes is a very generous gesture. Mumbai Cricket Association is delighted to be a part of this never done before heart-warming activity for the ground staff at Wankhede stadium. Paying special attention to their stay and food, providing them with designer jerseys from Masaba Gupta must be an over whelming experience for the staff members.”
Ogilvy India Chief Creative Officer Sukesh Nayak added: “Building further on our generosity platform, this cricketing season we are proud to celebrate an unknown team of superstars, the team of ground staff. We are grateful to have them as our team. As proud sponsors, we hope that this team becomes the most loved team not just for the players but for the entire country.”
“The ground staff are the unsung heroes of cricket, so it was only fair that we now acknowledged the heroes behind this massive event. The biggest challenge for us, however, was to ensure that they get their dues, while cricket & the players continue to be at the center of this event,” commented Wavemaker India National Director Of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships Jigar Rambhia. “To do this we decided to acknowledge their efforts, where they sweat it out the most, their grounds. From recognizing them off screen, to recognizing them on screen, we aim to give the people of India a glimpse into the lives of the ground staff, so that when they watch cricket next, they celebrate, both: on screen and off-screen heroes.”
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As with all things linked to Indian cricket and the IPL, the early campaign metrics include some big numbers with more than 3m video views on YouTube alone within two weeks of the launch. The launch spot generated 2.2m YouTube views, ‘Jersey’ notched up another 255,934 views and ‘Bus’ was viewed 454,021 times.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCS), which was formerly known as Bombay Cricket Association and established in 1930, is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Thane districts. The MCA is a permanent member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and houses the headquarters of the BCCI in the Cricket Centre inside the MCA’s own Wankhede Stadium (qwhich is also home to the IPL’s Mumbai Indians).
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