HSBC, as lead sponsor for the live online streaming of IPL matches, linked with HGS Interactive’s to create a campaign running across the dedicated cricket YouTube Channel broadcasting the 20-over games.
The aim of choosing to activate across YouTube was to help gain page impressions from the millions of Indian viewers watching the matches on the digital video stream.
The strategy was to keep the digital campaign fresh and innovative over the length of the complete match so that it’s both entertaining and always boosting brand awareness.
Its approach to engaging the huge Indian domestic audiences glued to the thrill of its flagship T20 competition was to focus on the mass market’s preferred digital channel, YouTube. The world’s biggest video sharing site streamed 60 IPL matches live ion the 2011 tournament.
The initiative was leveraging HSBC’s status as a lead sponsor (Gold Tier Sponsor) for the live online IPL streaming of IPL matches, on the world’s largest online video-sharing site.
The strategy of promoting the sponsorship was built around the idea of being an entertaining part of the high profile event without becoming a part of the clutter.
The planning and creative solution was devised entirely with the connection between the target audience and the property in mind. An entire set of online banners was designed to push a range of HSBC products and services, along with a matching set of competitions.
The creative design for the banners was inspired by elements of a live cricket match – with themes ranging from scoreboards and Mexican Wave, through to boundaries and sixes. This was accompanied by a branded game and product-specific copy drove viewers to the online site where users could play the game.
Popular amongst the marketing community in India, this campaign won a bronze award at the FAME awards; the brand also claims impressive results. It’s own data suggests that campaign racked up ‘Channel Views’ in excess of seven million (heavily skewed towards the intended male demographic). The sponsor also trumpets the campaign’s ROIs, claiming that its media spend was less than 20% of the cost it would have had to pay to reach the same number of targets through a traditional television platform.
Comment:
Google will hope the success off these partnership continues and provides its sponsors with true value for money. After all, press reports suggest that its groundbreaking accord with the Indian Premier League that allows for “five-minute delayed live” streaming on YouTube cost $7.4m over two years for the streaming rights.
HSBC, the world’s sixth-largest banking and financial services group, has a long standing connection to cricket around the globe and a rapidly growing personal banking customer base in India.
Whilst the financial services sector is by far the biggest sponsorship investor in cricket globally, several banks have reigned back their sponsorship through the recession due to public perception of sponsorship as an unnecessary luxury rather than a key business tool and engagement platform. This lower-cost digital approach, with direct links between the execution and the product managed to both please the finance department and avoid any negativity associated by bank sponsors and champagne-led hospitality-based sponsorship
Links:
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.