IPL & World Cup in a battle for ads

From the total corpus of IPL and World Cup advertising expenditure,the IPL should definitely bag 60-65%, says Rohit Gupta,president,Multi Screen Media (MSM),which owns the Sony Television Channels bouquet in India,including Max,the official broadcaster of the IPL. Ad rates for the IPL touch Rs 5.5 lakh per ten seconds,which is 20-25% higher than previous editions. Spots have been virtually sold off by now,despite the World Cup happening first. IPLs popularity is evident from the fact that its average match ratings are close to 5,compared to around 2.5 for the World Cup, Gupta adds.

ESPN,which will be broadcasting the ICC World Cup 2011,says the company does not disclose financials as a policy. However,an industry source,who did not want to be named,told FE that of the Rs 1,700 crore combined ad spend,the World Cup kitty would be close to Rs 750 crore. You must take into account that the World Cup has 49 matches,compared to around 74 matches in the IPL. Also,the amount of airtime available in the World Cup is determined by the ICC,which is not the case for the IPL, he adds.

Media buyers say the average ad rate during the World Cup is in the range of Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6.5 lakh per ten seconds,depending on the package. The eight sponsors with ESPN include Sony,Maruti Suzuki,Pepsico,Hero Honda,Vodafone,Airtel,Nokia and Philips,alongside other spot buyers.

That being said,several companies feel that the IPL season provides a greater podium,even in terms of merchandising and marketing leverage,with product launches and campaigns reserved for the post-World Cup period. German sportswear major Puma,for one,is putting its eggs in the IPL basket. If you are targeting the Indian consumers,IPL is more relevant than the World Cup. A lot of women also watch cricket during the IPL season because of the format,and the short duration of the matches. The IPL is a better deal for Puma consumers, says Rajiv Mehta,managing director,Puma India. Puma is the official sponsor for Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals teams in the IPL. Electronics major Samsung India has new products lined up for launch during the IPL. Panasonic has no launches planned during the World Cup,but expects the conjoined impact of both events to contribute 30% of the annual sales this year. Nike said it focuses on cricket around the year and expected business to be encouraging during this season. Coca-Cola India,when contacted,said it did not want to comment on its World Cup plans. Industry watchers say what hurts the World up is its inherent structure. Even if India reaches the final,they will play only nine matches. Brand expert Harish Bijoor says,The timing of the IPL has definitely diluted the proposition of the World Cup. We are seeing advertisers bending more towards the IPL because of the rates and interesting packages,which are going to provide better bang for the buck. That,in combination with assured and more diversified audience,is definitely giving IPL the edge. However,there are some who believe that the passion and quality of cricket in the World Cup will outshine the IPL glitz and glamour. Sudha Natarajan,president and chief executive,Lintas Media Group,which handles clients such as Maruti Suzuki and Sony India,says,The WC is the Olympics of cricket. Team India is doing well,and the probability of this being Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup is going to draw adequate attention. World Cup has done well in attracting sponsors. Of the total ad spend,the ratio will only be a little skewed towards the IPL.