World Cup Fever in India - How Mega-Brands Are Using SMS

Cricket, Bollywood and Music are the things that drive Indians crazy, no matter where they are. According to the Zenith Global Advertising Expenditure Forecasts driven by the general elections, cricket world cup and Indian Premier League, the expected rise of advertising spends of the country in 2019 is 15% to ₹ 72,169 crore.

Cricket fever has gripped the entire nation and marketers are leaving no stone unturned to capitalise on the World Cup mania.

According to the Sportcal (a sports market intelligence company), ICC Cricket World Cup is the third biggest stand-alone world championship in any sport below Football and Rugby.

One of the most lucrative and highly watched sport, Cricket World Cup in India is:

• Generating about £400 million for the International Cricket Council in broadcasting rights alone, the 2019 competition features 10 teams.

• At 46 days, the Cricket World Cup is the longest in any sport and by guaranteeing India at least 9 matches in a round-robin format, the structure is tailored to maximise the ICC’s revenue.

• The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 has seen 315 million viewers tuning to the Star India network from across the country.

• According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data, television viewership for the tournament has been 182.7 million average impressions.

Britannia, Uber and Coca-cola are using SMS to promote their brands and you should too

Britannia Khao World Cup Jao – SMS the promo code and win tickets

One of India’s biggest food-products corporation Britannia’s cricket World Cup campaign from the 90s has made a comeback in the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England. 

The promotion is set to offer a bouquet of experiences and rewards to millions of consumers who SMS the promo code written on the pack.

Uber Karo World Cup Chalo – Take rides or order food, SMS and get closer to the stadium

Taking a few Uber rides or ordering on Uber Eats, can get you closer to a stadium in England.

With every Uber ride you take or order food at Uber Eats you stand to earn ‘runs’. After collecting a certain number of runs, you can qualify for a chance to win a ‘match package’ for the World Cup in England, among other prizes. The winners are being informed via SMS.

Coca Cola SMS Route – SMS the unique code

Send the unique code printed behind the labels of the PET bottles via SMS.

Coca Cola has come out with yet another scratch-card-and-win-a trip campaign, but we live in a digital age where consumers don’t scratch, but scan or SMS.  And for that, Coke has launched special PET bottles with 14-digit unique codes under labels.

Messaging the right code will find you in a jet plane headed for Heathrow. 

Hurry, capitalize on the Nation’s heartthrob

The excitement surrounding the World Cup is unlike any other event and looking at the past matches, the 2019 World Cup promises to get more exciting by the day.

Offering an incredible marketing opportunity not only for businesses within its host country but across the globe, sectors such as Travel, Finance, Hospitality, Merchandising, FMCG and more are to benefit from the worldwide phenomenon.

The World Cup is still on for a few more weeks, take a cue from mega-brands and think how your business can capitalize on one of the biggest marketing opportunity.

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