BRANDS, IPL TEAMS INNOVATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS TO RAISE BUZZ SURROUNDING THE TOURNAMENT

By: Adrian Terron, VP, Nielsen

Telecom, FMCG and Automobiles lead online discussions

IPL Team Mumbai Indians tops share of voice on social media

Another edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end with the Chennai Super Kings successfully defending their title. The IPL victory topped off a fantastic season for the Indian skipper who also led the country to a spectacular triumph in the Cricket World Cup. Though the fourth edition of the IPL came close on the heels of what was nothing short of a cricket blitzkrieg, the Indian victory at the World Cup had fans enthused and cheering their favorite teams for yet another season of what is now becoming an annual, big ticket marketing opportunity here in India. Like every year, several brands betted big. And like in the World Cup, social media’s emergence as a key channel of brand communication continued unabated through the IPL as well. A report on social media marketing and ‘buzz’ by NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company indicates that some brands like Samsung, Vodafone, Cadbury and Volkswagen used the event to generate high levels of buzz amongst Indian consumer generated media (CGM) such as blogs, boards and forums.    

Campaigns create buzz for brands

Samsung mobile’s presence across technology related forums and blogs saw it leading the charts early on during the tournament as the company keenly promoted their freshly released IPL related apps and games on social media networks. Tournament sponsor Vodafone too used social media innovatively to promote its new 3G services. Both Cadbury’s and Volkswagen with their intense advertising presence across social media networks triggered huge interest and participation through online conversations, thereby reinforcing their association with the event.

This edition of the tournament seemed to define each brand’s social media strengths and positioning differently. Each of the prominent brands strengthened their franchise in different parts of the social media universe. While for some Facebook and Twitter were the mainstay, others saw greater traction on key blogs and forums that were more closely linked to where their core audiences reside. But they all put the brand at the centre of the online conversation, fueling a strong connection between the brand and the consumer.

Each of the brand’s social presence was aided by multi-platform campaigns across social networking sites and digital media.

Mumbai Indians lead

In this edition of the IPL, Mumbai Indians, in contrast to its standing within the tournament, were the most discussed team followed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and champions Chennai Super Kings. The teams with the most buzz online were the ones that actively harnessed social media, running competitions, fostering a sense of community online. Even the two new franchises Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors garnered a fifth of social media mentions. In comparison to the previous round, the follower base for the team franchises has grown proportionately. This bodes particularly well for merchandizing activity and for brands that seek to align their attributes to associations that consumers are making with individual teams.

Gayle and Dhoni stand taller than their veteran peers

The players too were closely linked to their teams rather than brands as is evident from online conversations on social media sites. Amongst the players, Chris Gayle emerged as the most discussed player on online forums, while Indian skipper MS Dhoni who is flying high after India’s World Cup victory came in a close second. Overall, Indian and International players share the list of players leading online discussions with Sachin and Sourav making the list. The list of brand endorsers seems to follow the same pattern as the World Cup with stand-out performances triggering buzz along with buzz around Sachin and Sourav. However, when compared to the World Cup, brands did not necessarily manage to draw similar linkages between themselves and the players who endorse them.

Source: NM Incite
Analysis of all CGM, including Facebook pages, Twitter and forums
Time Period: May 2011

Source: NM Incite
Analysis of all CGM, including Facebook pages, Twitter and forums
Time Period: May 2011

About NM Incite

NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey Company, builds upon the industry-leading social media and online brand metrics, consumer insights and real-time market intelligence of Nielsen BuzzMetrics and the capability building, proprietary knowledge and expertise in areas of marketing & sales, organization and service operations of McKinsey to help businesses harness the full potential of social media intelligence. NM Incite currently operates in 24 countries with headquarters in New York. For more information, please visit www.nmincite.com or Twitter: @nmincite

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