In the IPL arena, cricket isn’t the only thing grabbing eyeballs—brands are out there swinging for attention just as hard. With flashy TVCs, influencer blitzes, and app takeovers flooding every screen, marketing during the IPL has become a high-stakes game of visibility. But as the noise gets louder, so does the question: What does real impact look like?
Spoiler: It’s not just about being seen.
Visibility ≠ Victory
Traditionally, IPL ad success was measured by sheer visibility—jersey logos, LED screens, and prime-time slots. But that old scoreboard is changing fast.
“IPL has always been about visibility,” says Anshu Yardi, VP at TAM Media Research. “But effectiveness now hinges on deeper metrics like brand lift, sales impact, and emotional engagement.”
At TAM, proprietary tools like Brand Prominence Value (BPV)® are used to gauge how prominently a brand features on broadcast visuals. But prominence alone doesn’t cut it anymore—it’s about how that visibility translates into recall, engagement, and ultimately, conversion.
Sandeep Ranade, EVP at Hansa Research, agrees: “Visibility is just one side of the coin. Effectiveness is about ROI—what did the brand gain for the money spent?”
Ranade’s team runs IPLOMania, a robust tracker monitoring how viewers consume IPL across TV and OTT, and which brands they associate with the experience. The findings reinforce a critical truth: surface-level buzz means little if it doesn’t align with business outcomes.
Virality Is Not the Goal—Relevance Is
“A viral campaign isn’t necessarily a successful one,” Yardi cautions. “If conversions were the goal, virality alone doesn’t make the cut.”
Nikhil Rangnekar, CEO at Interspace Media, drives the point home: “Effectiveness is always the goal. If business outcomes aren’t met, even a viral ad is a failure.”
In other words, campaign applause doesn’t equal campaign success.
Different Goals, Different Metrics
Not all brands enter the IPL with the same playbook. Some want awareness. Others chase sales. A few just want to ride the cultural wave. That’s why effectiveness must be measured against campaign-specific KPIs.
“Awareness, consideration, conversion—each needs its own metrics,” explains Ranade. “But often, priorities get blurred in execution.”
Ritesh Ghosal of CrispInsights outlines a useful three-step model for IPL effectiveness:
- Reach – How many saw the brand?
- Recall – How many remembered it?
- Resonance – How many were emotionally influenced?
These steps matter even more during high-volume events like the IPL, where attention is divided and brand messages can easily drown in the noise.
Case Studies: Where Strategy Met Success
Take Dream11’s 2020 ‘Ye Main Kar Leta Hoon’ campaign. It went beyond exposure, using humor and cricket stars to drive engagement. Crucially, success was measured not in likes but in user acquisition and retention.
Or consider CRED’s 2021 campaign—Rahul Dravid as “Indiranagar ka Gunda” wasn’t just a viral moment, it built distinct brand recall without IPL sponsorship.
Such campaigns prove that creative storytelling, when aligned with brand persona and platform fit, can outperform big-budget placements.
The Fragmented Viewer = The Fragmented Funnel
Today’s IPL viewer isn’t sitting still—they’re toggling between TV, OTT, mobile, and social feeds. This makes measuring campaign impact less like tracking a funnel and more like solving a maze.
“TV and digital exposure must be integrated,” says Yardi. “But in reality, the ground is messy.”
With no unified industry metric for digital spends and influencer impact, agencies use a patchwork of claimed behavior, platform data, and third-party audits. RedSeer data from 2024 confirms the challenge—42% of IPL viewers switch between TV and OTT during matches.
That means attribution can’t just rely on impressions. A viewer might catch a six on TV, scroll past a brand’s meme on Instagram, and click a promo on JioHotstar—all within minutes. The marketer’s job? Connect those dots to decode actual influence.
Are Marketers Overestimating IPL’s ROI?
Despite its massive reach, not all marketers are sold on IPL’s returns—especially as costs soar and viewer attention fragments.
“The ROI from IPL has been consistently declining,” says Rangnekar. “Advertisers chasing fame instead of outcomes often leave disappointed.”
Startups, in particular, fall into this trap—burning big bucks on IPL hype without a sustainable strategy. “Many splash cash on IPL and vanish by next season,” he notes.
Yardi adds that ROI takes a hit when campaigns lack clarity, differentiation, or amplification. “You can’t buy relevance. It needs strategic planning and audience alignment.”
The Winning Formula
So, what does true IPL ad effectiveness look like?
Effectiveness = Reach + Recall + Resonance + Results
- Reach gets you on the screen.
- Recall keeps you in memory.
- Resonance builds emotional connection.
- Results justify the investment.
In a tournament flooded with logos and jingles, the real winners are brands that move beyond being seen to being felt, remembered, and acted upon.
Because during the IPL, shouting louder is easy—but only those who connect deeper truly score.
