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Enhancing the experience of sports is a new kid on the block: Data. As marketers increasingly use data to connect with their audiences, the ICC Cricket World Cup is also relying on data and technology to ensure brands engage directly with millions of cricket fans, who are also consumers.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will be held in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14.
A game long defined by batting and bowling averages, these core statistics only scratch the surface of what’s possible with technology, say experts.
Help and guidance
“With data becoming the most important asset in an advertiser’s arsenal, India is fast adopting the best in technology-enabled marketing practices,” says Prabhu Kannan, Vice-President, Marketing Technology, Epsilon, a digital marketing company
He saidthat marketing during mega sports events has always been a global phenomenon, as it has given brands a platform to reach the largest number of consumers.
Globally, the professional sports market is worth over $90 billion. Just as other industries are using data, so is cricket to enhance both the player, organisation and fan experience.
A recent report by GroupM’s sports and entertainment programming specialist arm, ESP Properties, has forecast that storytelling will be one of the biggest marketing trends of 2019. And social media is set to play a big role in this.
“Sports fans, led by cricket, want to engage with their sporting heroes, as well as brands via social media. The data collected during such experiential campaigns provide insights beyond direct ROI,” Kannan says.
Speaking about the impact of social media, he says it has enabled reaching out to each customer with a personalised experience of the brand’s offering.
Personalised streaming
While hashtags can provide metrics on consumer engagement, deeper social listening data gives a sense of the overall impact of the campaigns, he adds.
Noting that affordable and accessible internet connectivity has ensured that sports matches are available on-demand, in high quality and without interruptions, Kannan says data has also indicated the evolution of cricket viewership, which is highly-fragmented in India.
“While live-streaming matches is today a culture among Indian families, millennials have begun to prefer personalised streaming, often at their convenience. This throws an exciting opportunity for brands to meet their target consumers,” he adds.
Data is a game-changer for those who can capitalise on it, says the official. Understanding data and using data capture techniques and analytics platforms is bound to help advertisers dig deeper into the mechanics of every shot, catch and run, potentially unearthing new insights into what it takes to win.
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