The real fun is in the stadium, says O&M's new campaign for DLF IPL

The Indian Premier League's new season is about a month away and this time, the BCCI's brief to creative agency Ogilvy & Mather has been to craft a campaign that will pack the stadiums.

The underlying purpose being that since the popular league is back in India after a hiatus to South Africa, the thrill of seeing the matches unfold in front of the cricket fan is going to be the biggest attraction. The new television campaign which consists of three TVCs aim to do exactly that - depict the fun and excitement of watching a match in the stadium. Each film tries to communicate the energy and carnival atmosphere of the stadiums during a match.

Sundar Raman, CEO, IPL said, "The fan in the stands is the real star of an IPL match. That’s what we set out to communicate. And that’s precisely what we did."

The first film delves on the superstition people have when cheering for their teams. Some believe that it’s their cheering that actually gets players to perform well. Or as in this case, hit a six.

Anup Chitnis, executive creative director, O&M India said, "Recreating the energy in the stands of an IPL match was the real challenge. Because finally, however good the scripts, if the crazy carnival in the stands didn’t become real for the viewer, the films wouldn’t work.  All three situations now look like they might have actually transpired at a match, and we just happened to capture it on camera."

The second film showcases the dancing that happens in the stands. A dance step started in one corner of the stadium, catches the attention of the cheerleaders, who match steps with the crowd and this shifts the focus of the match to the stands.

The third film showcases the allure of catching the attention of a camera man while watching a match in the stadium. Two young boys dressed in dolphin costumes find their 10 seconds of fame on the big screen, even as a loved one calls to inform one of them about it.

Manoj  Pillai, director, Thinkpot Productions said, "To shoot three films in a stadium full of people was such a rush. Stadium ka mazza sirf stadium mein."

Samrat Bedi, VP, O&M Mumbai said, "This year, if you see spectators packing the stadiums wearing the most outlandish costumes, cheering louder than before, dancing their hearts out, and trying to catch the attention of the camera – you know our films have worked."

Anuraag Khandelwal, creative Director, O&M said, "Three films which further the idea that IPL is an entertainment carnival. Cricket has never been more fun, or more inclusive than this."

Credits:

Client : BCCI - Indian Premier League, Sundar Raman, CEO – IPL
Creative agency : Ogilvy, Mumbai
Creative team:
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, South Asia
Anup Chitnis, executive creative director, South Asia
Anuraag Khandelwal, creative director
Satish Desa, associate creative director
Kunal Jeswani, head of planning, new media
Samrat Bedi, vice president, Ogilvy Mumbai
Nitin Mascarenhas, senior account executive
Vinod Rao, films manager
Production house: Thinkpot Productions, Bengaluru
Director : Manoj Pillai