eBusiness Weekly
Globally, football is known to be the people’s game because to play it, all you need is the ball and something to call a goal post. It is dynamic in the sense that you can play with as less as 5 people a side to the official 11.
The game is driven with high energy, strategy and a lot of fandom. The fans are as passionate about supporting their club or team, as the players on the field. The ninety minutes of tackles, attacks, penalties and rivalries is as involving for a viewer across the world as those sitting in the stadium seats. Bringing this picture and following home to India, the English Premier League has managed to harvest the die-hard fanaticism amongst the younger generations.
The average fan of PL today, is known to be a millennial — around the age of thirty years old, with a disposable income and taste for the better things in life. They are mostly residing in metros, while the followership for the league is slowly penetrating through to the tier-II and tier-III cities as well. This fan is known to travel regularly, keeps updated with latest technology and contributes to the social media chatter on the league and their favourite club.
Consequently, the English Premier League has emerged as an attractive advertising destination, with over 155 million fans in India.
There’s more — According to a recent GlobalWebIndex report, 69 percent of EPL fans stay in urban areas, 70 percent own at least 1 car, and 56 percent have a credit card. 2 out of 3 fans regularly take vacations, and most importantly, spend 108 minutes a day watching television — an attractive audience from a marketing standpoint.
A look at Google search and social media trends is revealing. The buzz for the upcoming 20-21 season is more than twice that of the recently concluded season. The daily mentions online have jumped up from 55k to 115, and the love for the sport has shown a steady and constant increase over the last few years.
Thus, brands can be assured of a substantial and engaged fan base, and as a result, well-known names have advertised on past EPL seasons, including the likes of Hero Motocorp, Apple, Cure.Fit, Cadbury’s, Netflix and Amul.
Apple has been an advertiser on the English Premier League, and the brand has been recognized by the audience. Thirty-two percent of Premier League watchers feel that Apple would be their first choice brand for any electronic items, not just phones.
Thirty percent are already iPhone users. Given that Apple is still in the process of capturing a large part of the Indian market, it is a large percentage — a testament to the brand’s recognition through their advertising. The audience is loyal too — 57 percent of fans stay loyal to their brands.
Cure.Fit too has advertised on the EPL — a relevant audience given that 39 percent of the audience has made a Nike purchase, 37 percent from Adidas and 33 percent from Puma.
There are definite opportunities for other brands as well. Ninety percent of the audience drinks fruit juice at least once a month. The corresponding numbers are 88 percent for soft drinks and 86 percent for coffee. Interestingly enough, over 62 percent drink energy drinks — a high percentage given the overall audience in India, and perhaps a testament to Red Bull’s sport-focused advertising in India. A number of these brands have missed out on their traditional summer peak, and will be looking to gain back some sales in the upcoming festival season.
Additionally, the pandemic has ensured that several people are working from home. EPL fans are already then gearing up to schedule their workload around the football schedule! Anand Vaghani, a football fan is a prime example of this.
“I am excited about this season more than any other because I can plan my work according to the EPL schedule, as we are all working from home.”
The club-based nature of the sport has led to intense fandom and rivalries, and several supporters have formed their own fan-clubs. These groups have received official recognition from the EPL teams, and regularly organise screenings and other fan activities. A look at these groups shows that the typical fan club also consists of the coveted 18-30 year old SEC A male demographic.
One such example is DelhiKop — an official Liverpool Supporters Club, which has over 10k followers. The Club is celebrating a long-awaited win, and expectations for the upcoming season are understandably optimistic.
Kaushal Goyal, the chairperson of the club has more.
“It’s been a long time coming and the pandemic surely made the wait even longer. We’ve had a lot of near misses which is what makes this success even sweeter. Hopefully, this is just the start.”
No story on Indian football is complete without mentioning Manchester United — the most followed EPL club in India, with over 35 million followers.
Their fans support the club through thick and thin, and are hopeful of a better result in the upcoming season.
“It’s been an uneasy few weeks for us”, says Karn Rateria, Joint Secretary of MUSC Mumbai, India’s first officially recognised Manchester United supporters club.
“However, we’re all happy with the job Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done. And as we’ve seen with the singing of Bruno Fernandes, the right signing can have a huge impact”.
Karn is attempting to ensure that United fans stay in touch digitally, to make sure fans stay engaged with the upcoming season.
“We’ve vastly improved our online reach and connections with fans digitally. It’s been a different experience.
“Although we’re hoping to get back to our screenings, with all of us chanting and enjoying our team as they get on with the season.”
With sports viewership predicted to be at an all-time high, a dedicated, engaged and premium fan-base, and a host of brands that are looking to invest in the post-lockdown era, the upcoming EPL season promises to be an exciting opportunity for marketers. — Brand Equity.
