Mid September saw broadcaster Star Sports launch a new #FanBannaPadega campaign promoting the Hero Indian Football League (HISL) that urges Indians to become football fans as it bids to help grow the sport.
The campaign’s hero commercial, titled ‘FanBannaPadega” (You Need To Become A Fan)
The future of Indian football rests in our hands!
Be the change you want to see – #FanBannaPadegaA new season of #HeroISL begins LIVE, Sept 29 onwards on Star Sports. pic.twitter.com/tyUTvk1xnM
— Star Sports Football (@StarFootball) September 10, 2018
features players from various different HISL sides, plus a cast of celebrities that ranges from actors like John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan, to cricketers including Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
This national campaign from the league’s official broadcast partner carries a core message that asks viewers not just to watch European football, but to cheer for Indian players and teams.
It's time to take football in India to new heights. But before we do that, #FanBannaPadega!#HeroISL 2018-19 begins on September 29 Get ready to cheer on your teams and witness the rise of #IndianFootball!
C'mon India, #LetsFootball! pic.twitter.com/I89MzD7I69
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 10, 2018
As well as the spearhead spot, #FanBannaPadega is a 360-degree campaign that includes both ATL/ BTL activities and runs across television, print, radio, out-of-home and social media.
Supporting the national, central campaign core are a series of local executions leveraging regional allegiances and loyalties: such as this Bengali spot.
“The Hero ISL stands for the realisation of a dream, the dream for millions of Indians to experience and understand the essence of Indian football. Season 5 of the Hero Indian Super League is all set to usher in a new, refreshed wave of enthusiasm in India’s emerging appetite for football,” commented a Star India spokesperson.
“It is this essence that fuelled the introduction of the #FanBannaPadega campaign for Season 5 of the Hero Indian Super League, bringing football fans in the country together to support their heroes, their team, and their nation.”
Comment:
This initiative is just one of an expanding set of marketing initiatives from rights-owners, broadcasters and sponsors that aim to help grow the sport in India.
Indeed, there were several notable examples of this strategy during the 2018 FIFA World Cup: including ‘SPN ‘#MeriDoosriCountry’ (see case study), Hyundai’s ‘Save My Game’ (see case study) and Kia Motors’ ‘Two Little Feet’ (see case study).
Links:
Star India
http://instagram.com/startvnetwork
https://www.facebook.com/StarTVNetworkIndia/
https://mobile.twitter.com/StarIndia
Hero Indian Super League (HISL)
https://www.indiansuperleague.com
https://www.instagram.com/indiansuperleague/
