Wimbledon, the crown jewel of tennis tournaments, captivates global audiences with its blend of tradition, elegance, and thrilling athleticism. Held annually in London, this prestigious event is not just a showcase of world-class tennis but a cultural phenomenon that draws millions of viewers worldwide. The tournament’s pristine grass courts and iconic moments create a unique atmosphere that sets Wimbledon apart as a must-watch event, making it an ideal stage for brands to tap into a premium and aspirational audience. The allure of Wimbledon lies not only in the sport itself but in its storied history, elite status, and the star-studded crowd it attracts.
Brands are increasingly recognizing the immense potential of associating with Wimbledon, leveraging its exclusive and high-class appeal to stand out in a cluttered market. Sponsorship at Wimbledon offers a unique platform for brands to engage with a passionate and affluent fanbase. Creative integrations, such as incorporating brand messages into game statistics and dynamic social media campaigns, provide brands with unparalleled visibility and the opportunity to position themselves as elite and desirable choices in the eyes of consumers. These sponsorships allow for deeper and more meaningful engagement, with brands able to integrate seamlessly into the viewing experience, enhancing their presence through in-game elements and strategic media buys that resonate with the sophisticated Wimbledon audience.
In India, cricket has long been the undisputed king of sports, commanding massive viewership and fan loyalty across the nation, besides a lion’s share of the advertising money. Cricket’s dominance spans both urban and rural areas, with major events like the T20 World Cup drawing exponential increases in audience engagement through Connected TV and mobile devices.
However, a shift is occurring as non-cricketing sports like tennis gain momentum, driven by the success of Indian athletes on global stages and the rising popularity of events like Wimbledon among urban and affluent demographics. Indian brands are now tapping into this trend, recognizing Wimbledon’s potential to reach a diverse and high-value audience, thereby complementing their cricket-centric marketing efforts and opening new avenues for engagement. This shift highlights the evolving interests of Indian sports fans and presents brands with new opportunities to connect with consumers through different sporting platforms.
Audience Engagement and Reach – Wimbledon vs. Cricket
Pawrush Elavia, Head of Digital Marketing at Zepto, noted, “Non-cricketing events like Wimbledon have a smaller reach and audience compared to cricket. But advertising on Wimbledon does give an opportunity to break the clutter and reach out to premium households and users/audiences in a clutter-free environment. Wimbledon is viewed as an aspirational sporting event, and association with it would allow brands to be associated as such.”
Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Amul, said, “Our Amul product caters to every customer across the social fabric of the country, much like sports which cater to everyone in India. We realized that in the grand scheme of things, we need to reach and connect with each Indian and thus started our decade-long association with football, tennis, badminton, kabaddi, among many others.”
Varun Mohan, Head of Revenue & Growth at MiQ Digital, observed, “In India, cricket enjoys unparalleled viewership and engagement across both urban and rural areas. We have witnessed an exponential increase in the reach and audience engagement during the recent T20 World Cup, thanks to the rising viewership on Connected TV and mobile devices.” He added, “In the recent past, multiple Indian athletes have excelled in non-cricket events like the Asian Games, Olympics, and others. There is a growing interest among the audience for non-cricketing sports, including football and tennis. Major events like Wimbledon are steadily gaining traction, particularly among urban and affluent demographics. Wimbledon proved popular in 2023 and was watched by 25.5 million television viewers and set a new record of 53.8 million online streams, underlining the diversification of the tournament’s audience and the efficient usage of online media to interact with the people.”
He further noted, “This holds a promising season for marketers and advertisers in India, as they can now tap into a more diverse sports audience. While cricket remains the dominant sport, the rising popularity of other sporting events offers new and exciting opportunities for brand engagement and campaigns.”
Unique Opportunities Wimbledon Offers to Brands and Advertisers
According to Pawrush Elavia, “Associating and sponsoring Wimbledon gives brands opportunities to build high SOV during an event which is viewed by a premium audience set in India. There are also various in-game integrations like aces, faults, and smashes that can be added as deeper integration. (Incidentally, Zepto’s association was for media buys and a unique integration on speed, that is, every time there is an ace, a Zepto L-Band appears on screen to highlight the speed of delivery in 10 minutes). Social integrations and banter between the two brands were also accommodated with more ease since the event. These all would come at extra/additional costs for cricket events and would hardly make monetary sense or add any incremental value to brands.”
“Wimbledon provides us with a distinct and passionate fan community as visibility is uncluttered due to the presence of limited brands. The tournament also allows us to showcase our new range of high-protein, probiotic, and organic products which appeal to this segment of customers,” said Jayen Mehta.
Varun Mohan noted, “As the premiumization trend grows in urban India, most brands want to target a premium audience, with events like Wimbledon and its rich history. Events like Wimbledon provide both legacy and digital-first Indian brands with an opportunity to gain international visibility and reach a diverse set of audiences beyond cricket fans. It also offers premium partnerships and sponsorships that can elevate a brand’s image and positioning. It offers a peak period of engagement in the mid-year, complementing the cricket season and allowing for year-round sports marketing opportunities.”
Why Invest in Non-Cricket Sports Like Tennis?
“Breaking the clutter and being associated with premium brands and specifically reaching Connected TV households via Wimbledon is much more cost-effective than on cricket,” pointed out Pawrush Elavia. “The same media outlay which would give us a 20% Share of Ads (SOV) on Wimbledon would be equivalent to less than 1% on cricketing events. Building an association with premium user cohorts and reaching premium households via Connected TV ad spots at much better rates made the choice of associating with Wimbledon a no-brainer for Zepto.”
Jayen Mehta highlighted several factors utilized by Amul. He said, “We have partnered with sports associations beyond cricket for more than two decades based on the following factors:
- Customer: Is the audience relevant to our brand?
- Content: Is content engaging to the customer?
- Context: Is the context of the sport attributing positively to the brand?
- Consistency: Is the association strong enough to repeat it next year?”
“Every brand has its own marketing goals, budget, and target audience, which influence its decision to sponsor or endorse a player or event. For instance, tennis often attracts an affluent, urban, and globally minded audience, which can be a valuable segment for certain brands in comparison to cricket. The value and image of any sporting event should align well with the brand’s ethos. For brands, partnering with a specific event is directly connected to their international expansion plans for that specific location. Engaging with the audience in those areas will help them to build a strong presence and appeal for the brand,” said Varun Mohan.
Leveraging Digital Platforms & Technologies for Engagement
Pawrush Elavia noted, “Marketing works wonders and has multiplying effects when used in 360 degrees. Along with associating with Wimbledon and using the ace/speed analogy on the Hotstar app during matches, we also used similar/same theme ads outside of just Wimbledon on other digital mediums. We also chose to work with the Hotstar team for social collaborations to ensure we reach out to their social audience. Along with all this buzz creation outside of the app, we also ensured that users would be aware that tennis and other sports gear would be readily available on the platform for users who took inspiration from the ongoing tournament and wanted to buy any items from the Zepto app.”“At MiQ, we’ve helped many brands and advertisers leverage the fervor of live sports by using data and technology to activate programmatic ads in sync with in-game moments to enhance recall. For example, when an athlete reaches a milestone, like a batsman scoring a half-century or hitting a six, brands can also serve ads with dynamic creatives and messaging to make their ads more contextual to the sport,” concluded Varun Mohan.
