As cricketers from across India and beyond take to the field for India’s annual sporting extravaganza, the Indian Premier League, and marketers work overtime to churn out engagement for their clients, the brands themselves have found another method of reaching out to highly engaged audiences: gamification.

From cricket quizzes and mini-games to rewards for daily sign-ins on apps and platforms, advertisers are happy to try every trick in the book to stand out from the milling crowd during the tournament. Rubeena Singh, Country Manager India and MENA, AnyMind Group, says that going by the fever of the biggest sporting event, IPL, and gaming as a genre overall, driving rewards frequently to users as part of an ecosystem blends really well.

“Offering gamers quiz contests with rewards works well. It tunes well with the momentum both carry. Gamification goes in favour of the brand, which leads to high involvement from users while gaming,” she says.

Jyoti Chugh, Account Director, Brand Communications, GOZOOP Group, notes, “During the last IPL season, we witnessed a remarkable surge in sports game app installs, with a 14% increase compared to non-IPL months. Additionally, sessions on these apps saw a notable 9% rise. Offering daily rewards and incentives can help in retaining users on the app or platform and also stay connected with brands more frequently."

With data being the oil for our digital lives, this strategy also helps brands collect a lot of data which in the longer run helps to nurture and convert them to actual sales. “A classic example of this is 'Predict & Win' done by brands which has led to 10% of users signing up for the app just to participate in the cricket prediction game. Additionally, social sharing plays a crucial role, amplifying organic reach as users enthusiastically share their experiences within their social circles,” says Chugh.

However, experts agree that the success of gamification depends on factors like the quality of the game, relevance, rewards, and user experience. Brands must strike a balance to ensure gamification enhances, rather than detracts from, the app's core offerings and user goals.

And speaking of striking a balancing act, this naturally brings us to just how much brands are ready to fork out to rake in all that consumer engagement and data. The allocation of an IPL ad budget to gamification depends on various factors such as brand objectives, target audience, and overall marketing strategy. 

Keith Braganza, Lead Sports – TheSmallBigIdea, says “Typically, a portion ranging from 10% to 15% of the total ad budget can be dedicated to gamification initiatives. This allocation allows brands to effectively integrate engaging experiences into their campaigns, maximizing the impact and ROI while complementing traditional advertising efforts.”

Chugh chimes in, saying, “When it comes to a brand's IPL budget, I believe around 10-20% can be allocated for gamification activities. So, if a brand has a budget of, let's say, 10 crores INR for IPL promotions, we should consider setting aside 1 to 2 crores for gamification strategies, which includes production as well as promoting the game. This can help engage fans and create a more interactive experience during the IPL season.”