Aishwarya Ramesh
Advertising

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots

Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya are some of the big names endorsing fantasy gaming...

Fantasy sports are making their presence felt in India. Don’t take our word for it, check out this KPMG report – it highlighted how the industry has grown in the past year and how it operates. It was found that 74% of users play fantasy sports 1-3 times a week. Though 54% of users play fantasy sports for free, 46% of them have played in paid contests at least once in the past year. The most interesting part is that the users are smart about how they use their money – 70-75% of spends are re-investments from previous winnings or from promotional offers. 71% of the respondents played fantasy cricket followed by 54% playing football. The non-cricket sports leagues in India are also witnessing increasing traction. When this is the case, it’s only logical that some of the biggest names in sport are lending their name and their clout to brands. The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), is India’s self-regulatory industry body for the sports gaming sector, but it’s interesting to note that there is no body that regulates how these organisations advertise. Here’s a roundup of who’s endorsing what in the e-gaming and fantasy sports segment

1. Halaplay - Pandya brothers

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots
Hardik and Krunal Pandya break the 'bro code' for Halaplay

HalaPlay is a daily fantasy sports platform that wanted to specifically promote their fantasy cricket platform. They signed on the Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal Pandya as brand ambassadors. The campaign had short commercials that referenced the ‘Bro Code’ and how even the bro code is not sacred when it comes to playing on HalaPlay.

2. Mobile Premier League - Virat Kohli

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots
M The ad with Virat Kohli celebrates champions in every gully

Arguably one of the most visible faces in the endorsement field today, Virat Kohli is the brand ambassador for Mobile Premier League. The app is an e-gaming platform that also allows users to play fantasy cricket. Virat Kohli starred in an ad for the platform in March, dancing and celebrating the MPL heroes who could earn big from playing.

3. Dream11 - MS Dhoni

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots
MS Dhoni in an ad for Dream11

MS Dhoni is the brand ambassador for multi-gaming platform Dream11. The app aims to encourage fantasy Indian sporting leagues across Cricket, Football, Kabaddi and Basketball. Dhoni has lent his face to multi-channel marketing campaigns for the brand. Dream11 also went on to be the official partner of the VIVO IPL.

4. Fanmojo - Prithvi Shaw

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots
Prithvi Shaw is the face of Fanmojo

Often touted as India’s next Sachin Tendulkar, Prithvi Shaw has been signed on by fantasy sports platform Fanmojo. On their site, Fanmojo says that the players of the game have a 50% chance of winning and that Rs. 35,000,000 is the amount that’s been won by users so far.

5. Fantain - Suresh Raina

Fantasy Gaming ads pepper IPL spots
Suresh Raina has been signed on by Fantain for ads that'll be aired during the IPL

Similar to Dream11’s Yeh Game Hai Mahaan campaign, Fantain has come up with a campaign called Game Haath Mein which is a call to action for users to use the app more while the IPL matches are going on. Fantain is a fantasy gaming platform and this campaign will run for the entirety of this year’s IPL season.

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