PepsiCo India takes sports sponsorship to the next level
Across all brands and categories, PepsiCo India had the highest association with the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
With nearly all of India tuning in to follow the Cricket World Cup, PepsiCo India spends heavily on TV and print during the matches. But in the 2011 season, the brand looked to get more bang for its buck by making Facebook a key player in its “Change the Game” campaign.
Before airing seven new television spots focusing on how Indian cricketers are changing the game,” the company released them on Facebook using Premium Ads to drive awareness. The move led PepsiCo India’s fans to share the clips with their Facebook friends, creating buzz for the campaign before the official launch. The first spot alone was shared more than 10,000 times within the first hour of premiering on Facebook.
PepsiCo India also used Facebook to select 11 special brand ambassadors. These fans got to attend every match of the Cricket World Cup, from which they posted status updates and photos on the Pepsi India Page. For all fans, an app enabled them to turn their uploaded photos into avatars that could “cheer on” the Indian team.
With all those online fans, was it any surprise that India took home the Cricket World Cup trophy?