The IPL season 11 to begins on 7th April, cricket's most lucrative and richest global tournament, kicks off in a fortnight from now. Patanjali is among the country's largest FMCG advertisers with an annual ad budget of Rs 570-600 crore. Apart from advertising on mainstream media, the company, which has forced rival multinationals to toe the ayurveda line, has been broad basing its advertising to increasing presence on digital and social media, besides below-the-line promotions and promotions. Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved will not advertise during the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20. Since the company feels that cricket, and specifically the IPL, is a “foreigner's game”.
“The sport (in this case, IPL) as it is, promotes consumerism and is sponsored by multinationals. Patanjali will invest in sports which are Indian and promote Indian sports at the grassroots such as wresting and kabaddi,” Patanjali chief executive Acharya Balakrishna.
The IPL, cricket's most lucrative and richest global tournament, kicks off in a fortnight from now. Patanjali is among the country's largest FMCG advertisers with an annual ad budget of Rs 570-600 crore. Apart from advertising on mainstream media, the company, which has forced rival multinationals to toe the ayurveda line, has been broad basing its advertising to increasing presence on digital and social media, besides below-the-line promotions and promotions.
The cricket extravaganza, often likened to the Super Bowl of the US, had been launched by the BCCI in 2007. IPL, in its 11th year now, is a plum property for advertisers, and broadcaster rights holder Star India is currently negotiating with advertisers across the country to seal big-ticket deals.