Unofficial Sponsors Seize the Cricket World Cup Opportunity

The latest insights from marketing technology company, 4C Insights, reveal Nissan tops the TV ad rankings for the month leading into the Cricket World Cup, but alcohol brand Thatchers is the only official sponsor to join the car manufacturer in the top ten.

Rank	Advertiser	Ad Minutes
1	Nissan	104
2	Qatar Airways	43
3	bet365	37
4	Kerala Tourism	23
5	Expedia	20
6	Paddy Power	20
7	William Hill	20
8	Pepe’s Piri Piri	18
9	Thatchers Gold	17
10	Betfair	16

Measured for TV ads appearing on Sky Sports around Cricket World Cup matches, from May 30^th to June 30^th 2019 using Teletrax data via Kinetiq.

Bookmakers including bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill and Betfair have bet big on the 2019 World Cup with placements in the top brands measured by ad minutes and number of ad placements on Sky Sports from May 30^th to June 30^th.

The other sector to have invested heavily is travel. Qatar Airways secured second place in the rankings with 73 ad spots, representative of 43 ad minutes over the time period – indicative of increased ad spend to engage with the sporting audience, ahead of Qatar hosting the FIFA Football World cup in 2022. Global travel company, Expedia, managed a top five ranking with 77 ad spots, but only 20 ad minutes. Both brands displaced official partner Booking.com and the brand’s minute-long ‘Fan Journey’ campaign ad.

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While unofficial sponsors have moved into the primetime slots ahead of Cricket World Cup matches, their ads are not without relevance. Take bet365’s campaign focused on the wider impact of cricket as a sport across the world. Similarly, Paddy Power’s campaign took a more humorous twist, playing off the more unique elements of the Cricket World Cup compared to other international sporting tournaments.

By contrast, travel brands have focused far more heavily on the opportunity to promote travel to the nations which take part in the tournament. Qatar Airways’ latest campaigns lean into the glamour of flying with an old-fashioned, cinematic spectacle. Kerala Tourism’s ‘Human by Nature’ campaign is aimed at specifically targeting UK cricket fans but focuses entirely on the landscapes and cultural interests of India.

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Aaron Goldman, CMO at 4C comments: “Sports events have always been a huge opportunity for brands to engage passionate fans. However, marketers must play multiple angles to reach multi-screening audiences. Looking at the most frequent TV advertisers from this year’s Cricket World Cup you can see many unofficial sponsors buying their way into the spotlight. Nissan and Thatchers lead the pack in creating a true surround sound experience with their brands exposed at all touchpoints.”

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