The Indian wood panel manufacturer, Greenpanel renewed its pact with Delhi Capitals (DC) before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and signed a new deal ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024.
In addition, Greenpanel also partnered with the SA20 team, Pretoria Capitals, ahead of the competition’s inaugural season in 2023.
The Indian entity, popularly known for Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), Plywood, and Flooring, has been bullish in terms of association with franchises owned by JSW Group and GMR Group to amplify brand visibility and reach.
Understanding more about Greenpanel’s affiliation with the DC teams across competitions, SportsMint Media conducted an exclusive interview with Mr Arvind Joshi, VP and Head of Marketing, Greenpanel Industries Ltd.
Mr Joshi spoke about strengthening the footprint across India, leveraging the association with cricket teams, measuring ROI and much more.
1. Via Greenpanel’s association with Delhi Capitals in the IPL and WPL, does the entity aim to enhance its presence in the North Indian markets?
Association with Delhi Capitals in IPL and WPL is a part of our robust long-term marketing strategy to amplify brand visibility and garner more reach for the brand. Such strategic alliances help us strengthen our footprint and reputation in the market and drive salience across India.
In India, cricket is like religion. As a brand, we are highly passionate about sports and have a huge respect for the country’s sportspersons, who represent us on all national and international platforms. With such partnerships, we intend to tap a wider audience base through cricket’s massive viewership and build strong connections with potential customers.
2. Could you expand on the customer outreach initiatives surrounding this association?
We leverage our associations with cricket teams and leagues to expand our customer outreach initiatives, connect better with our existing customer base, and attract prospects as well. This year, during IPL matches, as a part of our collaboration, we will be shooting a TVC with the IPL Players, and are also planning to engage with channel partners through special ‘Meet & Greet’ in Delhi and a few other cities, as well as drive visibility on-ground via IPL-specific POSM.
Additionally, we will be organizing match screenings for the carpenter community across key markets. Ground-level visibility during IPL will be built primarily through initiatives like stadium branding and distributing merchandise. We will also set up stalls with exciting games during home matches.
3. IPL franchises have established teams in multiple overseas competitions; how vital is it for Indian brands to leverage those foreign teams by partnering with them to be displayed in front of a fresh audience?
The cricket league is now a popular global phenomenon, with the IPL expanding its footprint in the international market. As a result, franchises now buy teams in foreign domestic leagues. Aligned with this trend, last year, multiple IPL franchises owned had a team in the overseas market.
For Indian brands, this can definitely be a great opportunity to tap a new audience base in the overseas market. However, it’s important to consider critical factors and evaluate them before taking such a big leap. These include market relevance, product-market fit, brand alignment, and competition in these markets. For brands like ours, we certainly view this as a chance to solidify our presence and reach the global market. We would be keen on exploring such possibilities in the future. However, right now, our current focus is to maximize and leverage the IPL partnership.
4. How would you measure the ROI from this partnership?
Partnership with IPL is an innovative take on conventional marketing activities. Hence, measuring their ROI requires going beyond traditional metrics. We are aware that viewership numbers and brand mentions are important when it comes to prominent sporting events like these. Hence, we follow a strategic, holistic approach to maximize our ROI from such associations.
This helps us boost visibility and drive business for our channel partners, in addition to improving brand recall, GRP numbers, etc. We track metrics like website traffic and social media analytics, conduct brand lift studies, and even measure the efficacy of performance marketing campaigns to gauge engagement, brand perception, and sales impact.
5. How does Greenpanel utilize DC players effectively in its ad campaigns and digital customer touchpoints?
Last year, we launched our maiden TVC featuring the Delhi Capitals players and created the proposition Greenpanel- MDF ka doosra naam. This was promoted through a 360-degree marketing burst.
Through such partnerships, we aim to enhance our campaigns by featuring players who embody and mirror Greenpanel’s brand values like teamwork, resilience, and adaptability. Additionally, we make them the face of our social media marketing posts and digital campaigns to connect with their fans and expand our reach. We also utilize the players’ reputation and popularity to amplify our brand promotion initiatives. This year, we shot a digital film on the Women’s Day theme for WPL and will continue building momentum on our digital property ‘Most Dynamic Force’ (MDF) during the IPL driving engagement through social media contests etc.
6. Is the objective to have high visibility in the broadcast or is it more to do with association and storytelling with the team?
To be honest, partnerships like these are important from a myriad of aspects. The objective is not limited to one particular goal, and these critical decisions are fruitful from both marketing and business aspects. For a brand like Greenpanel, this association enables us to garner higher visibility, bolster our marketing initiatives to connect better with audiences, amplify our brand-building activities, and drive greater sales and high advocacy for the brand.
Visibility during broadcasts is crucial for brand awareness and strong brand recall. This helps us establish long-term associations with the team and its players and even strengthen our connections with our customers. At the same time, players are prominent celebrities, and making them the centre of attention in our engaging narratives bolsters our storytelling game. With their involvement, we create content that connects with fans and resonates with our brand values, fostering emotional connection and brand loyalty with them in the long run