How Myntra is using IPL to build deeper connections and drive brand salience before its Big Fashion Festival

• Myntra is expecting a 2x growth in sales compared to last year’s Big Fashion Festival.
• To drive more engagement and bring in a new set of audience before its big sale day, Myntra has made its debut partnership with Indian Premier League’s Mumbai Indians, Royal Challenge Banglore and Chennai Super Kings, which are also the top most important markets for the brand.
• Achint Setia, Vice President, Marketing, Myntra speaks to us on how Myntra is using IPL as a platform to strengthen their presence.

With the Big Fashion Festival around the corner, fashion ecommerce firm Myntra is leaving no stone unturned to bring in more audience. It is expecting a 2x growth in sales than last year’s Fashion Festival.

Since Indian Premier League brings in a huge opportunity for brands to ride on the wave of blitz and fervor in the country, Myntra has partnered with IPL’s most-talked about teams such as Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super King.

Myntra is the official fashion sponsor for RCB and its logo can be seen on the right chest patch of their jersey. Mumbai, considered the hub and trendsetter for fashion and style, is one of the most crucial markets for Myntra. So the brand is the presenting partner for Mumbai Indians and has placed its logo across MI’s team branding and communications. MI’s team merchandise and memorabilia, including autographed bats and jerseys, are up for grabs on Myntra. To engage with these viewers on social media and on its platform, Myntra is offering daily prizes for participating in its interactive contests around the cricketing extravaganza.

The fashion firm is also targeting women with its branding activity by featuring female fan influencers on its platform. The idea is to not only drive conversational content about the brand, but also bypass any notion of cricket being only a ‘gentleman’s game.’

We caught up with Achint Setia, Vice President, Marketing, Myntra to understand the thought behind partnering with three IPL teams, marketing strategy to leverage IPL’s buzz before its Big Fashion Festival and plan to target women through the match.

Excerpts:

Q. What was the thought behind partnering with Mumbai Indians this year?

Mumbai’s importance to retail businesses can hardly be understated and tying up with the city’s most prominent sports team will only further solidify Myntra’s position in a crucial market ahead of the festive season. This partnership will help Myntra cement itself as the go-to fashion destination in Mumbai, considered the hub for everything fashion and style in India, and leverage Mumbai Indians’ huge salience with cricket fans across the nation. Factors such as team popularity and style quotient were also given great consideration when opting for team partners this IPL season.

Q. What kind of response are you expecting for MI’s team merchandise and memorabilia, including autographed bats and jerseys, that are up for grabs on Myntra?

MI’s team merchandise and memorabilia will go live on Myntra soon. However, to entice the biggest customers of Mumbai Indians, Myntra does have a limited selection of autographed bats and jerseys up for grabs on its platform for lucky fans.

Q. What do your marketing plans look like for IPL?

Myntra has ensured to implement a multi-pronged holistic approach, to drive higher brand relevance not only in the key metro markets but also in T2/T3 and southern markets. Our key goal is to ensure Myntra has a prominent space in the key touch points with potential customers ahead of its blockbuster sale events for the festive season. Within that strategy, we believe that cricket in general, specifically the IPL makes for a key touch point and will help Myntra expand into newer markets.

This festive season, our marketing efforts will further drive conversations around the brand through the star-studded campaigns with celebrity brand ambassadors, who have a wide audience appeal reaching all corners of the country, including a strong influence in Tier II and Tier III markets. Positioning Myntra as a style expert, the latest campaigns clearly bring out Myntra as one of the leading fashion destinations in the country while showcasing our tech capabilities through key differentiators such as Myntra Studio, Size & Fit Recommendations, and Photo search.

Q. Myntra also intends to integrate itself more naturally to the ‘Virtual Wankhede’ concept by featuring women fan influencers. Have brands finally started recognising/accepting the fact that IPL also has a female audience? Do you think more traditional brands will start catering to them now or are we still far away from that?

Interactive and unique concepts such as ‘Virtual Wankhede’, which was developed in association with the Mumbai Indians, has ensured Myntra leads the way in terms of virtual fan engagement innovations. This platform provides MI’s army of fans with an opportunity to cheer their favourite team alongside fellow supporters, connected virtually.

IPL is among the biggest sporting events in India and brands have always recognized the vast women fan-base for the event. Brands featuring women fan influencers and women-centric concepts have already been visible through the years and are not something new. With IPL being a co-viewing event, the type of brands sponsoring the tournament usually tends to have a sizable female customer-base. We feel it is important for both legacy brands as well as millennial brands to engage with women in some form, to build loyalty and stay relevant among its TG.

Q. The format is different this year. So how do you think things will be different for you as a partner? As a partner, what are your expectations from IPL 2020?

The IPL is the biggest cricket league in the world and among India’s most-anticipated sporting events in any given year. This year, there is even more reason for brands to be associated with the IPL as the competition overlaps with the upcoming festive season, which is the most important and biggest period for shopping.

Furthermore, Myntra is keen to form deep connections with users across the country and firmly believes that engaging with prospective customers at all possible and relevant touch points is crucial to this vision. Cricket is a key touch point as it is the most popular sport in India and has intricately weaved itself into an important part of the history and culture of the nation. The IPL has generated significant traction since its inception, and its popularity and viewership continues to rise. The viewership numbers from the first week of the tournament are extremely promising despite no audiences being allowed at stadiums.

Q. How do you plan to engage more closely with consumers, considering activations won’t be allowed this year and there won't be a live audience?

There has been strong user engagement through social media, via the RCB, CSK, MI and Myntra handles, where customers can win unique daily prizes by participating in interactive contests around the cricketing extravaganza.

We have also revamped the IPL store on the platform to drive further conversations among our customers with unique offers and deals as well as providing contextually engaging and reliable content which includes the use of appropriate cricketing terminology. IPL has also come up with innovations by bringing in the virtual crowd noise, virtual meet and greet with top fans, and creating a perception for viewers that there is enough support for their teams.