Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Courts Cricket Fans to Ace Market Expansion

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market, leveraging the nation's passion for cricket to expand its global reach. High-profile Indian cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have been frequent attendees at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), signaling the tournament's intent to connect with the Indian audience.

Rohit Sharma's presence on Wimbledon's Instagram even generated a record-breaking 4.5 million likes, highlighting the potential for engagement within the Indian market.

Collaborating with Cricket

According to AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton, India and the US are key markets for brand expansion. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, explained to TimesofIndia.com the approach of collaboration rather than competition with cricket: "Cricket is much loved and certainly king for Indian audiences. So rather than trying to compete with that, I think it's about trying to find interesting ways to collaborate."

This strategy includes engaging with Indian social media influencers, offering them unique experiences like attending a Test match at Lord's followed by a visit to the Wimbledon Championships. Wimbledon also partnered with Star Sports to create a tennis-cricket crossover trailer during the IPL season.

Expanding Reach and Engaging Younger Audiences

Wimbledon recognizes the potential for growth, estimating 60-70 million engagements last year across broadcast and social media platforms. With over a billion people potentially interested in the Championships, India, with its large and young population, represents a significant opportunity.

Dinen emphasized the importance of engaging younger audiences through targeted content strategies on platforms like Instagram and YouTube: "Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us... ensuring that we can have the content and different parts of the Championships, with tennis at the centre of that approach."

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Innovation

Wimbledon aims to establish a deeper connection with the Indian audience by exploring opportunities to host events in India, despite the challenges posed by the monsoon season. In the meantime, AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters.

Another strategy involves inviting Indian cricket stars to the Royal Box, leveraging their extensive social media presence to generate buzz around the tournament.

Wimbledon is also embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. The tournament is utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its app and website, in coordination with IBM. The 'Match Chat' assistant provides real-time answers and match analysis to fans during live matches.

Dinen stated, "We continue to embrace technology, and it sits at the heart of the balance between heritage and innovation... We've brought experiences to life in places like Roblox. So we absolutely want to make sure we bring the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."