Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Courts Cricket Fans to Expand Reach

Wimbledon Courts India: Leveraging Cricket to Broaden its Appeal

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market by collaborating with cricket, a sport deeply ingrained in the nation's culture. This initiative involves leveraging the popularity of Indian cricketers and integrating cricket elements into Wimbledon's promotional activities.

Prominent 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), the host of the Wimbledon Championships. Their presence has significantly boosted the tournament's visibility and engagement in India. Rohit Sharma's photo on Wimbledon's Instagram account garnered a record-breaking 4.5 million likes, underscoring the power of this cross-promotional strategy.

According to AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton, India and the US are key markets for expanding the Wimbledon brand. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, explained the strategy in an interview with TimesofIndia.com: "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. Both sports are rich in heritage... So I think there's interesting ways to be able to bring that to life for audiences, so that they might want to come and watch it as well."

Collaborative Initiatives

Wimbledon is actively pursuing various collaborative ventures to enhance its connection with the Indian audience:

• Influencer Engagement: Partnering with Indian social media influencers to provide them with unique experiences, such as attending a Test match at Lord's and then visiting the Wimbledon Championships.
• Cross-Promotional Content: Working closely with broadcast partner Star Sports to create tennis-cricket crossover trailers that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Despite its prestige, Wimbledon recognizes the potential for further growth, particularly in India. With 60-70 million engagements last year across broadcast and social media, and a potential audience of over a billion, the tournament sees significant "headroom" in the Indian market, especially among its young population.

Focus on Younger Audiences

Wimbledon is prioritizing younger audiences through targeted content strategies on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Dinen emphasized the importance of engaging these demographics by creating content centered around tennis, utilizing social media platforms, influencers, and content creators.

Overcoming Challenges

One obstacle to hosting events in India is the monsoon season. To address this, AELTC is collaborating with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in large-screen theaters, providing an immersive viewing experience.

Leveraging Star Power

Inviting Indian cricket icons like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, a venue frequented by celebrities and royalty, is another tactic to generate buzz and capitalize on their massive social media followings.

Embracing Technology

Wimbledon is embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. The tournament has partnered with IBM to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its app and website. The 'Match Chat' assistant provides real-time answers to fans' questions, offering immediate responses and match analysis.

Dinen concluded, "We continue to embrace technology, and it sits at the heart of the balance between heritage and innovation... So we absolutely want to make sure we bring the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."