IPL 2018: 5 best ads in the history of IPL

The Indian Premier League is definitely India ka tyohaar, as the action isn't limited to the cricket field. The promotional events, social media interactions, fan activities, cheerleaders and much more are as much a part of the IPL as are the players and the matches. It qualifies to be a complete entertainment package with quick games, record-breaking performances and overachieving advertisements.

Just like any other film or TV show, IPL season starts off with a proper trailer. In each season, the makers ensure a theme for the ads and they've proven to be catchy all the time. This time, Star Sports have gone with the idea of 'Best vs Best' with the ads highlighting 'sher se sher bhidega toh sher hi jeetega' (literal translation would be - if a lion takes on a lion, the emerging champion would be a lion itself).

With few hours left to the 11th edition of the IPL, here's looking back at 5 of the best IPL ads of all times...

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#1 Vodafone ZooZoo

The most vital part of IPL season is the Vodafone's ZooZoo ads. These little creatures were included in IPL's ads since the second edition of the league, in 2009. The ads were shot by Bengaluru based Nirvana Films in Cape Town, South Africa, directed by Prakash Varma. They shot the first set of ZooZoo ads in a record time of 10 days.

It was definitely a hit among the Indians who absolutely loved the goofiness and alien language that was used in the ads. Today, there are more than 200 pages and a fan base of over 2.5 lakhs, growing by the minute, dedicated to them.

#2 Kanna keep calm

Watch “IPL Star Sports - Kanna Keep Calm” on #Vimeo https://t.co/lUjYrjNgQc

— Raina (@Rainatwittz) April 5, 2018

One of the best IPL ads to take on the screen came during the 7th season in 2014. Taking inspiration from the 'keep calm and...' trend, it was conceptualised by Lowe Lintas & Partners’ two agencies – Lowe Lintas and LinTeractive.

The Star Sports handle had created conversations around the campaign phrase. The #KannaKeepCalm quiz was launched on Twitter right when the IPL 7 kicked off. With two innings of 20 questions each, one had to follow the brand’s Twitter page and answer IPL related questions quickly to stand a chance to win JBL speakers, iPad Air and 'Kanna keep calm' tees.

The post-match presentations also included a 'Kanna keep calm' award to the player who remained calm during tense situations in the matches.

#3 Come on, bulaava aaya hai

While Hotstar trended the 'Kanna keep calm' ads, Sony channel started the 'Come on bulaava aaya hai' ad campaign. People from all walks of life were shown dropping everything they were doing immediately and making their way back home to watch the Indian Premier League. This catchy ad was created by DDB Mudra.

The song became so popular (like every other ad campaign's) that until today, the Google results provide the download links to the song. It trended as ringtones for quite some time during the 7th season.

#4 Crash the IPL screen

In the next season, IPL moved into the phase of audience interaction. With “Crash the Pepsi IPL,” Pepsi challenged consumers to make a 30 second Pepsi ad, with winning entries replacing the brand’s official ad on-air during the 8th season running from April 8 to May 24, 2015. The #LiveItAbhi and #TimeToDikhao hashtags spread like wildfire.

Crash the IPL became the largest and most successful crowdsourced advertising campaign in Indian history, with more than 2,700 ads generated across five weeks. Pepsi reached 68 million consumers and enjoyed over Rs.90 million worth of free PR.

#5 Ek India happy wala

In 2016, for the 9th edition of IPL, the league arrived with a wish, and a message, ‘Ek India Happy Wala’ reflecting the mood of the country at the time, pushing for happiness, unity and harmony between all. This was made by DDB Mudra for the third straight year.

The anthem in the commercials was made by ace music director duo, Salim-Sulaiman with Raj Pandit.