Dabang Delhi K.C.’s 'Bura Na Mano' campaign ensures the franchise tops the table even off the mat

Dabang Delhi KC, owned by DO IT Sports Management have had a dream run this season of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League. Winning 13 out of their 16 matches with just 2 losses thus far, the Delhi based franchise have stamped their authority as table toppers.

Interestingly, their celebrations are not only limited to their success inside the arena. Dabang Delhi’s success is also noteworthy on the marketing front. As one of the teams with the highest sponsorship value, the best ticket sales during their home leg and the highest fan engagement this season - the Dabang’s from Delhi are relishing success off the mat too!

The success of their latest campaign, #BuraNaMaanoDilliHai, a campaign that stands out from typical sports communication and sets out to relate to the most hardcore Kabaddi fans and quintessential Delhi-ites, has given the team their highest fan engagement and ticket sales across all 7 seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League.

The campaign was rolled out by Dabang Delhi, even before the league started; at the auction stages with their corporate team proudly wearing “heart + hustle + swagger” on their t-shirts. The team believes this insight to be the identity of their campaign #BuraNaMaanoDilliHai.

Commenting on this, Sumeet Yadav, Group CEO DO IT Sports said, “Celebrating Delhi for what it is, is something that resonated with our fanbase. Yes, Delhi can be loud and irrational, but it is also sweet, brave, and is known to think, speak and act from the heart. We arrived at a simple guiding principle Heart + Hustle + Swagger and felt this perfectly captured the spirit of Delhi. This led us to the campaign line "Bura Na Mano, Dilli Hai".

A line that acknowledges the heart, the swagger, the irrational behaviour and adopts it as its own. A line that says, ‘No offence, but this is who we are,” he added.

As part of this campaign, Dabang Delhi has launched short films across digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to enable sharing and engagement. These campaign videos generated 3 lakh views across social media platforms. Their fan engagement has grown by 380% across all digital assets and has reaped dividends in the form of thumping ticket sales for the club.

“Bura Na Mano, Dilli Hai” celebrates Delhi in a unique, tongue-in-cheek manner. When the campaign was being thought of, we realised that there are traits and cultural tropes about Delhi that are misrepresented. It's in the culture of Delhi to be unabashed, to be boisterous, excessive and to show a bravado that pushes the envelope sometimes. Dabang Delhi Kabaddi Club used this as a distinct voice and identity rooted in its city of origin, celebrating what other’s eschewed and it has paid off! Our fans love the campaign and have lauded all of the content we’ve created as a part of it!” said Yadav.

Conceptualised by Turmeriq Integrated Marketing Solutions Pvt. Ltd., the campaign, Bura Na Mano Dilli Hai is a sentiment that aims to unite PKL fans to cheer for Dabang Delhi KC.

"While conceptualising the campaign, we wanted to drive familiarity and relatability between every Delhi-ite and the Dabang Delhi KC brand. It was important to make the unapologetic attitude of the city the reason to buy for fans. Bura Na Mano Dilli Hai embodied the Delhi attitude perfectly.

The first set of films showcased familiar, everyday Delhi experiences reinterpreted through the lens of Kabaddi fans. The second set expressed nail-biting PKL moments with quintessential Delhi vocabulary. The campaign helped even non-PKL followers find love for Kabaddi and Dabang Delhi KC. The campaign has done very well organically, and continues to drive a unique and strong identity for the Dabang Delhi brand" said Rahul Guha, CEO of Turmeriq.

Adopting a 360-degree approach, the franchise extended #BuraNaManoDilliHai to Outdoor, Cinema, Merchandise and Below the line activations. Dabang Delhi T-shirts with clever slogans such as, “Tu jaanta nahin mera raider kaun hai?” have been captured on live TV, spurring demand.

The success of the campaign offline is evident in the fact that the club sold out their tickets for all six days of the Delhi leg of PKL. A strong digital campaign backed by a great offline extension has kept the cash registers ringing for Dabang Delhi – giving the franchise more than one reason to celebrate!