Dream11's new ads take on Indian ways of 'timepass'

The ads by Tilt Brand Solutions featuring an array of Indian cricketers, urge users to get on the app and play.

The title sponsor of the IPL 2020 has been keeping busy since the tournament began. Their latest advertising efforts are a series of 10 second ads on their YouTube channel.

The first ad features Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians captain and Indian national cricket team's vice captain asking a bored young man to stop playing with bubble wrap and play on Dream11 instead.

The ads take on the very 'Indian' phenomenon of 'timepass' - a blanket term used to describe inane activities that a person indulges in, in their free time. Normally, it's perceived as unproductive, so the brand's positioning is a logical one.

Another ad features Shikhar Dhawan - a left-handed opening batsman who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Another ad in the series features another Delhi Capitals player - Rishabh Pant, who is also the wicketkeeper for the Indian national cricket team.

Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata Knight Riders captain also stars in one of the ad films.

Tilt Brand Solutions has also released a set of ads with the cricketers starring in Gully cricket matches that aim to strike a chord of nostalgia, taking viewers back to memories of crickets played in street corners on sunny afternoons.

"Long before stadiums, cricket was and continues to be played in the streets. Here, the game has its own rules and everyone must abide by them, no matter how big a star," reads the video's YouTube description. It adds that most players hold on to these memories, no matter where they go or what they do.

Dream11 bid Rs 222 crore to be the IPL title sponsor. Last week, it released a series of ads to explain the workings of the Dream11 app. There has been an increase in interest in fantasy gaming since the lockdown began, with a newly launched KPMG report stating that the online gaming segment registered 45 per cent growth in revenues in FY20 with the user base surpassing 365 million by March 2020, with Real Money Games (RMG) – both card -based and fantasy seeing strong traction. Casual gaming also saw strong consumption uptake in FY20 with in-app monetisation also starting to see momentum.

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