The recently concluded India vs England Test series, also called the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (name changed from Pataudi Trophy), gave us plenty of moments to rejoice for both the English and the Indian sides. Fans from both countries thronged the stadiums for all 5 Test matches, each of which lasted all 5 days. Cricket fans all around the globe will take back countless memories to cherish a lifetime, as they might look back at this series with the fondest memories in the future.
Besides the beauty of the see-saw nature of this series, one that swung in both India’s and England’s favor from time to time, fans who have followed the series closely will also find several life lessons hidden within it. Some of those lessons are very important to note from a marketing standpoint.
Here are 7 such marketing lessons that this enthralling Test series had to offer.
1. Audience Engagement is Key
In any marketing strategy, it is extremely important to keep note of what the audience responds to. The whole point of marketing is to make it more accessible, affordable, enjoyable, and generally consumable to the audience. Therefore, to market and package any product or service to the audience for sale is of imperative importance. The Test series between India and England was no different.
While there has been a lot of lionization of the quality of cricket played between both sides, and rightfully so, it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful in sheer numbers if the series hadn’t been marketed properly to the right audience. From making the pitches batting-friendly, so that each match gets lengthy, to scheduling most matches on either Tuesday or Wednesday, so that the main action days fall on either Sunday or Saturday, there is a lot that the organizers got right in terms of marketing.
There has been a lot of talk about whether or not Test cricket is on a decline in popularity. Therefore, it has become very urgent to save the format for the auteurs in the game. To do so, it is very important to bring in more money into the game, and that can only be done by marketing the format in the best possible way. While the quality of cricket will do heavy lifting in driving popularity, one cannot simply guarantee that all the time.
2. Hence, other areas need to be perfect
Graphic design of scorecards and scoreboards that are pleasing to the eye of the audience, broadcasting it on multiple streaming platforms, several cricket podcasts discussing each day of the Test match with enough enthusiasm, bringing the games live in the right possible time for the TV audience, curating action-packed highlights reel for watching later, social media engagement, and other modes of fan engagements on the ground, etc., are just some areas the Test series got it spot on.
All of these were done to drive more fans to watch Test cricket, which worked. Audience engagement is the prime focus of any Marketing 101 lesson, since that is where all the money lies.
3. Patience & Perseverance Pays Off
In any marketing department, you won’t always find a constant success graph that is always on the rise. There will be stagnant periods, and sometimes low periods. However, what will get you through such tough periods and see success again is ‘Patience’ and ‘Perseverance’.
What better format of sports exists that exemplifies these features, i.e., perseverance and patience, than Test cricket? There have been so many such moments in this Test series between India and England, where either side was out of contention from winning a match. India were, on two occasions, so far beyond in some games that it looked nearly impossible for them to come back.
However, in each and every occasion, both teams made comebacks by being patient and persevering through difficult periods. They had weathered the storm and then enjoyed the calm. So many times it looked as if a wicket wouldn’t be falling anytime soon, and then, as the teams kept their patience, they were rewarded with a flurry of wickets. Example – India beating England by 6 runs after England needed 73 runs to win with 7 wickets in hand; they had just forged a partnership of 195 runs for the 4th wicket.
But India kept their cool, they stuck to the same line and length, stayed patient and persevered through the tough onslaught of Harry Brook and the clinical innings of Joe Root. Eventually, they got the breakthrough they wanted. Once Brook was dismissed, a series of wickets fell in quick succession. The marketing lesson to learn here is that every tough period can be weathered off significantly with time, patience, and perseverance.
4. Calculated Risks
While a large portion of this Test series was about sticking to basics and not deviating from plans, there have also been some exceptional moments that changed the flow of the game. Such moments are nearly impossible to produce without taking risks from time to time. Shubman Gill kept the field spread wide on the final day of the final test, when it was clear as day that Gus Atkinson would take a single to keep strike. Ben Stokes kept bowling from one end and kept the field close during the Lord’s Test when they had to defend 193 runs against a quality Indian batting lineup.
These are two examples of calculated risks taken, since both teams had very few runs to defend at that stage. In both cases, and many such similar cases throughout the series, the teams that took such risks were rewarded and ended up on the winning side. Risk-taking is always a high-reward high high-loss option, and it almost becomes a necessary move when push comes to shove.
Marketing is no different in the long run. While nicely crafted and formulated plans will take you far enough, it won’t always bring you guaranteed success. There will be difficult times and increasingly difficult challenges at times. During then, no decision will look like the correct one. However, a good marketer will take calculated risks and get the job done in time.
5. Planning
While this is a given, it is worth mentioning that thorough Planning is a non-negotiable when it comes to winning crunch moments. Whether it’s a Test match between teams like India and England, or a successful marketing event. Looking back closely at the India vs England Test series, you will find countless moments where the bowlers, batters, and fielders came out with a clear plan. They then executed it with complete accuracy.
Therefore, it isn’t just about the plan itself, but the execution of the plan as well. It involves a clear role-appointment of each batter, bowler, and fielder. Similarly, in marketing, where a team works together to complete a project successfully, clear role designations are very important.
Each individual should be perfectly aware of their role in the team; they must go out and execute it with enough panache and no nervousness. This is almost guaranteed to bring you success more times than not. This is, therefore, an important lesson to learn in marketing.
6. Knowledge About Your Opponents
Since India and England were playing the Test series, two very heavyweight sides that play a lot of Test cricket, it was always going to provide an extra advantage to study each other’s opponents. Nowadays, with the advent and extent of technology and data science, every parameter can be judged to figure out each player’s weaknesses and strengths.
There is no doubt that both India and England did the same. This must’ve helped either team’s bowlers to bowl in vulnerable areas to specific batters, and vice-versa for batters. The main point of learning about your opponent is to give you an extra edge even before you take the ground.
While marketing doesn’t quite operate in the same field as sports with one opponent against you, the competitive edge is still prevalent. Therefore, for any marketing department to rise to the top, it is important that they learn about their competitors and make a thorough case study about each of them.
Once they do that, they can then chart their own strategy and figure out new and unique ways to beat their competitors. Therefore, knowledge about your opponents or competitors is very important to be successful.
7. Workload Management
The term ‘Workload Management’ has become increasingly prevalent in the modern-day sporting context, mainly due to the excessive nature of sports matches played nowadays. In cricket, there are three formats – T20, ODI, and Test cricket, and either of these formats are almost happening all the time. Cricketers who are 3-format players need rest in between series, for their mind, body, and soul.
However, the modern-day schedule of cricket doesn’t allow for much rest. Hence, it becomes increasingly important to manage the workload of important players. The best example here is Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah almost always performs exceptionally without fail in any format.
But he can’t keep on giving all the time without his body breaking down. This is where ‘Workload Management’ becomes increasingly important. Ben Stokes, Joffra Archer, and Chris Woakes of England also require appropriate workload management to perform with maximum efficiency and impact when they do. This can very well be a learning lesson in marketing as well, where the increasing pressures of modern-day corporate life can take a toll on physical and mental health. Hence, just like in sports, it is also important to manage the workload of team members in a marketing department.
Belief – While this is more of a Universal mantra for success, it became very popular after Mohammed Siraj, Man of the Match in the 5th Test between India and England, used it to convey his winning mindset to the press. Belief is extremely important to find success, even when the odds are relatively low. Siraj did that when England needed only 35 runs to win and had 4 wickets in hand.
He picked up 3 of those 4 wickets to guide India to victory. Similarly, a strong belief system will always yield results in marketing as well. Despite following the plan and working hard, the results might not always show in marketing. It could be due to a variety of factors, not least of which is competition from other companies. However, if one believes in themselves, their work ethic, and the process, then there is always a chance of success even in the darkest of possibilities.
