Cricket is known in the U.S. about as much as the quantum mechanics behind the paradox of Schrodinger’s Cat. There are a few theories as to how nature collapses into one reality (the cat being either alive or dead), but we just don’t know.
Likewise, many American’s have seen cricket, and maybe even speculated upon the rules and how the game is played. Therefore, the cricket market in America is vastly untapped compared to other countries. Check out the ICC’s Beginner Guide here.
At the same time, Twitter in the land of the free is hugely popular, while other countries have yet to catch the Twitter bug.
So, with the 2015 Cricket World Cup underway, Twitter is unveiling some passion for the sport, sharing that passion through 140 character knowledge-bits, and searching for growth in one of their fastest growing markets: India.
#CWC2015 is where sports and social media business collide.
A Known: Brazil
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Twitter played a good hand, even by professional poker standards. By implementing a World Cup timeline, they showed no bluff when it came to their passion for fútbol.
Users could easily seek out matches, teams, players, and analysis via its own timeline. Not only that, but fans could show their support for their favorite teams through various implementations of their country’s flag right on the user interface.
Because Brazil, the home of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, is Twitter’s second largest market behind the U.S., there were so many opportunities to explore when it came time for kickoff.
An article from May 8th, 2013 explained how the micro-blogging company had major plans to capitalize on the advertising potential in Brazil.
Guilherme Ribenboimas, Country Manager for Brazil, explained: “We sell engagement and conversations. People use Twitter to share their opinion and get feedback, so there is an opportunity for advertisers to take part in meaningful conversations with their audience—and that’s our main focus.”
Part of this idea behind the “FIFAfication” of Twitter was to showcase Brazil and all the country has to offer. Couple that with the idea of spreading soccer knowledge and team spirit, and the folks at Twitter were onto something.
It wasn’t all about the company managing on its own, either. Not only did they already have some solid Brazilian partnerships, like Qualcomm and Vivo, but footballer Kaká had 12 million followers at the time as well.
With the second-screen trend already prevalent in Brazil, Twitter was well setup to put the World Cup on a pedestal.
A Known Unknown: India
Unfolding in a somewhat parallel fashion, the 2015 Cricket World Cup has already begun, and Twitter is looking to capitalize on the event.
Through #CWC2015, the social network is pushing to make news, scores, and highlights instantaneous, which, in this case, is a good thing.
For many, this access to information and the thrill of “having it out” against friendly foes can be reason enough for any fan to join Twitter. And seeing as Cricket is pretty prominent across the globe, new users could pop up anywhere.
But because India is one of Twitter’s fastest growing markets, the company’s campaign is zeroing in on the passionate country.
It’s true that Cricket is hugely popular in India.
In fact, it’s nearly an understatement. So, a sport that is full of energy and spectacular plays actually fits well with Twitter’s “all-in-one” timeline.
But, what exactly is Twitter doing to capture these avid fans?
Much like the FIFA World Cup campaign, Twitter has Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their side. 15 tweets went out to each member of the national team, just two days before the start of the Cup, simply wishing each player luck.
I am sure your spin bowling will surprise the batsman & give us victory. Play well @Ashwinravi99! My good wishes.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 12, 2015
The Prime Minister has 10.2 million followers, so no need to discuss the impact of each 140 character message.
But besides politically backed sports tweets, Twitter has been steadily growing its India support team. And in what may be a move only described as genius, the social media channel recently acquired ZipDial.
Check this out: “ZipDial has built a mobile platform that lets people follow and engage with content across all interfaces. The user experience combines SMS, voice, mobile web, and access to mobile apps to bridge users from offline to online. For example, through ZipDial, it’s easy to engage with a publisher or brand by making a toll-free “missed call” to a designated phone number. The caller will then begin receiving inbound content and further engagement on their phone in real time through voice, SMS or an app notification. These interactions are especially appealing in areas where people aren’t always connected to data or only access data through intermittent wifi networks.”
In other words, people can still see their TweetStream, even when they’ve lost the signal to their mobile network. This plays well with Neilsen’s 2013 report, stating that about 81 percent of people in India have a mobile phone, which makes the social network readily available.
So, while fans are equipped to tweet via mobile devices, Twitter is also able to capitalize on the screens that take priority over mobile.
TV to Help Reach Fans
In order for fans to twebate [Verb – to debate via Twitter] a Leg Before Wicket call–which turns out is more controversial than a strike called on a low sinker in baseball–fans must be able to see the action.
Through TV network support, primary screens are actually helping fans adopt Twitter as their second-screen.
According to the Forbes article linked above: “@TwitterIndia just released the results of a self-commissioned survey which found that 89 percent of Twitter users in India are cricket fans, 84 percent are planning to follow the Cricket World Cup, and two in three say they’ll be tweeting about it.”
With extra support from networks like Star Sports, Twitter will easily become the go-to, second-screen app for fans in India.
The sports network is running a campaign called #WontGiveItBack, based on the India’s big 2011 Cricket World Cup win.
Campaigns like this make it easier for an ever-expanding social network, like Twitter, to uncover new markets and capitalize on those they already have.
It’s clear that Twitter took the success of their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign and retrofitting it to work for the #CWC2015.
While it’s not guaranteed to work, the organization has set itself up with the proper tools for gaining new followers.
Afterall, they should be better at that than anyone, right?