Source: Afaqs

Imagine this: you’re watching the match, totally caught up in the action, and then—just like that—you’re connected to an app that lets you predict plays, score outcomes, and more, all in real-time. Every prediction you nail brings instant rewards—VIP experiences or limited-edition swag. It’s like gaming the game while you’re watching it. This seamless and fun experience will awaken your purchase intent.

With over 600 million viewers and ad spends topping Rs 10,000 crore, IPL isn’t just India’s biggest cricket event—it’s a marketing juggernaut. But here’s a question: how many of these brands really enjoy an ROI boost after the season?

Studies have shown that being visible to the audience doesn’t cut it anymore. Brands need real traction—engaged fans and increased brand loyalty that lead to higher sales.

This is rooted in the fact that today’s IPL audience is far from passive. They’re on multiple devices engaging in myriad ways like predicting match outcomes, playing games, participating in live polls, and sharing their opinions on social media. So, how do brands grab their attention in this digital-first era? The answer lies in gamification.

Intent of gamification

The stark reality of today’s fast-paced world is that only brands that mix engagement with incentives can create repeated interactions. So, brands need to shelve ads that feel like background noise.

Enter gamification—the golden ticket to brand engagement. Today, brands leverage it by creating predict and win games that allow fans to predict match outcomes, answer trivia questions that produce real-time engagement, and climbing leaderboards that eventually allow them to earn rewards.

The game of boosting sales

Engagement is great, but what after? It’s clear—brands want to influence purchase behaviour. Gone are the days when gamification was just a feel-good element. By tapping into the audience’s natural love for rewards and competition, gamification translates interaction into transaction.

The more the customers feel like they ‘earned’ a reward, the higher their purchase intent!

Take the Cadbury ‘play more & score more’ campaign. Fans got in on the action with daily cricket trivia quizzes and live match predictions, earning ‘runs’ as they played along.

Each ‘run’ brought them exclusive prizes. It was a winning combo that got fans coming back for more, turning every play into a reason to keep shopping.

In 2025, such reward mechanisms will bridge the gap between fan engagement and purchase intent. This is reflected in the fact that top-performing reward programs are known to increase their annual revenue from participating customers by 15% to 25%.

The game of cutting-edge technology

In 2025, the key is to understand that gamification will be more powerful when combined with cutting-edge technologies like AI, augmented reality (AR), and VR.

These technologies have shaped storytelling by adding a layer of emotion between the brands and their audience. Not only that, but they also allow brands to tailor games based on an individual’s engagement data or personalise rewards based on previous purchases.

For instance, Sunfeast Dark Fantasy hit a home run at IPL last season with its digital contest. They teamed up with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for its #ALotCanHappenInside campaign.

They encouraged fans to snap action-packed pics using fun Facebook filters and share them on social channels by tagging Sunfeast and the hashtag.

The best entries won exclusive virtual meet-and-greets with RCB players and scored some cool merchandise—proving that gamification, when combined with the right technology, can produce incredible results.

Conclusion

Gamification is no longer optional in performance marketing! This shift from mass advertising to immersive marketing experiences is already pushing brands to rethink engagement strategies. And the numbers don’t lie; brands using gamification see engagement rates increase by up to 80% and a 70% boost in purchase intent.

As we move into IPL 2025, brands that embrace gamification will not only win the battle for attention—they’ll drive measurable engagement, influence sales, and capture rich data that further helps in creating meaningful engagement.

The question isn’t whether to gamify, but how far and how effectively can you gamify to turn fan engagement into real-world results?