MUMBAI: When (and NOT if it increasingly looks likely) the dates for the thirteenth edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League are finalised, one entity that will reportedly NOT be joining the party at the world’s most lucrative annual cricketing event is US food and beverages giant Coca-Cola.
Coca Cola was one of the IPL’s biggest on-air advertisers last year, and ended up spending Rs 1.35 billion with Star Sports as co-presenting sponsors. However, it is planning to scale down its annual advertising of Rs 5 billion on cricket and IPL 2020 is likely to be the biggest casualty, according to the Economic Times.
This year too, ahead of IPL 2020, Coca-Cola was in talks with the broadcaster to renew the on-air partnership and had also signed an official beverage partnership with IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, ET further reports. However, those plans might not go forward as the brand will reportedly stay away from IPL 2020, according to the business daily.
“The April-June quarter accounts for nearly half of annual soft drink sales in India, and remains the peak advertising and marketing window for soft drinks makers, coinciding with both IPL and the ICC World Cup. Even if the IPL is held later in the year, Coca-Cola may scale down exposure to cricket, in a reversal of its earlier plans,” an industry source informed ET.
