Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Leveraging Cricket to Ace New Markets

Wimbledon Courts India: A Strategic Play Beyond Cricket's Boundary

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market by leveraging the popularity of cricket. Figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have frequented the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), signaling the tournament's intent to broaden its appeal.

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According to AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton, India and the US are key markets for expanding the Wimbledon brand. Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, told TimesofIndia.com, "Cricket is much loved and certainly king for Indian audiences. So rather than trying to compete with that, I think it's about trying to find interesting ways to collaborate."

Wimbledon aims to find common ground between the two sports, emphasizing their rich heritage. Dinen highlighted ongoing England and India Test matches as opportunities to engage audiences and encourage them to watch tennis as well.

Wimbledon is collaborating with an Indian social media influencer, providing them with an exclusive experience at Lord's during a Test match followed by a visit to the Championships. This will be documented to engage their audience. Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner, created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the IPL.

Despite its prestige, Wimbledon recognizes the potential for further growth. Last year, the tournament had 60-70 million engagements across broadcast and social media platforms. With a potential audience of over a billion in India, there is substantial room for expansion, particularly among the country's young population.

Dinen emphasized the importance of younger audiences and content strategy, stating, "Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us... ensuring that we can have the content and different parts of the Championships, with tennis at the centre of that approach - whether that's through social media platforms or working with influencers and content creators - to be able to look to be able to engage those audiences."

Wimbledon acknowledges India's passion for sports, with cricket holding a dominant position. The tournament aims to broaden its appeal to wider audiences, particularly younger demographics, viewing it as integral to their plans.

To strengthen its connection with the Indian audience, Wimbledon hopes to organize events in India. The AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to showcase the finals in theaters.

Another strategy involves inviting Indian cricket icons like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, leveraging their significant social media presence.

Wimbledon embraces technology, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its app and website in collaboration with IBM. The 'Match Chat' assistant provides fans with immediate responses and match analysis during live matches, enhancing engagement.

Dinen stated, "We continue to embrace technology, and it sits at the heart of the balance between heritage and innovation... We've brought experiences to life in places like Roblox. So we absolutely want to make sure we bring the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."