The IPG Group Pakistan’s league management team has successfully launched the T10 Dubai league, along with complete management of the Pakhtoon, Punjabi Legends, and the Sindhis team. They received the most recent accolades in winning the bid for the sales media & and management rights for Lanka Premier League (LPL) and Singapore T10 League, expected to be launched in 2024.
The activation and digital arm of the company functions under ‘Out & About’ with a specialized cell for activation, LIVE streaming, digital highlights, ball-by-ball update technology, and sports social management.
After the success of the first-ever official HBLPSL Fantasy League, the IPG Group Pakistan’s in-depth digital sports experience continues to come up with innovative integrations such as virtual cricket activations and offer customized digital sponsorship opportunities in major leagues such as HBLPSL and LPL.
The IPG Group Pakistan launched its first-ever night cricket tournament in the UAE in 2017, targeted towards the blue-collar residents in the month of Ramzan. The response and effectiveness of the activation were undeniable.
“We were all quick to realize that cricket once again can serve as a unifying sport for our people,” observes Jawad Ghulam Rasool, CEO, The IPG Group Pakistan & Out & About.
In the following years, the IPG Group Pakistan, along with Out & About (partner company), initiated a specialized cell dedicated to refining communication and access to the labor camps targeting the KPIs of the remittance industry.
“When our friends from HBL approached us to take on our first-ever remittance project in the UAE, we knew that this is a special market and that a simple kiosk and a handful of BAs won’t be enough. The brief was simple – educate blue-collar Pakistanis on the legal money-sending channels to Pakistan. The approach needed thought and understanding of the targeted community. We quickly realized the gap for light moments for the blue-collar worker. This is a sector that makes a considerable contribution to Pakistan’s economy but unfortunately is also the most neglected. This required a sensitive approach.” Added Jawad Ghulam Rasool.
The concept of HBL KA HERO came to life, and the second leg of the campaign was launched in March & April this year. HBL officials shared their views on the remittance drive.
“The effort is to recognize the contribution of the overseas Pakistani Diaspora in channelizing the legal flows. This is the first time that we have combined a festival with sports. The IPG Group Pakistan has served as a great partner to execute this vision and supported us in creating inroads whilst building a relationship with our customers-being a specialist in sports and events. The success of the drive is a true testament that commemorates well with our ethos of enabling dreams….” commented, Syed Ahsan Abbas – Head Global Remittance – HBL.
About HBL KA HERO with Jawad Ghulam Rasool (CEO, The IPG Group Pakistan & Out & About)
Tell us a little about the event strategy?
Tape ball cricket culture is at the heart of Pakistan. It made sense to bring a format that originated from the streets of Pakistan back to its people.
The basis of our event strategy was to execute an event as a reminder to our countrymen of the proud heritage that we carry with cricket. Who better to represent it than the products of tape ball with international recognition – Imran Nazir and Mohammad Irfan?
This has been the first of its kind, in terms of the high level of tournament management with LIVE streaming providing access to the global market viewership.
What was the thought behind choosing Imran Nazir and Mohammad Irfan?
Imran Nazir and Mohammad Irfan were the ideal campaign ambassadors to lead the campaign. The participation of cricketing heroes representing tape ball contributed to the spirit of Pakistani cricket. Their popularity was evident in the response we received from the Pakistani
diaspora.
What is your company’s vision for taking this further?
Tape ball night cricket has age-old roots in Pakistan and, frankly, not practiced enough on international grounds. The IPG Group Pakistan started to tap into conscious sports for blue-collar workers through night cricket with the first execution in the UAE in 2017. We have, since then, refined our systems with lessons learned and each year take it to a bigger scale with more innovations. So onwards and upwards!
What is special about this corporate drive?
I mean, this is professional cricket league management involving team naming /kit designs & reveal /referees/ commentators and ground branding with corporate intentions behind it. Our cricket management team and corporate events cell work hand in hand to deliver a drive of this scale. The marketing pre-hype build-up was spanned across over three countries (UAE – Muscat KSA), generating a high-spirited impact on the target audience.
What digital strategies were applied to the campaign?
Live streaming and ball-by-ball automated scoring of the matches opened up global corridors for viewership with access to a vast number of Pakistanis, not only in the GCC region but also in Europe, America and South America. The possibilities of corporate integrations, specifically in the remittance industry, become limitless with this feature.
How would you gauge the success of the HBL KA HERO Drive?
A total of 30,000 Pakistani diasporas have been accessed and have participated in the three HBL KA HERO campaigns across the GCC region, not to mention the brand relation that has strengthened with the HBL customer. We can confidentially claim that this campaign has not only been a success but also has also demonstrated the potential for future campaign growth.
The IPG Group Pakistan plans to develop conscious sports specializing in cricket activation in the GCC region whilst serving the remittance industry.
“With this opportunity to serve the remittance market consistently, whether it be for PRI, Roshan Digital Account Initiative, or GRB, we have realized the true power of serving our community and working towards our nation’s prosperity. It has been a privilege to contribute to the future with our biggest two national assets — the people and cricket!”, Jawad Ghulam Rasool concludes.
Reflecting on the success of the event Mohammad Irfan states, “It has been a great experience working with the IPG Group, Pakistan, and HBL. Living in Pakistan, one tends to forget the patriotism that exists overseas for our great nation and how cultural representation creates an atmosphere of patriotic driven unity. What a treat to watch Pakistanis battle it out in a format that is so close to my heart (tape ball) as it has made me who I am today. If I really think about it, tape ball cricket is where it all began for me.”
“This is the second time that I have had the pleasure of representing Pakistan Ka Hero in the GCC. The IPG Group Pakistan and HBL have created an opportunity for cricket lovers like myself to have a day filled with moments that remind them of home.” Imran Nazir- World Class Cricketer