Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Beyond Cricket, Courtship of a Nation Begins

Wimbledon, a hallmark of tennis tradition, is strategically expanding its reach, setting its sights on the Indian market. While cricket reigns supreme in India, Wimbledon is exploring innovative collaborations to capture the attention of a nation with a burgeoning interest in diverse sports.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have frequented the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), the prestigious host of the Wimbledon Championships. Sachin Tendulkar's interaction with Roger Federer last year, and Rohit Sharma's Wimbledon Instagram post garnering 4.5 million likes are testaments to the crossover appeal.

Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of AELTC, has identified India and the US as key markets for expanding the brand's influence.

Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, emphasized the collaborative approach in an interview with 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. Both sports are rich in heritage...So I think there's interesting ways to be able to bring that to life for audiences, so that they might want to come and watch it as well."

Leveraging Cricket's Popularity

Wimbledon is actively seeking avenues to integrate with cricket culture. One initiative involved an Indian social media influencer experiencing a day at Lord's Cricket Ground during a Test match, followed by an afternoon at the Wimbledon Championships, capturing the experience for their audience.

Furthermore, a tennis-cricket crossover trailer, created in collaboration with Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner, was aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL), a strategic move to reach a massive audience.

The Untapped Potential of India

Despite its global prestige, Wimbledon recognizes the potential for further growth. With 60-70 million engagements last year, Wimbledon sees India's large and youthful population as a significant opportunity, with "headroom" for substantial expansion.

Dinen stated, "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."

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Innovation

Wimbledon's efforts to connect with the Indian audience include exploring options for hosting events in India. However, the monsoon season presents a logistical challenge. As a workaround, AELTC are partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters.

Another tactic involves inviting Indian cricket icons like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, leveraging their massive social media followings to generate buzz.

Wimbledon is embracing technology to enhance the fan experience. They have incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their app and website in collaboration with IBM. The 'Match Chat' assistant provides real-time answers to fans' questions, enhancing engagement and providing immediate match analysis.

Dinen concluded, "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."