The world’s largest online retailer Amazon is set to break its first ever TV campaign in India. And it has chosen the IPL to launch the high decibel campaign.
A spokesperson from Amazon confirmed the planned launch. ?Amazon.in has signed up as the official ?on air associate sponsor for the IPL telecast on Sony Set Max this season. As our target customers around the country will be watching IPL, we hope to entice and delight them with our trusted online shopping experience,? said the spokesperson.
The IPL was watched by 215 million viewers last year, up from 164 million viewers in the previous year, and despite being a sport event, is one of the most watched TV show in the country.
Amazon.com entered the Indian e-commerce market in June 2013 with Amazon.in, which is designed as a marketplace that facilitates transaction between buyers and sellers. The marketplace model helped Amazon overcome
Indian regulatory hurdles that prevent foreign online retailers from having a fully owned Indian arm selling directly in India.
Earlier on, Amazon has put up some advertising in mainstream media for Junglee.com, an online shopping (comparison) service that it owns, but this is the first time it will launch a TV campaign for Amazon.in.
Atul Hegde, CEO of digital agency Ignitee, said Amazon.in started out as a marketplace where sellers can list their products and Amazon provides its shipping and warehousing facilities. ?But now, they are trying to emerge as an alternate to the Flipkarts of the world. Which is why they are trying to advertise through mainstream media,? he said.
Globally, Amazon has just launched into Fire TV, a tony box that plugs into HD TV (high definition).
?Amazon has a lot going for it, be it its video on demand service or the newly launched Fire TV which is its answer to Apple TV. There is no doubt that, with time, Amazon will look to expand these services globally and particularly in India. I am just not sure that the time is now. Consumers are still not used to paying for content in India,? said Hegde.