Cricket events have always been a source of excitement and fascination for gaming enthusiasts across India. Whether it’s the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the World Cup, these events bring together fans from different parts of the country to witness the best players and teams compete against each other.

For distribution-led brands, these events provide an opportunity to engage with their channel partners and promote their products. By leveraging the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding these events, brands can increase their visibility and customer engagement.

In this blog post, we will explore how international gaming events can be leveraged to boost engagement in loyalty programs.

Understand the Power of Events

Events like IPL and the World Cup have a massive global following. IPL, in particular, has become one of the biggest sporting events in the world, with a viewership of over 8.7 million people in 2022 alone. Similarly, the World Cup has a massive global following, with over 78.4 million viewers tuning in to watch the tournament in 2022.

These events create excitement among fans, as people from different parts of the world come together to support their favorite teams and players. This situation offers a great opportunity for brands, as they can reach out to large audiences in a very easy and effective way by aligning themselves with these events and tapping into the excitement surrounding them.

Leveraging Events for Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are a great way to incentivize customers and encourage them to engage with your brand. During gaming events, incorporating related gamified activities into B2B loyalty marketing strategies can create a brand’s buzz around potential channel partners. Event-related gamified activities engage consumers which increases brand loyalty.

Here are some ways brands can leverage international gaming events to boost engagement in their loyalty programs:

• Offer Exclusive Rewards and Discounts

Brands can offer discounts on their products or services during events like the IPL or the World Cup to channel partners, who are a part of their loyalty program. This not only encourages them to engage with the brand but also incentivizes them to make purchases during the event.

In a loyalty program, brands can include a points system. In such cases, they have to make sure the redemption process is easy and simple, in other words, Instant Gratification.

• Create a Sense of Community

From a customer loyalty programs, creating a sense of community among their channel partners is one of the essential aspects of a brand. For instance, brands can make forums or social media groups exclusively for their loyalty program members during the event. It not only helps channel partners connect but also fosters a sense of brand loyalty.

It makes channel partners loyal to your brand and motivates them to increase their engagement with the brand to earn more rewards.

• Run Special Contests and Giveaways

During the event, it is possible for brands to organize exclusive contests and giveaways specifically for their channel partners. For instance, brands can run a prediction contest where customers can predict the winners of different matches, and the winners can win exclusive rewards or discounts.

The restricted activities create a sense of distinction among channel partners, resulting in feelings of delight and being valued as something unique.

• Provide Exclusive Access to Content

By utilizing their loyalty platform, brands offer their customers privileged access to event-related content. For instance, brands can provide their loyalty program members with exclusive access to interviews with players or behind-the-scenes footage during the IPL or the World Cup.

This exclusivity provides a sense of pride in channel partners that lead to loyalty towards that brand. That is what every brand and distribution-led business wants.

• Collaborate with Influencers and Ambassadors

Brands can collaborate with influencers and ambassadors is active in the event field and have a strong following on social media. These influencers can promote the business’s loyalty program during the event, which can increase customer engagement through the loyalty platform.

Collaboration with influencers always increases the value of the brand in the market. It increases sales in the market and makes channel partners happy as they can achieve higher sales targets with less work. This way, more channel partners connect to the brand and the whole cycle continues.

Conclusion

Brands should leverage the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding these events, they can increase their visibility and influence in the market. The IPL and the World Cup are just two examples of gaming events. Other events such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the UEFA Champions League can also be used to engage with customers and promote loyalty programs.

It’s important to remember that the success of a loyalty program during international gaming events depends on the value it offers to customers. Brands need to ensure that their loyalty program is relevant and offers tangible benefits to their customers. By doing so, they can foster a sense of brand loyalty and increase customer engagement.