Ace-ing the digital game: How Indian Aces led the IPTL

Unifying strategy, creativity, and engagement to dominate the International Premier Tennis League’s digital landscape

About

Indian Aces is a professional tennis team in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), featuring legends like Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rohan Bopanna, and Sania Mirza. Known for their dynamic gameplay, the team won the inaugural IPTL season in 2014, competing against strong contenders like UAE Royals and Singapore Slammers. With matches broadcast across nine countries, the team needed a robust digital strategy to engage a global audience and strengthen its online presence.

Problem Statement

Indian Aces faced the challenge of surpassing their previous social media performance during the inaugural IPTL season. Their goals included increasing social media engagement, building a loyal digital audience, and outperforming competing teams in the hashtag-driven ‘Twitter Battle’ organized by IPTL.

Business Drivers

  • Strengthen digital presence: Establish a dominant social media footprint to enhance visibility and engagement.
  • Drive fan loyalty: Create interactive and engaging content to foster a strong connection with fans.
  • Win the Twitter Battle: Leverage creative campaigns to lead the IPTL’s social media challenge.

Challenges

  • Intense competition: Competing against teams with extensive social media followings required innovative strategies to stand out.
  • Lack of centralized coordination: The absence of a single point of contact for sponsor and media updates added complexity to campaign execution.
  • Time-sensitive campaigns: The fast-paced nature of the tournament demanded quick, effective digital strategies to capture audience attention.

Solutions

  • Social media campaigns: Launched cohesive campaigns featuring live match updates, contests, and audience promotions to boost engagement and build a loyal fanbase.
  • Player and sponsor participation: Actively involved players and sponsors to amplify the reach of the #Aces hashtag during the Twitter Battle.
  • High-quality content production: Designed visual content, including promotional videos and match highlights, tailored for digital platforms.
  • Affiliate content marketing: Collaborated with Sportskeeda for paid content promotion, achieving 400K impressions and an estimated 3M social media reach.

Outcomes

  • Twitter Battle victory: Indian Aces claimed the IPTL Twitter Battle championship, leading by 34 percentage points.
  • Enhanced organic reach: Achieved a 150% increase in organic reach, significantly amplifying audience visibility.
  • Expanded video views: Recorded over 500K video views across digital channels, reflecting strong fan interest and engagement.
  • Growth in social media following: Facebook page likes increased by 59%, Instagram followers by 169%, and Twitter followers by 25%.
  • Broadened audience reach: Reached over 8 million people, with more than 300K actively engaging through likes, shares, and comments.
  • Stronger fan connection: Curated interactive sessions and engaging campaigns that deepened fan loyalty and involvement.

Summary

This case study demonstrates how Zamstars helped Indian Aces dominate IPTL’s digital space through innovative campaigns, creative content, and seamless coordination. By winning the Twitter Battle and achieving unprecedented social media engagement, Zamstars positioned Indian Aces as a leader in tennis’s digital landscape, showcasing the power of strategic digital marketing in building global brand recognition and sustaining fan loyalty.

Industry

Sports

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