The telecom category is a mature space and it takes concerted efforts at scale in order for any brand to change perception. Our Airtel 175* event was one of the primary interventions that helped Airtel beat Jio across 5G parameters.

For the first time the 5G technology was used to re-create a past sporting event of such scale. Airtel gave the nation a missing piece of its history back by recreating the biggest moment in the history of Indian cricket which the nation was deprived of but also made people experience the entire inning as if they were present there.

Airtel, a brand that led the Indian telecom revolution for more than two decades had lost its leadership to Jio. Airtel was the first brand to test 5G network in India but Jio was leading in 5G mind-measures. The task in the category is to persuade consumers to switch from one operator to the other and the only way of doing that is by giving them a reason for superiority vs competition.

Airtel wanted to stake a claim for leadership in the 5G tech space. But 5G was still a technology of future. When you think about 5G technology, you think about remote surgeries, autonomous cars, and drone deliveries. But these things will affect people’s lives only in the distant future.

The challenge was to excite a nation today, about a technology which is only relevant in the future and claim leadership in the 5G space.

ur Insight -

'The technology of the future becomes meaningful if it helps bring past glory alive.'

This insight has been effectively used by our leaders evoking India’s glorious past to promise a brighter future.

Every technology brand targets innovators and early adopters for a new technology launch but Airtel, the brand that’s eyeing to reclaim the national leadership didn't want to limit its appeal to a small number of early adopters - we were targeting a nation, not an audience segment.

We had two set of audiences

a) People who are ‘technology positive’

b) And people who are intimidated by cold, futuristic technology

Our Approach

We decided to reach out to the tech positive masses (mainly the youth) through the people they look up to when it comes to technology and other matters in life – The innovators and early adopters as influencers.

Futuristic technologies like 5G are perceived to be cold and unrelatable. So, we didn’t want to fall in the trap of staged demonstrations of 5G technology with yet another remote surgery or drone delivery.

We realised that "Recalling the positive events of the past is the best way to create optimism about the future.”

In cricketing folk lore, there is one moment, which catapulted cricket from a mere sport to being a religion – Kapil Dev’s iconic 175* in 1983 world cup but this moment was lost to a british broadcaster’s strike and hence it’s significance was lost; denying Indians a shared moment of pride and celebration.

We decided to bring this lost piece of history to life using 5G technology, so our audience can relive that proud moment again.

1. There was limited data available for Kapil Dev's innings. We had to reconstructive the match and the atmosphere with borrowed memories from Kapil Dev, his team mates and few others.

2. We roped in Double Negative, one of the world's leading visual effects to help us recreate the iconic innings.

3. We replicated the exact match atmosphere- the stadium and the people within it. Using AI, we de-aged Kapil Dev's face, made him look like he did in 1983 so that our audience could experience the moment as if they were there.

4. A personalised 4K video of key moments from the match was showcased to 50 top influencers on 5G enabled smartphones in a special event where we showcased India’s first 5G powered hologram.

Our 9 month effort was able to birth a lost victory that was won all over again.

Brand Metrics

1. Airtel attained #1 Spot with increase in Airtel’s 5G association, crossing JIO for the first time ever

2. Airtel over took Jio in 5G-readiness perception with an increase of 15%

3. Airtel overtook Jio in 5G-Testing perception with an increase of 26%

Business Metrics

1. Overall CTB for a mobile connection amongst the youth increased by 8%

Social Metrics

1. Exceed industry benchmarks for engagement in the telecom category by 20% --> 120 Mn

2. Exceed industry benchmarks for reach in the telecom category by 30% --> 208 Mn

3. Exceeded Industry CPV benchmark by 40%--> Rs 0.60

India is a country of diverse local flavours & interests and there are few things that this country can collectively agree upon.

And the most prominent amongst them is the love we have for cricket. Cricket is the uniting force of our country, it binds us in this unbreakable bond that’s brewing and simmering with love - whether it’s people watching a match in the stadium, at home or through the glass door of a swanky restaurant, there’s always a common sense of belonging, brethren and just pure love for the game.

India has been dominant on the cricketing world map for the last 40 years. We have repeatedly been ranked No.1 in the world. When 11 play on the field, 1.4 billion Indians are with them in spirit. We have an entire league that's cricket's Superbowl.