‘If you look at the fans as stars, there are a host of crowd activations possible’: Anuradha Aggarwal, Vodafone India

Vodafone India has launched a new augmented reality initiative during the ongoing IPL season, Vodafone Fan Cam. The application allows a panoramic view of the stadiums during matches hosted in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Spectators who have visited any of these stadiums after 15 May can search for themselves (on vodafone.fancam.com) in a panoramic picture, tag themselves and then share the picture on their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The initiative was conceptualised by Maxus.

Campaign India caught up with Anuradha Aggarwal senior vice president, brand communication, insights and online, Vodafone India, to learn more about the initiative. Excerpts:

Currently this is only present in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi. What are the expansion plans for the next season?

The current location and matches were chosen basis the fact that we have maximum fans on our Facebook page (facebook.com/zoozoo) from these cities plus that the later matches promised more excitement. We are looking at more locations next year, basis the audience trends and how the IPL evolves.

What's been the initial response?

It has been tremendous. We had 40,000 people on the site within 24 hours of the first match.

How has this been leveraged?

It's been part of our endeavour to make the IPL more about fans and is an extension of our Superfan campaign. We aim to create interesting digital and social experiences, using Internet, fan passion and cricket.

What was the reason for launching it so close to the end of the tournament? How long did it take to execute?

It's a long lead time to get this developed. The technology is something not available in India at the scale and finish we wanted. We worked with an overseas partner to create this. We also felt the later matches, playoffs, final were the matches with most at stake, leading to higher excitement and attendance.

Do you see this becoming a norm for cricket matches in the future?

Well, we are one of the very few brands who looked at fans as the stars of the IPL. If other brands and event organisers take the same view, then there are a host of crowd activations possible in the Indian market.