It’s that time of the year again. As the annual sportainment jamboree that is the IPL raises the curtains on its 11th edition, brands across industries are scrambling to leverage the 2-month long extravaganza with innovative marketing campaigns across both offline and online channels. Set in this backdrop, mobile constitutes a major platform on which users undertake consumption and purchase decisions. Given the fact that an average mobile app loses 77% of its Daily Active Users (DAUs) within the first 3 days of install and within 30 days this number rises to 90%. Within 90 days, it’s over 95%. Only 23% of users return to an app just 3 days after downloading! Set in this backdrop, in-app marketing becomes a timely, contextual, and personalized channel of communication directed at those users who are active within the app. Well-crafted, targeted and relevant in-app messaging can increase app launches by 27% and enhance user engagement by almost 3 times! The sheer versatility of data-driven in-app marketing makes it apt for multiple use cases across various types of apps and industries. For starters, official partner ticketing apps can focus on pitching match tickets as suggested bookings through in-app messages based on users’ historical and real-time browsing and purchase behaviour. Additionally, these messages can further be contextualized based on users’ geographic location. This implies that users of such apps located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, or Kolkata will be targeted with upcoming match tickets for fixtures in those cities itself. This adds another level of personalization and enhances the chances of a transaction. Media apps that offer live streaming services can pitch match viewing options in the mobile moment. These campaigns can be made hyper-focused by targeting those users who have viewed sporting events on the app before. Essentially, harnessing past behaviour of users to encourage content consumption in real-time. Similar engagement campaigns can also be run to promote match highlights within the app as suggested viewing. Such apps can further benefit by encouraging repeat users to sign up for a subscription for unrestricted access to greater content in the future. This serves as a classic example of user acquisition, engagement, and potential retention strategy using in-app marketing, opening up multiple cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. Food delivery apps can create specific location and time-specific in-app campaigns around the televised evening games as that is when these apps witness a surge in orders, owing to students and office-goers returning home. These campaigns can further be incentivized using attractive promo-deal driven codes relevant to every match. Not only will this build on the match-watching experience, but also increase the chances of bulk conversions during this time. E-Commerce platforms on the other hand can run innovative in-app engagement campaigns pitching a variety of products including electronic gadgets, sporting goods, apparel, and official merchandise using highly contextual messaging. Promo codes tailored around specific matches while the game is in progress and relevant user groups are engaging in a browsing action, can work wonders from a conversion aspect. The idea must be to keep the messaging subliminal, sporty, short, and compelling. The use of images in in-app messages also serves as a powerful visual cue. Such campaigns if run in a personalized and timely context will help such apps increase average time spent within the app and potential monetization opportunities. While in-app marketing is definitely important to keep active app users hooked and engaged. It isn’t the only piece of the data-savvy mobile marketer’s arsenal. Brands need to optimize their omnichannel engagement strategies across push notifications, email, and SMS as well. The objective must be to use the IPL as a massive window of opportunity to engage with existing users with personalized, contextual, and timely messaging in a sustainable manner. This can only be accomplished on the back of intelligent individual user-level data insights. A clearer understanding of user personas and behaviours will eventually lay the foundation for the delivery of satisfactory customer experiences at scale. The IPL 2018 promises to break new ground for marketers both on and off the field of competition!   Pradyut V. Hande, Marketing Manager, CleverTap