Companies game for sports sponsorships; say brand mileage is high

While India might not be known as a ‘sporty’ nation, the near religion status of cricket with an occasional detour towards hockey, football, tennis and F1, are reasons enough for companies to put in mega bucks into sports events. Following the success of movies like ‘Chak De! India’, and with the upcoming Commonwealth Games, etc, companies are putting in place their strategies to gain maximum brand mileage out of sports events.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Jan 18, 2008 6:40 AM  | 4 min read
Companies game for sports sponsorships; say brand mileage is high

While India might not be known as a ‘sporty’ nation, the near religion status of cricket with an occasional detour towards hockey, football, tennis and F1, are reasons enough for companies to put in mega bucks into sports events. Following the success of movies like ‘Chak De! India’, and with the upcoming Commonwealth Games, etc, companies are putting in place their strategies to gain maximum brand mileage out of sports events.

But how big is the sports sponsorship market in India? The figures vary. Arun Sharma, General Manager-Marketing and Head-Media, Bharti Airtel Ltd, said, “The sports sponsorship market in India is approximately worth Rs 700 crore.”

And what is the brand mileage from sponsoring sports events? Corporates firmly agree that sponsoring sports events added value to the brand and one also found a committed and sustained viewership.

Vijay Narayan, Vice President-Marketing Communication, Havells India Ltd, said, “Sponsoring sports events is more secure than having a sportsperson as brand ambassador. The popularity of a brand ambassador might fluctuate according to his/her performance, which could put the identity of the company at stake.”

After acquiring Sylvania in March 2007, it was essential for Havells India, which manufactures and supplies lighting products and electrical equipment in India and abroad, to create brand awareness beyond the Indian shores. And the company did that through an “advertising blitzkrieg on television”, according Anil Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Havells India Ltd.

Gupta further said, “Cricket sponsorship is the magic formula for grabbing the largest number of eyeballs as advertisers get good mileage for their sponsorship deals.” Havells was the co-presenting sponsor of the Natwest Series as well as the Twenty20 Championship. The company is also sponsoring the telecast of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia.

Some companies have gone beyond cricket for brand associations. PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew is one such example. The aerated beverage brand from the company has been successful in associating itself with alternative adventure and extreme sports like river rafting, paintball and biking events like ‘Crusty Demons’. However, PepsiCo has not overlooked cricket altogether. Through several innovative campaigns like ‘Toss ka Boss’, ‘Khufiya’ and ‘Blue Billion’, Pepsi has been able to unite the passion of cricket fans across the country and kept its brand association with the game alive.

Punita Lal, Executive Director-Marketing, PepsiCo India, said, “Similarly, with Gatorade Pacers, we have been able to facilitate the growth of budding sports talent while driving the linkage of Gatorade as a sports drink.”

Bharti Airtel has also been sponsoring cricket events for quite some time now. The company recently also got into sponsoring football events with an investment of about Rs 100 crore.

Bharti Airtel’s Sharma said, “The spending on sports sponsorship is high as the ROI on one media dwindles after a point and one needs to add more media vehicles for more impact media multiplier effect.”

Maj Vinod Krishna, Head of Sports at ONGC, “Sponsors spend a lot of money on such events as they find the returns worth the expenditure. In the case of ONGC, we spend roughly Rs 10 crore on sports sponsorship annually.”

Sports equipment and apparel manufacturing companies like Adidas, Nike and Reebok have been sponsoring some of the biggest sporting events for several decades. Adidas was one of the main sponsors of the FIFA World Cup and the French Open 2007. In 2008, they will be the sponsors of the Beijing Olympics as well as the European League football championships.

Hartwin Feddersen, Director-Marketing, Adidas, said, “It is fair to say that sports are a unique platform where people with different backgrounds engage with sports events and sports brand at an emotional level.”

Commenting on the association of Reebok, the official partner for ICC events, with cricket, Puneet Sewra, Brand Manager, Reebok India, said, “In India, cricket grabs the maximum attention, which is evident from the TRPs during major matches. However, to harness sports events just to get brand awareness is not the right strategy. We at Reebok make sure that we only take part in events or campaigns related to sports.”

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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