IPL2 had much Indian flavour in South Africa: Hiren Pandit

Despite all controversies and doubts about the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tournament took off on Saturday in South Africa. The stadium looked full, at least what the camera showed, but nothing compared to last year. However, the Indian flavour was very much there in large doses, says <b>Hiren Pandit,</b> Managing Partner - ESP, GroupM, straight from the stands.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Apr 20, 2009 11:12 AM  | 4 min read
IPL2 had much Indian flavour in South Africa: Hiren Pandit

The top two teams started the tournament with losses, which clearly means IPL2 would be unpredictable. Despite all controversies and doubts about the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tournament took off on Saturday in South Africa. The stadium looked full, at least what the camera showed, but nothing compared to last year. While all of us here in India are sweltering under the heat watching the tournament on TV sets in our living rooms, it seemed strange to see so many spectators all covered up in wool out there at the grounds in Cape Town! From the players’ perspective I am sure they would perhaps enjoy that kind of weather in South Africa rather than play in the melting heat here.

The Indian flavour was there in large doses, with Bollywood celebrities and the spectators in the stadium who were mainly Indians or rather from Indian origin. But we locals are far noisier and more passionate about cricket than any other nation so what was missing was the trumpets and music. Surprisingly the Rajasthan Royals cheerleaders seemed to outdo Vijay Mallya’s aka Bangalore Royal Challengers Cheerleaders in terms of their dress sense.

On the cricketing side, I believe IPL2 will show a slightly different angle altogether and if we go by what we saw in the first two matches then the bowlers will have a large role to play. In fact getting runs is going to be far more difficult, so the number of sixes, big shots and high scores will reduce with the ball moving around. The first two matches of the season also proved by simply hard hitting will not help. Tendulkar and Dravid who each received the Man of the Match award have proved that technique also matters and that the T20 format can be played by older players. Abhishek Nair of Mumbai Indians was the Man of the Match for me as his 35 runs created the score gap between the two teams- Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and that is what made it tough for the CSK to achieve.

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore this year are well balanced teams and look promising. RCB for that matter is clearly not a test team anymore and I won’t be surprised seeing them in the top four. Chennai Super Kings is a very good team and probably it was just not a good day for them. Rajasthan Royals on the other hand didn’t seem to have the batting strength. Surprise package for RR is 18 year old kid Kamran Khan who bowled at 140 km +. He is a good bowler, but he is using his back and shoulder more than he should which could make him injury prone in the long run.

The dog on the field was an amusing break and I won’t be surprised if Lalit Modi now orders a dog squad on standby for all matches. Of course that will add to the already spiraling costs!! Speaking of breaks, the seven and a half minute break scheduled after 10 overs in each innings for teams to rework or rethink their strategy will certainly add to advertising dollars but from a television viewer’s perspective it is rather frustrating….could this result in losing viewership for that period will be an interesting research subject in the future. It might help if viewers are privy to some of the decisions and probable strategy stances that teams could be taking to keep them glued to their TV sets.

From the four team uniforms that we have seen on day 1, it seems that the number of sponsor logos on the t-shirts have gone up. The concern here is that are they going the Formula One way because with so many logos how many of them will actually register in people’s minds and that is something which needs to be looked into. What the advertisers will have to answer is that how they enhance that value without remaining a logo on the T-Shirt. The teams seem to have a decent amount of sponsorships associated with them. Whether it was Idea or Rajasthan Royals who were putting turbans over their head besides T-Shirts they were trying to build a value thus aiming to create a local promotion there and I believe the local promotion is really more on the back of visibility on television. One will have to see how the next four teams have pulled in as sponsors.

The highlights of day one according to me were a lone dog holding up the game for over 10 minutes, Abhishek Nair taking on Andrew Flintoff which clearly shows that performance can beat price on a given day. Class and technique will always matter, IPL2 will have far more low scoring matches the IPL1, and finally with the clutter of so many logos, sponsors that don’t activate will remain as designs on the t-shirts. Truly the games have begun!!!

(Hiren Pandit is Managing Partner - ESP, GroupM.)

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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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