MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (The Times of India group) bagged three Golds, three Silvers and one Bronze metal at the Publisher Abby category of the Creative Awards

    BCCL scores maximum metals at Publisher Abby

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Publishers Abby category of the Creative Awards at Goafest 2015 may have got a lukewarm response from the print players  – some of who have in fact partnered Goafest in the form of sponsorship, but it’s a sound beginning nevertheless and in an industry where there aren’t too many awards for print publishers, this could well see growth in forthcoming years.

     

    There were 62 entries in all from across 10 publishers and 17 metals were awarded. There were four Golds, six Silvers and seven Bronze metals.

     

    Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (The Times of India group) bagged three Golds, three Silvers and one Bronze. The Dainik Jagran group followed by one Gold, two Silvers and one Bronze. Lokmat bagged one Silver while HT Media and Chitralekha bagged two Bronze metals each. The Dainik Bhaskar group bagged one Bronze. Among the publisher brands, The Times of India scored the maximum.

     

     

  • Through the World Cup, SI innovated to help Star Sports deliver the highest engagement among brands on digital platforms

    Sportz Interactive executes multiple innovations at Cricket WC 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sports solutions company, Sportz Interactive (SI) recently showcased an exciting array of digital innovations for Star Sports India (SS) on their digital platforms during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

     

    Through the World Cup, SI innovated to help Star Sports deliver the highest engagement among brands on digital platforms. The activations ranged from serious to fun aiming to cater to every kind of cricket fan – while the trivia buff played #QUIZSTER, the stats fanatic took to collecting Star Cards; on the other hand, the India and Pakistan cricket fans were enthusiastic about tweeting for their respective teams in a digital tug-of-war that was extended to an offline experience as well.

     

    Arvind Iyengar, CEO, Sportz Interactive, added, “Partnering with Star Sports to revolutionize the fan experience on digital has been an incredible experience. On social media, we have been able to drive a high volume of conversations and excite fans around the world through unique innovations and engaging content.”

     

  • When Mathrubhumi did a check, they concluded that every year, the State Government of Kerala announces numerous projects and public benefit programs with great fanfare but they never take off

    Mathrubhumi’s reality check initiative in Kerala receives good response

    By A Correspondent

     

    Every year, come April 01, numerous brands across the world try to humor their consumers with bone-tickling campaigns. This year, Mathrubhumi, Kerala’s popular newspaper, through their classified pages apprehended that, the people of Kerala (like all Indians) aren’t made fools of only on April 1. It happens, every day, of every month and often for years.

     

    When Mathrubhumi did a check, they concluded that every year, the State Government of Kerala announces numerous projects and public benefit programs with great fanfare. Yet, apart from an announcement, the projects never take off and get wasted away for years and decades. One can easily find such projects in plenty across the length and breadth of Kerala.

     

    This apathy by the government made Mathrubhumi Classifieds turn the tables and celebrate April fool’s Day, with a powerful message to the people and the Government. The brand along with the Kochi office of DDB Mudra South and East launched an interactive print campaign- Goodbye foolish stones starting 19th March 2015

     

    The creative of the print campaign showed foundation stones of largely publicized government projects. These foundation stones were the first and last step of the developments. There has been no progress made on these schemes after their inauguration. Even as everything around it is in a state of absolute decay and ruin, the foundation stone stands – a stark reminder of outright government indifference.

     

    The copy of the ads appealed the readers to ‘open their eyes and react’. A call of action was generated where in the readers were requested to act as citizen journalists and share instances of such neglect by the government through pictures, emails, WhatsApp, or by contacting the Mathrubhumi’s agents and reporters. The response was overwhelming. The publication received over 1000 claims in just three days. The brand conducted its own unbiased enquiry and investigated every claim.

     

    After collecting all the true claims, the newspaper carried a special supplement named- ‘open their eyes and react’ on April fool’s Day mentioning all the verified instances sent by alert, socially conscious citizens of Kerala. This supplement was specially shared with the Chief Minister of the state.

     

    The campaign was well received and people’s response showed that they are tired of being fooled. Mathrubhumi Classifieds gave common people a platform to put the blunt reality and truth in front of government’s eyes and inform them that the people are watchful and are not to be made a fool of.

     

    Quoting on the campaign, Jayakrishnan N, Cluster Head, Mathrubhumi said, “April Fool’s Day, is an occasion for real and virtual pranks predominantly played by the youth. This year, we decided to participate not just by playing the prank but bringing to light the pranks that are played on people by politicians for ages. Mathrubhumi wanted to connect with the younger audiences using classifieds by elevating the conversations beyond the paradigm of transactions. The campaign has been instrumental in helping us to that.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Dominic Savio, Vice President, DDB Mudra South and East- Kochi said, “The Mathrubhumi Classifieds campaign resulted in people enthusiastically owning the campaign, besides contributing to a greater good towards the society and creating an impact. It was overwhelming to see people integrating the campaign with their own social media channels delivering maximum reach for the campaign.”

     

  • Top politicians, actors, sportspersons etc are in running for the annual awards instituted by news channel

    India TV Yuva Awards to happen on April 18

    By A Correspondent

     

    Union ministers Smriti Irani and Kiren Rijiju, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas and Alka Lamba, Congress leaders Deepender Singh Hooda and Mausam Noor, and Apna Dal MP Anupriya Patel are in the running as youth icons nominated for second edition of the India TV Yuva Awards to be presented on April 18 in New Delhi.

     

    The India TV Yuva awards are presented to youth icons who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their respective fields. The awards are in six categories: politics, sports, music, films, television and business. The awards were instituted in 2013 to honour the most promising young faces of the nation.

     

    In the sports category, those in the running among men include Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan (all cricketers) and Vijay Kumar (Olympian shooter), while among women, it’s:  Saina Nehwal (badminton), Deepika Pallikal (squash), P V Sindhu (badminton)  and Geeta Phogat (wrestler) in the nominations.

     

    Among Bollywood youth icons, those nominated include Arjun Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra, Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Dhawan in the male category, while Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Parineeti Chopra have been nominated among female actors

     

    In the small screen category, Mohit Raina, Gautam Gulati, Rajat Tokas and Ashish Sharma have been nominated among male actors, Digangana Suryavanshi, Drashti Dhami, Pooja Gaur and Sanaya Irani figure among female TV actors nominated as youth icons.

     

    Singers Arijit Singh, Javed Ali, Benny Dayal, Joi Barua and Papon have been nominated in music category (male), while Shilpa Rao, Kanika Kapoor, Monali Thakur and Palak Muchhal have been nominated as female icons in music.

     

    In the business section, Rahul Sharma (Micromax), Kunal Behl (Snapdeal), Bhavish Aggarwal (Ola!) and Peyush Bansal (Lenskart) have been nominated among male icons while Avani Davda (Tata Starbucks), Priya Nair (Hindustan Unilever), Neha Kirpal (India Art Fair) and Radhika Ghai Aggarwal (ShopClues) are in the running in female category.

     

    The nominations have been made through a stringent process involving recommendations by the editorial board, followed by a stratified research by a research partner C-Voter and subsequently decided upon by a jury led by Sarod maestro Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan.  The jury included  adman-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Vandana Luthra, Prof Pushpesh Pant and India TV Chairman and Editor-in-ChiefRajat Sharma.

     

    Speaking on the awards, Ritu Dhawan, Managing Director & CEO of India TV said: “Yuva Awards is a humble attempt by India TV to encourage the spirit of excellence and inspire fellow Indians.”

     

    The event will be executed by Wizcraft International. Dainik Bhaskar and Pioneer Publicity corporation are partners to the initiative that is sponsored by Vimal Pan Masala, Dr Ortho and No Scars.

     

  • The Great Indian Travel Festival will start on April 18 and end on April 26

    IPG Mediabrands to launch online travel fest in India

    By Pritha Dasgupta

     

    Media agency conglomerate Interpublic Group (IPG) Mediabrands India has joined hands with the travel industry to launch a festival to boost online holiday bookings in the country. The Great Indian Travel Festival, the first such event in India, will start on April 18 and end on April 26. GITF will offer deals and discounts on travel and stay packages for more than 50 holiday destinations within and outside India.

     

    “Indian consumers will find great value and deals to enjoy their summer holidays. We expect to reach over 3 million users over the course of the nine-day festival,” said Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands.

     

    The participants include Google, travel websites Cleartrip, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Yatra and Via, and carriers Jet Airways, Indigo, British Airways and Spice-Jet. Tour companies Cox & Kings and Thomas Cook and startups such as Oyo Rooms and Doorstepforex have committed their participation. “While the industry has seen a major uptake in online hotel bookings, there is significant headroom for growth, and initiatives like these can contribute immensely in promoting the sector and contribute to domestic tourism,” said Vikas Agnihotri, industry director, Google India.

     

    IPG is building and designing the GITF website in-house and will host the participants on the site. Both Google and IPG are selling sponsorships and the proceeds will be spent on marketing the event and promoting the sponsors on the site.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Entries were received from 20 different countries across Asia Pacific and beyond

    AMES 2015 receives good response

    By A Correspondent

     

    Over 1,100 entries have been submitted in 5 award sections of Effectiveness, Media Strategy, Digital Strategy, Data & Analytics and e-Commerce for the 13th edition of the Asian Marketing Effectiveness & Strategy Awards. Entries were received from 20 different countries across Asia Pacific and beyond.

     

    The number of entries received from each country is as follows: Australia: 72, Bangladesh: 12, Cambodia: 1, China: 196, Hong Kong: 111, India: 178, Indonesia: 11, Japan: 46, Malaysia: 39, New Zealand: 44, Pakistan: 6, Philippines: 52, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 2, Singapore: 243, South Korea: 8, Sri Lanka: 3, Taiwan: 28, Thailand: 42, United States: 3, Vietnam: 24, Total: 1121.

     

    Commenting on the entries, Andrea Hayes, Festival Director, says, “The sheer number and quality of the entries are testament to the prestige and relevance of the AMES Awards in the region, and to the growing importance of strategic thinking in Asian marketing. Across brands and agencies alike, the focus is stronger than ever on building strategies that drive business performance and we are pleased to be setting the industry benchmark for marketing effectiveness.”

     

    The entries will be judged and shortlisted by a panel of 108 leading industry professionals from the region. The judges follow a rigourous and thorough process, ensuring all entries are considered and carefully evaluated against the stringent criteria set for each award section. The shortlist will be released on 20 April. Winners will be honoured at the Awards Ceremony, held after the AMES Conference on the evening of Wednesday 3 June at Grand Hyatt Singapore. The AMES Awards and Conference is the only event that brings the Asia Pacific marketing communications industry together for a day of learning, inspiration and debate on the future of marketing effectiveness central to successful business.

     

  • Newspapers often waste space on some unknown person of Indian origin winning a municipal election in an obscure American town just because of the Indian connection so it was unfortunate to see Sania Mirza not making the cut, notes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Not enough on Sania!

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The world of Twitter exploded when Indian tennis star Sania Mirza became world number one in the women’s doubles version of the game. She is the first Indian woman to scale those heights; Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have both been number one in men’s doubles. Mirza and her partner, the uber-talented multiple Grand slam winner Martina Hingis, won three titles on the trot to claim the ranking.

     

    So congratulations were in order, except for a few well-known internet dyspeptics who dislike Mirza because she’s female, a Muslim, married to a Pakistani or not a singles player. I have not been able to find similar bile directed at Paes or Bhupathi, who also did not reach number 1 ranking in singles either. Hence, my conjecture at the reasons for the hatred of Mirza.

     

    But loons on social media aside, how did traditional media respond? Sunday, April 12, had also seen two Indian Premier League matches and two English Premier League matches. That is, cricket being played in India and football, being played in England with not a single Indian player in sight.

     

    Here’s a roundup of some of the newspapers I looked at on Monday. The Times of India reduced Mirza to the middle of an inside page, after the IPL stories which get the first sports page. TOI though is notoriously skint when it comes to tennis stories. The Hindustan Times, which has much better tennis coverage usually, stuck Mirza on that annoying front page jacket but had a Manchester United player above the masthead on the, er, real front page. The story was relegated to the inside sports pages.

     

    DNA and Asian Age carried the picture on page 1. Mumbai Mirror also had a front page mention. The Economic Times did not mention Mirza at all. I gather from tennis fans across India that major language papers were no different.

     

    Anyone who works in a newspaper understands the pressures and pulls of a newsroom at deadline. But it is still intriguing, especially when we have become so collectively jingoistic about India, Indians and their achievements. Newspapers often waste space on some unknown person of Indian origin winning a municipal election in an obscure American town just because of the Indian connection. But Mirza clearly did not make the cut.

    Ah well.

     

    **

     

    The other big stories of the week were obviously the prime minister’s overseas trip, the declassified files on Subhas Chandra Bose’s family being under Intelligence Bureau surveillance and the Indian purchase of Rafale jets. I am ignoring the twitter squabble between some journalists and Modi fans over the shawl the prime minister has been wearing in Europe because it is so silly.

     

    But if you ever want to get really confused, you could concentrate on the Nehru-spied-on-Bose’s-family and why-did-we-buy-the-jets stories. For those who are not obsessed with Indian contemporary history or India’s defence deals, these are veritable minefields which are impossible to traverse safely with mind and body intact. My point is, the media don’t help!

     

    **

     

    What is more easily accessible is the online and now offline fight to protect “net neutrality” or that is, to stop mobile and internet service providers from allowing access to websites that pay them. And make you pay for the sites you want to go to.
    Get into it!

     

  • The new identity will aim to target new audiences while appealing to the changing palate of the movie viewing audiences

    Zee Cinema unveils new brand identity

    By A Correspondent

     

    Celebrating its 21st anniversary this month, Zee Cinema is set to unveil a brand new identity with a more vibrant, colorful and contemporary look. The new identity will aim to target new audiences while appealing to the changing palate of the movie viewing audiences.

     

    Designed and developed by Supere Studio from Argentina, the refreshed packaging is derived from an extensive qualitative research and analysis mapping the consumer behavior and their consumption pattern. One of the key insight that emerged out of this research was the matter in which cinema is consumed in India. Movies are considered as dream factories that immerse its audiences by making them part of a larger than life phenomenon. Taking a cue from such insights that are in sync with the channel’s core proposition of ‘Movies.Masti.Magic.’, the refreshed brand identity introduces the magical element of a portal that creates an aura of fantasy that resonate the thoughts of millions. Appealing to a wider spectrum of audiences, the refreshed identity exhibits a vibrant and dynamic animation that captures the true essence of masti.

     

    Keeping intact the brand’s key components of yellow and green colors, the new sleek logo of the channel has reversed the dominance of yellow along with the fresher flavor of green. The added color scheme of the new packaging exudes dynamism with an interesting splash of colors – red and blue – which amplifies the variety showcased on the channel.

     

    Speaking on the new identity, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL stated,  “Acknowledging with gratitude the adulation that our audiences have showered upon us over the years, Zee Cinema is now entering an exciting phase in its 21st year. Perceived as the trusted and most preferred Hindi movies destination, the channel is considered an important family member by its viewers. Just as cinema has changed over time, audiences preference have also shifted in accordance with cultural tastes and trends and Zee Cinema has, always, evolved to keep in sync with these changing scenarios. Keeping this in mind, we have refreshed and modernized the identity while retaining the inherent equity held in the current look and feel. The revamped packaging is designed to heighten the movie viewing experience for our audiences all around the globe.”

     

  • In his position as CMO, he will be a part of MobiKwik's core leadership team

    Saurabh Srivastava appointed CMO at MobiKwik

    By A Correspondent

     

    Saurabh Srivastava

    Leading mobile wallet firm MobiKwik has announced the appointment of Saurabh Srivastava as Chief Marketing Officer. Saurabh was previously VP – Marketing& Product Strategy at ixigo and has extensive experience in media, marketing, retail and branding.

     

    In his position as CMO, he will be a part of MobiKwik’s core leadership team.

     

    Saurabh, in his last role at ixigo was responsible for creating brand awareness, driving consumer insights and data to shape new products and building a superior marketing team. He brings with him 13 plus years of rich experience in consumer centric businesses and has worked with leading consumer and media brands like Goodyear, Maruti Suzuki, Dainik Jagran, GroupM and DDB in the past.

     

    Bipin Preet Singh, Founder and CEO, MobiKwik said, “Saurabh brings with him the experience of working with a variety of consumer brands both in the physical and online space and at different stages of their lifecycle. His experience of nurturing and growing brands, ability to understand consumer internet markets and drive data led consumer insights to achieve brand leadership are skills that will help MobiKwik reach the next level of growth. We welcome Saurabh on board and look forward to working with him to achieve our vision of creating the most preferred mobile wallet for customers and merchants.”

     

    MobiKwik is making a big offline push this year and has recently entered into a partnership with India’s leading retail chain of coffee cafés, Café Coffee Day (CCD) to enable customers make payments through the MobiKwik wallet across all outlets in India. This is the first serious push that a mobile wallet service has made to enable digital transactions with an offline merchant of the size and scale of Café Coffee Day. Saurabh’s understanding of offline retail will be useful for the company in its bid to get more and more offline retailers to adopt mobile wallets.

     

  • PromaxBDA India 2015 will take place on 12th and 13th May, 2015 at the Indian School of Design & Innovation and The Westin, Mumbai

    12th edition of PromaxBDA to be held in Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    PromaxBDA, the association that represents more than 10,000 companies and promotion and marketing professionals at every major media organisation in broadcast media, has announced the 12th edition of its annual conference, PromaxBDA India 2015.

     

    This year’s conference will witness participation of prominent visionaries discussing topics that contribute to the growth of digital and advertising space. Some of the key speakers and trainers include David Shing – Digital Prophet – AOL, Nicole Velik – Director/Founder – Ideas Bodega, Linda Button – Brand Personality Expert – Tooth+Nail, Rob Middleton – VP, Network Presentation Content Group – ASTRO, Liz Dunning – Co-founder – Dunning Penney Jones, Amanda Herbert – Marketing & Communications Director – Discovery Networks Asia Pacific and Glenn Urquhart – Group Creative Director – The LifeStyle Channel, Foxtel Networks Australia.

     

    This year PromaxBDA India has introduced a brand new conference format, where they will be holding PromaxBDA Boot Camps and PromaxBDA Masterclass Conference. The inaugural PromaxBDA Boot Camps will bring in the latest creative techniques in promotion-creation while the Masterclass Conference is tailored to create a local and global overlook for senior-level producers, executives, leaders and decision‐makers. The Masterclass Conference will be opened with a keynote address by the renowned David Shing – Digital Prophet – AOL.

     

    Commenting on this year’s conference and the new additions, Rajika Mittra, Country Head (India), PromaxBDA said, “We are glad to announce the 12th PromaxBDA India Conference 2015. With media and entertainment industry evolving at an enormous speed and digital space dominating as a medium, this year we have introduced a fresher format, which aims at emphasizing on the importance of the digital medium. We have received encouraging response to the earlier summits and I am sure that this year too we will have an exciting time with everyone.”

     

  • ZeeQ is taking a step further by revamping the look, feel and positioning of the channel

    ZeeQ changes avatar; introduces new programming line-up

    By A Correspondent

     

    ZeeQ has unveiled its new avatar and will seek to entertain and engage children with an eclectic mix of comedy, action and art & craft shows.

     

    Responding to the demand for differentiated content, ZeeQ has prepared locally-produced shows like Bandbudh aur Budbak, Pyaar Mohabbat Happy Lucky and The Art Room that offer a balanced mix of entertainment and learning. For some adrenaline rush, the channel has action-packed shows like Burka Avenger, He Man, Shaktiman packaged together in the Mega Action Band. This band will be offered in Telugu as well, in addition to Hindi and English.

     

    Ashwin Sashital

    Ashwin Sashital, Brand and Communications Head, ZeeQ, said: “ZeeQ is taking a step further by revamping the look, feel and positioning of the channel. The challenge lies in expanding the audience base, something we believe can be done with the new line-up. We plan to keep our audience engaged and entertained with exciting new stories, creative activities and action-packed adventures. We look forward to a great start with our rebranding campaign.”

     

  • Value of ground sponsorship for cricket fell to Rs 464.7 crore in 2014 from Rs 508.3 crore in 2013 while team sponsorship fell from Rs 389.2 crore in 2013 to Rs 347.8 crore, even as the sports industry grew 10 per cent.

    Cricket losing its charm, sponsors bat big time for hockey, football, says GroupM ESP report

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta & Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    Cricket, which has ruled the hearts of millions of Indians for years, may be losing just a little bit of its magic. In 2014, other sports — football, tennis, hockey and even kabaddi — gained in popularity, according to a report by GroupM ESP, the entertainment, sports and content arm of media agency GroupM.

     

    Value of ground sponsorship for cricket fell to Rs 464.7 crore in 2014 from Rs 508.3 crore in 2013 while team sponsorship fell from Rs 389.2 crore in 2013 to Rs 347.8 crore, even as the sports industry grew 10 per cent.

     

    Ground sponsorship is the money central sponsors in any sport pay to the organisers of a tournament. Team sponsorship is the money each team earns from selling the real estate on its apparel. The report compares calendar years. The 10 per cent growth in the sports industry, from Rs 4,372.5 crore in calendar year 2013 to Rs 4,809.69 crore in 2014, is due to the emergence of new tournaments.

     

    Indian Super League for football, two tournaments each for hockey and kabaddi as well as the International Premier Tennis League, among others. The size of the sports industry by revenue includes a number of components: ground and team sponsorships, franchise fees, endorsements and on-air revenues of advertisers.

     

    For cricket, the numbers seem low in 2014 because India played host to fewer international games than in the previous year, says Vinit Karnik, national director (sports and live events) at GroupM ESP. “But it is a fact that there was a price correction in the payouts to BCCI from title rights holders in 2014.”

     

    The Indian cricket team’s sponsorship price dipped to Rs 2 crore per match in 2014, the amount Star agreed to pay, from Rs 3.33 crore per match in 2013 that Airtel was paying. The downward trajectory in the level of interest in cricket can be gauged by the fact that only two companies — Star and Micromax — showed interest in obtaining title rights compared with the last bidding cycle when over 10 contenders were in the fray.

     

    Other sports are starting to attract serious money. Football, for instance, saw a 227 per cent year-on-year increase in the total value of team sponsorship from Rs 26.5 crore in 2013 to Rs 60.3 crore on the back of the new Rupert Murdoch and Mukesh Ambani-backed Indian Super League. Other sports leagues — kabaddi, tennis and others — saw a massive jump of 1,064 per cent in team sponsorship, from just Rs 7 crore in 2013 to Rs 74.5 crore in 2014.

     

    GroupM ESP says in the report that overall team sponsorship across all sports rose a healthy 14 per cent from Rs 432.7 crore in 2013 to Rs 493.6 crore in 2014, despite the 10.6 per cent fall in cricket team sponsorship. And while noncricket sports together accounted for just 10 per cent of the team sponsorship pie in 2013, it has now risen significantly to just under 30 per cent, a startling shift in the course of a year.

     

    IPL STILL GOING STRONG

    IPL, the Twenty20 cricket tournament, still remains a strong franchise with Pepsi committing Rs 80 crore a year to bag the title sponsorship of the league, despite the controversies it has sometimes seen. After a dip in revenues in 2014 because of the Lok Sabha elections and the consequent shifting of a part of the league to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), IPL’s broadcaster Multi Screen Media is expected to make close to Rs 950 crore from the ongoing 2015 edition.

     

    While Pepsi might have grown on the back of non-cricket sports properties globally, here in India, it is one of the biggest spenders on cricket.

     

    Ruchira Jaitly, senior director-marketing (beverages) at PepsiCo India, contends that cricket hasn’t taken any hit. “It’s just that the pool has expanded because of the emergence of other sports in India,” she says. However, as other sports gain in popularity, Pepsi is seriously investing in kabaddi, soccer and hockey. “This is also because international quality of programming has arrived in India,” Jaitly says.

     

    “While cricket continues to be the mother ship, and will continue to be big, brands are slowly opening up to the potential of other sports, especially brands that don’t have massive budgets,” says Indranil Das Blah, CEO of sports management firm Kwan.

     

    For big brands with national campaign plans, cricket and Bollywood are still the preferred platforms, he says, but for smaller brands one can use that money a lot more intelligently by associating with other sports. However, in terms of numbers or reach, no other sport will even come close to cricket in the next five years.

     

    “But the bridge is certainly forming. Five years ago, there were no options, three years ago there were a few options but now there are loads of options. So that gap is slowing being reduced between cricket and other sports,” he says.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish