MxMIndia

Tag: sports marketing

  • Sports emerged as the most preferred marketing tool, over celebrities, events and product placements in movies, music or art, according to a study conducted by SportzConsult, India's premier sports management company

    India Inc opts for sports as preferred marketing

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Sports emerged as the most preferred marketing tool, over celebrities, events and product placements in movies, music or art, according to a study conducted by SportzConsult, India’s premier sports management company. The study encompassed over a hundred senior marketing professionals across sectors such as FMCG, Automotive, Telecom and BFSI . Of this group, 83 percent have already used sports in their marketing campaigns and 72 percent have seen positive results. Of the brands that have not yet used sports as a marketing tool, 77 percent have affirmed it as a course of action in the near future.

     

    The study was designed to demonstrate the trends and perceptions in the use of sports as a marketing tool among brands in India, including the primary reasons to engage sports in marketing, the channels of engagement, key audiences and evaluation of such campaigns.

     

    Commenting on the findings, Jitendra Joshi, Co-Founder and CEO of SportzConsult said, “Sports has the power to mobilise and motivate. In coming years, brand managers have the huge opportunity to leverage the positive attributes of sports and earn better ROI on marketing spends. The growing adoption of sports for marketing among corporate India will be a win-win for both brands and consumers,”

     

    Key findings of the study

    Passion, and not iconic sportsmen, drive brands to sports

    Passion, youthfulness and the association with active lifestyle came up as the top attributes for choosing sport over other options. Nearly 75 percent of the respondents favoured one of these attributes as the key driver for a sports engagement. Only one quarter of the respondents cited iconic nature of the sportsmen as the key reason for associating with sport. Given the fact that over 50 percent of the population are under the age of 26 years, marketers believe that sports is the most attractive platform to engage their target audience.

     

    Future of ‘other’ sports looks bright

    Marketing campaigns are using niche sports events to address niche audiences.

     

    While popular sports like cricket & football are still the top choices for marketers but they are realizing that they may not always provide the real bang for buck especially if you want to concentrate on niche audience. For many brands ( more than 40 percent of the respondents) an exclusive sport like Golf or a traditional sports like Kho-Kho & Kabaddi is a much better way to engage the relevant TG. Moreover, the heightened need for a healthy and active lifestyle among working professionals is making marathons more and more popular among brands. 24 percent of the brands prefer marathons as an ideal marketing opportunity.

     

    (Passion, and not iconic sportsmen, drive brands to sports)

     

    Sports is a strategic and long term commitment among Indian marketers

    More than half the respondents looked at their association with sports for brand-building as strategic and long term, indicating the growing relevance of sports in the marketing mix. Of this group, 67 percent of the respondents considered using sports as a strategic long term decision rather than a tactical approach.

     

    While over 70 percent of respondents count TV advertising spots as the main component of their engagement with sports, almost 95 percent cited professional event sponsorships as the best option for brands looking at stepping up their reach among the TA. While over 85 percent of the brands used existing sports properties, 45 percent of them had also created their own properties around sports as part of their marketing campaign. However, the survey also revealed the perception that creation of sports properties is risky, as against investments in popular properties.

     

    ‘Number of participants and spectators’ emerged as the most important criteria brands use while evaluating a sports program. ‘Opportunities to leverage brand with the event’ and ‘media promotion & impressions’ were the next two important factors while evaluating a sports program.

     

    Sports is a strategic and long term commitment among Indian marketers

     

    Spend on sports sponsorships to go up

    Over 65 percent of the brands that were part of the study have spent over Rs 1 crore on sports-led marketing campaigns, while 35 percent of the group has spent over Rs 5 crore. 60 percent of the total respondents have confirmed an increase in their investments in sports in the coming years. However, despite this buoyant interest in sports as a marketing tool, around 30 percent of the respondents still spend less than 10 percent of their marketing budget on sports, citing the nebulous nature of sports sponsorships in India.

     

    Current year:

    (Spend on sports sponsorships to go up)

     

    Next One year:

    (Spend on sports sponsorships to go up)

     

    Leveraging sports sponsorships

    The study revealed that while sports sponsorships are popular, Indian marketers, have not mastered the art of leveraging sponsorship programs for continued and long-term marketing success. While sponsorships help brands attain reach and visibility among TA, leveraging the sponsorship is generally more crucial to meeting one’s marketing and organisational goals. In India, only 7.2 percent of the brands have invested 100 percent equivalent of the sports sponsorship investments in leverage programmes( which is a norm in more advance markets like US and Europe), while nearly 38 percent of the brands invested an equivalent of less than 25 percent of the sponsorship spend on these programmes.

     

    Effectiveness of sports-led marketing campaigns tied to sales and customer perceptions

    As much as 82 percent of the respondents measure perception changes owing to the sports-led campaigns, while 62 percent of the group preferred tangible results such as direct impact on sales as the top criteria for evaluating the success of a sport-led marketing campaign. Yet, over 50 percent of the group believe that the need of the hour is a more effective evaluation toolkit to measure the impact of sports-led campaigns.

     

    SportzConsult has been working with leading marketers and media networks to help them meet their objectives through sports strategy, sponsorship consulting and event management services.

     

  • Sachin Tendulkar is one of today's top celebrity endorsers. But Brand Sachin's biggest strength is his ability to change with the times, MxMIndia finds out.

    Brand Sachin still on strong wicket

    Sachin Tendulkar launches G-Hanz Mobile

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    India collectively heaved a sigh of relief when Sachin Tendulkar finally reached his 100th 100. The long-chased milestone had become practically a national issue, and had also brought flak on the master blaster, especially speculation about his retirement. Sachin in his illustrious career has not only reached many cricketing milestones but along with that has also become the face of many popular brands in India. He has been seen in the ads of Pepsi, Visa, Aviva Life Insurance, Boost, Adidas, MRF, Britannia, Toshiba and Castrol India among others. In fact, Future Group has co-created the Sach brand along with Tendulkar which has products including toothpaste and bathing bars. The Sach brand proves the icon’s sheer clout, that a brand can be created with a varied range of products, and is considered a viable commercial option.

     

    Talking about brand Sachin, Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia said, “Brand Sachin is not just about cricket but it’s the persona that comes with the brand which is appealing. Sachin is a non-controversial, family man with high value systems. He is the son, father, husband, friend that one would want to have and his recognition is beyond the nation. He is a total package if one may say in terms of advertising jargon. He is a successful cricketer but along with that he is an endearing personality and therein lies his brand appeal.”

     

    Mr Pandey pointed out that Sachin has been able to last so long in his career and done so well only because he has been able to reinvent himself and adapted to changing times. The truth, after all, is that he is no more an 18-year-old and his reflexes will change with age but he has managed fantastically to adapt himself to this change. “Sachin is special and I can’t really think of any other person from cricket who has created such an impression. Rahul Dravid probably could come a close second. But Sachin is Sachin and beyond comparison. The only other name that comes to my mind who has successfully adapted himself with time is Amitabh Bachchan.”

     

    Looks like the naysayers can keep on debating on Sachin but the masses will continue to hold him in high regard despite the man himself saying: “I am not God, I am Sachin.” Prahlad Kakkar, ad filmmaker and CEO, Genesis Films who has worked with Sachin on many ad films said, “Sachin’s track record is impeccable and his dedication to cricket and the team is firm. His brand value lies in his courage, honesty and sincerity with which he plays. In fact, he is the real gentleman in this gentleman’s game.”

     

    He added, “Sachin is humble to the point of being irritating. There was a time when we had shot an ad with him knocking a ball with a fly swatter. When Sachin saw the final cut he was not happy with the use of the fly swatter and requested us to re-do the shot. We didn’t find anything wrong with the shot but Sachin had a point of view and we respected and understood his view and re-did the sequence. He has no ego and he is clear that the game always remains bigger than him.”

     

    Kakkar said that the Pepsi films, especially the one with the Sachin mask, “Sachin Ala Re”, remains his pick of the best Sachin film.

     

    Hemant Kenkre, former first class cricketer and communications specialist who has had seen Sachin play from close quarters, says that two qualities that stand out in Sachin’s personality is his ability to reinvent and his commitment to the game. Kenkre said, “Sachin delivers and that’s the bottom line. The cynics will be cynics and there will be talks of his retirement but I really can’t think of anyone from the younger lot who can replace him.”

     

    He added, “While people have been talking of the 100th ton, one should remember the 99 100s that he has scored before. I think his not getting the 100 was a minor bump towards this milestone. He is a man who is obsessed with the game and one can easily bank on him. His retirement is a personal issue and it will come the day he stops enjoying the game. In fact, his current brand value can be understood from the fact that his 100th 100 got 5-page coverage in TOI whereas the retirement of Dravid must have got him a one-page dedication!”

     

    So there could be speculation on Sachin getting old for the game, but people in the business vouch for his brand value which still remains consistent. Mustafa Ghouse, Head of Sport, Globosport categorically states that Sachin is still the most sought after cricketer in the country when it comes to endorsements. However, he has a point when he says that the brands that he will attract now will differ and will be for products that appeal to older age group like insurance. For youth brands he might not be appropriate.

     

    Manish Porwal, Managing Director at Alchemist Talent Solutions has a different view on the cricketer’s brand value. He said, “I think this is the first time but in the last two months brand Sachin has taken a beating. There has been criticism all across and this has taken a personal note than remaining professional. So there would have been some loss in terms of potential and revenues that would have come in from endorsements.”

     

    He added, “This however will be temporary. Indians have a skewed sense of loyalty and one success will again put him back on the pedestal. His equity so to say has fallen on account of his performance but this 100th 100 will give him the jolt and become a personal milestone because of so much speculation around it. However, in terms of his long-term brand persona and brand associations one should look at characters for brands that will express long-term maturity and consistency rather than stamina or performance.”

     

    Brand Sachin still remains strong and will remain strong in this cricket-crazy country. However, there is a feeling that the brand may have taken a temporary dip because of all the speculation and pressure on attaining the long-elusive 100th 100. However, the consistent view is confidence in Sachin’s ability to reinvent, hence his moving away from brands appealing to the youth, towards advertisers who look for traits like commitment and consistency. Qualities where Sachin fits the bill perfectly.

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp