As a beginning, Allwyn is sponsoring the Durand Cup, the country's most prestigious football tournament. The cup will henceforth be known as the Allwyn Durand Cup. Electrolux India is drawing up a massive strategy which will include mega sponsorships of sports events at both national and state levels.

The company's branch-heads in the states are being asked to sponsor local level sports events and associations. A sum of around Rs 5 crore has been earmarked for all such activity next year. As a beginning, Allwyn is sponsoring the Hindustan Football Club, which is the number two team in Delhi.

The association with various sports has been worked out keeping the positioning of each brand in mind: In the case of Allwyn, the intention is to strengthen the low-priced, strong and durable positioning of the Allwyn brand by associating it with a rugged sport like football.

Explains Anand Bhardwaj, vice-president, marketing and marketing services, Electrolux India, ``With 3,000 retailers across the country, Allwyn is a rugged national favourite, just like the sport we are supporting.''

In the case of Voltas, its Maxclean washing machine is already positioned on the kids plank. This will be further strengthened through an association with school sports. The heads of the company's branches in various states have been told to tie-up with schools to sponsor their sports events.

Electrolux, which has a premium positioning, will be associated with tennis. Wimbledon '99 was sponsored by Electrolux on Star Sports.

Kelvinator has already been associated with cricket, being present as a ground sponsor across major cricket tournaments within the country and abroad.

It has also been the media sponsor of several tournaments such as the South Africa-New Zealand test series, the Asian Test Championship at Dhaka, West Indies-Australia series and the Sharjah Cup. It had also roped in Rahul Dravid to endorse the Kelvinator brand through a series of TV commercials and point of sale material. There are moves on to rope in another cricketer to endorse the brand.

Explaining the strategy of using sports as a vehicle to advertise and strengthen brand-building efforts, Bhardwaj says, ``Sports has an important role to play in a nation's evolution. It helps build character and is a great binding force. It also gives access to a ready and captive audience.''The Durand Cup, for instance, is an event that reaches two million fans and is viewed by over 20 million viewers via a variety of media, so the association with the event will give the brand high mileage and visibility.