“Here cricket is the king and there is no second”

Sports is not just a means of entertainment but a passion which crosses all barriers. And when this is used as marketing tool, no brand can ever go wrong. And with 2011 a busy year for sports events in India and the brands that ride on them, there is a lot of anticipation about how brands will use them to engage with the spectator. In an interview with FE’s Vivina Vishwanathan, Havas Sports & Entertainment CEO Lucien Boyer talks about sports marketing in India and internationally. Edited excerpts.

How different is India from the rest of the world in using sports as a marketing tool?

It is not different at all because sports is a passion for people and we can see ways to engage consumers. The only difference is in the way of consuming cricket. Here cricket is the king and there is no second. For instance, if you do a work around cricket in India and replace it with football in Latin America or Africa, you will get the same phenomenon.

But, other games are picking up and you will see a balance. After football, it was followed by tennis and golf and now Formula 1. The performance of players is constantly improving so there is a sea change that is happening as people get more involved in other sporting events.

Will there be any shift in ad spends from cricket to non-cricket events?

There is a need as more brands are coming to India and want to get a break here. Of course, through cricket you can get to position yourself differently by using some creativity and being wiser than others. But every time it cannot be cricket. You need to work around other sports also. And with the advent of digital space, which helps people access anything from anywhere, I can see a shift in consumers taste which means other sports will also start picking up.

Which are the sporting events you feel will pick up in India and change the trend here?

Boxing is a sport that can attract the crowd. Wrestling is another sport which is traditional and can be more professional. Formula 1 will again attract the crowd as there is heavy investment going into it. And I would say football. Football will come in a big way. If one or two Indian players are picked up for the English Premier League and become stars then that will attract the attention of the Indian public and football will be here. But that will take some time.

How long will it take?

There are a lot of international brands that want to come into India. To establish themselves in the country, they will spend money on initiatives like football properties and cup sponsorship of FIFA. Second, there is a grassroot effort to attract children. So there is an effort to encourage football in schools. It took 20 years in US, but everything in India happens quickly, so it may just take 10 years.

Are you saying that brands will develop sports in the country and then market themselves around it?

Yes. I think brands are very important in the development of the sports economy. When a brand enters a new country, the best way to enter the peoples mind is via sports because one will leverage the fame of the personalities and associate with them which in turn will make you famous and people will notice you.

Twenty years ago, Japanese brands like Canon, Fuji used Formula 1 as a tool for marketing and they all made it big globally. It happened with Korean brands like Samsung, which became a huge global brand post Olympics. It happened with Hyundai when it worked around football World Cup. Now, the same thing is happening with Indian brands like Mahindra Satyam and Kingfisher. Mahindra Satyam tried it in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Kingfisher has been associated with Formula 1 and is recognised as a global brand. You will see Indian brands using sports marketing to sell themselves in the international market. And the movement is going to grow faster.

What do global brands keep in mind when they come to India?

Localisation is one factor. When it comes to marketing, one has to understand the local consumer and the culture. The international brands should bring their top brands here so that the people here too can get a feel of it. Besides this, they can leverage the importance of the existing brands and also build new sports which can also benefit them.

Brands are using sports and film personalities together as a marketing tool. What are you thoughts on that?

I think it is a useful means as entertainment is associated with both sports and films. People are always interested in gossip. When sports and films meet, there are lot of stories cooking up which in turn makes a commoner excited. Then the sharing of pictures and thoughts via social media happens. Second, brands can use the places of events to market themselves. The film industry can use a cricket match to preview its movies and via-vis.

There is a new concept picking up. People want to know what these celebrities are giving back to the community in the form of charity, foundation and community work. So now the companies and brands are not only associating with the celebrities but also linking them with corporate social responsibility. This helps in building the image of the sports star and also of the brand. This phenomenon is very strong in the US followed by Europe and it will surely pick up in India.

What are the trends that you see now?

Brands will try to associate themselves at the grassroot level, such as education and practices. The brands will try to get the kids away from the computers to the field. FMCG brands need to get it right and be where the kids are. Secondly, with the advent of digital media, the show is now on your mobile, PC, TV everywhere. Now, the trend is interactive communication and helps the consumer become part of the game. Sports is becoming an integral part of social media as sports personalities are getting associated with Twitter and Facebook. Also, consumption via TV will go down. Currently, TV earns revenue via subscription. But with YouTube getting connected on the TV screen, there will a question of subscription rights. In the next three to four years, the subscription game is set to change. Sports is at a stage of revolution.

How effective is sports for social media?

During the FIFA 2010 World Cup, one third of the Western consumers used social media for consuming the game. This is because social media gives a platform for multi-tasking. Hence, sporting events will be a growth driver for social networking sites as people will share pictures, videos and replays.

What are the new things that you are doing for your clients and stakeholders?

We learn from one country and bring it to a global platform. Creating events within events which boosts consumption is one concept. We have done events around Hyundia during FIFA World Cup. Digital world is more advanced in the US and Europe and what we do is get this learning to the other part of the world. Orange Mobile, Louis Vuitton, EDS, Yahoo! have all made it via sports marketing. In India, we worked with Maxx Mobile. The time-out space in IPL is an important place that we got hold of. Stakeholders are the governing body of sports. Now, they generally do not have insights about the corporate world. We get them expertise about marketing and branding. We also organise music concerts.