India Inc finally appears keen to make full use of sports in order to build their brands. Although cricket took bigger pie of the cake initially as it attracts maximum eyeballs, big brands are now looking at other sports seriously.
Standard Chartered?s Mumbai Marathon, Vodafone?s Delhi and Pune Marathon, Kingfisher?s Formula 1, ITC?s Sunfeast Open tennis, Hero Honda?s Indian Open and Johnny Walker?s Classic golf tournaments, and All India Football Federation (AIFF), Bharti Enterprises? recent tie-up for a football academy are some of the latest initiatives of the corporate India.
?Corporates have realised the strength and advantage of this medium, which is why you will see many more tie-ups between brands and corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related activities. And qualities and the values of the organisation or brand play a major role in determining a sport activity,? says Percept Holdings? joint MD Shailendra Singh.
Companies usually play upon the physical and emotional side of the sport they promote. For instance, Standard Chartered, though a bank, looks at the ?can-do? attitude, the will power, stamina and determination to run in a marathon. Bharti looks at stronger and fitter Indian youth through its initiative. Bharti Enterprises? group director-brand & communication Hemant Sachdev says, ?Football is a sports of people who are young, physically & emotionally strong, and this is what is directly connected to the larger brand called Bharti?. According to him, Bharti wants to deliver football players, 10 years down the line, who can make a significant difference globally.
But how effectively do sports activities catch up with the targeted audiences? Gowthaman, head, Mindshare, says, ?Sports marketing is the closest way you can link to a consumer because it is the spirit of performing something. A sport activity will last longer in the minds of the consumer than a traditional ad.?