ISSUE SPORTS THE ECONOMIC TIMES AUGUST 23-29, 2017 THE “Don’t give me a male cricketer’s share, give me what I deserve” Brand Equity chats ment, and a commendable game in the script. If the script talks about protec- finals (where lost by a mere nine tion against sunburn and stuff, I will with ace-cricketer runs); all helped Raj put Indian Women’s approve of it because I’ve gone through on the map. Little wonder that those as a sportsperson. But if the Mithali Raj - the brands across categories have ap- script is projecting the idea of “fair- proached her sports marketing agency ness” then I would be hesitant to do it.” newest sports Medallin for endorsement deals. celeb on the brand Pay For Performance Brand Match-making As in many other spheres, wom- endorsement block. Unlike rookie sports stars - who en endorsers apparently get INSIDEBE have to be taken through paid less than their male By Shephali Bhatt the ropes of branding, Raj counterparts. Raj seems pretty clear on believes: “If I do well, DEALING WITH THE 4-year-old Mithali Dorai which brands she would if I’m able to generate ‘KAL AAJ AUR KAL’ OF Raj, the of the like to endorse. “Any revenue, I deserve to SPORTSTARS Indian Women’s cricket brand I promote has to be paid well.” But she team, is the top-scorer align with my person- doesn’t want to take it (with over 6000 runs) in ality,” she tells us. And from a male cricketer’s 3One Day International what will be the tone of share - because how women’s cricket. voice of Brand Mithali? will that be a just fight Among her other laurels that can be “It will be a voice that “I DON’T GENER- for equal pay then? 7 REASONS easily Googled, you find she is also inspires young people in ALLY GO BY THE “It’s a fact that men’s WHY ‘CHAK DE’ STILL the only captain (man or woman) to the right way.” CLAIMS ADVER- cricket sells more. It is ROCKS have led our country to an ICC World What distinguishes Raj up to the Board to mar- On XX 2 Cup Final ‘twice’ (in 2005 and 2017). from a freshly minted TISEMENTS MAKE ket women’s cricket so Despite a stellar career over the last endorser making boiler- they get on par with LIFE AFTER THE END: NO SUCH THING AS 17 years, a vast majority of our men’s- plate statements is her WHEN I AM PICK- men,” she says. CAN MARKETING HELP? TOO MANY LEAGUES cricket-obsessed-janta took note of deeper level of clarity: “I Relative ING A BRAND FOR newcomer JSW her only two months ago: when she don’t generally go by the Social Media = Work Sports has a slammed a scribe’s “Who’s your fa- claims advertisements MYSELF” While she expects the presence in vourite ‘male’ cricketer?” question at make when I am picking a MITHALI RAJ, Captain, Board of Control for , hockey Indian Women’s Cricket Team and football a media round table, by following it up brand for myself. I try dif- (BCCI) with: “Do you ask a male cricketer who ferent things to see what works best for to do its job in charting out a long-term On XX 3 their favourite female cricketer is?” me. Similarly, if I’m endorsing a brand, plan, she’s doing her bit to make sure Social media went ballistic applaud- my first question wil l be ‘Does it work for people stay vested in women’s cricket. ing her response. And in no time, we me?’ I should be sure of that before I can That’s pretty much the only reason BY INVITATION MY FAV SPORTS AD realised how this -born and vouch for the brand.” she posts on social media. “I was never FROM BRAND ENDORSER There’s TO BRAND INVESTOR -based athlete, that sections active on these platforms in the past. a lot of GroupM’s Nike – of the media were quick to label as a All’s Fair? Friends and teammates forced me to obviously “rising star”, has been shining on the If that’s the only criteria, what about sign up. And with the World Cup, there Vinit Karnik on sport – and also a few field ever since she was a 10 year old. fairness creams, we ask? She laughs was little time for it anyway.” celebrities On 4 surprises. Media-led exposure, a splendid tourna- at first, then replies: “It depends on the >Continued on Page 4 XX

cades, was a one sport country. The suc- SIDETAKE cess of the (IPL) paved way for mushrooming of over a No Chicken On Sundays At This Stadium dozen leagues, only a few managed to Classico, Anybody? catch the viewers’ attention. And foot- ball, or the ISL, is a distant third – after ISL IPL and the . Can the ISL match up to the “ISL has taken a significant step in European leagues? More BY GAURAV LAGHATE Indian football,” says Vinit Karnik, business head of media agency importantly, should it? GroupM’s entertainment and sports On December 18 last year, when the division, ESP Global. According to players of Atletico de (ATK) Karnik, post ISL’s launch the world and Kerala Blasters Football Club ranking of Team India for the first time were tackling each other at the final of in 21 years is in Top 100 while entry of the corporate houses like (ISL), the venue, Kochi’s Tata and JSW have Jawaharlal Nehru sta- THE SUCCESS OF A added to the illustrious dium, was packed to the list of team owners. rafters. LEAGUE DEPENDS “But the job is only Significantly half done,” he admits. enough, the 60,000 ON TRACTION OF “Indian football has Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a franchise operating around strong stadium had very tough competi- the new home of the Atlanta an NFL schedule. THE SPORT, QUAL- Falcons, has a ton of new fea- been that way two tion from the more ESPN’s Darren Rovell was hours before the match popular European tures for sports fans to enjoy, first to report that the new ITY OF PLAYERS, including an amazing circular stadium would feature a began. As Sanjay leagues. While it’s a Jumbotron the likes of which Chick-fil-A, but was quick to Gupta, managing direc- AND TOP GLOBAL long term play, going NFL viewers have never seen. note that Zaxby’s would be tor of – part forward, ISL will have But included in all of the perks the “official chicken of the TALENT of the new stadium is one Falcons” and that Chick-fil-A owner of ISL – said at a re- to develop a sustain- addition that seems glaringly had no plans to change its cent event, “At one point able fan base on the unfit: a Chick-fil-A. At first it tradition. Chick-fil-A keeps its in the match, when a local boy scored a back of local heroes, attract world class seems like a likely pairing - locations closed on Sundays goal, there was so much excitement the talent and launch a robust grassroots Chick-fil-A is based in Atlanta for both religious reasons and and there’s no doubt that any employee welfare; even loca- entire stadium started shaking!” training programme.” stadium in the country could tions in airports, shopping This hardly warrants mention as even The success of any league is depen- benefit from selling their malls, and other high traffic delicious sandwiches, shakes, a footnote considering the storied his- dent on traction of the sport, quality of areas abide by the rule. This tory of football, by far the world’s most players, top global talent, and the na- and waffle fries. But as any year, the Falcons play just person who had a craving for one home game outside of watched sport. A history that includes tion’s standing in the sport. In case of chicken on the wrong day can a Sunday - a Thursday Night fans passionate enough about the sport cricket and kabaddi, India ticks all the tell you, Chick-fil-A is closed Football matchup against the to bring ‘football hooligan’ into the check-boxes, but when it comes to foot- on Sundays. Which presents New Orleans Saints. a pretty obvious problem for popular lexicon. But it was a high point ball, a lot remains to be done. Source: Business Insider when it comes to India, which, for de- >Continued on Page 4

Long dismissed as a ‘dehati’ sport, kabaddi is How Kabaddi Got A Grip On India drawing in eyeballs and big bucks. Here’s why

di. Says Anupam Goswami, league com- Shubhranshu Singh, head - marketing, , Yash for , and BY RAVI BALAKRISHNAN | MUMBAI missioner – Pro Kabbadi League “Given Star Sports, recalls, “At the time, the Ankush Chaudhari for . our cultural diversity and sensibility, question was ‘Who are we speaking to? But as other leagues have proven, while “It was obviously not something that there was clearly room for an indigenous The urban affluent or traditional follow- viewers might tune in for a famous face, looked like it would be as popular as it has sport. We wanted to grow one and make it ers of the sport in rural or semi urban?’” they need a lot more to stay invested. become. As a game it didn’t have glamour: not just comparable to others, but to turn The team finally decided to pitch it to the Each year, campaigns for PKL have it was familiar but not particularly desir- it into a world class model sport.” former, betting on the trend percolating pushed the ‘desi cool’ vibe of the able,” says Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, And kabaddi appears en route to meet- across the country. “We figured those sport, with one commercial even Future Brands, one of ing that goal. From a smat- with a real relationship with the sport taking shots at other popular the leading chroniclers AN AUDIENCE tering of a few brands would anyway convert” says Singh. Also forms of TV. of Indian consumer cul- taking a calculated risk important was the tenor of communica- >Continued on Page 4 ture. He freely admits he MAY TUNE IN FOR in the first few seasons, tion. There was a conscious decision to didn’t see the popularity season 5 boasts of Vivo as a not be frivolous or apologetic about the of kabaddi coming. A FAMOUS FACE, title sponsor with Gillette, sport and instead confidently highlight Neither did many AMFI (Association of its best aspects: signature moves and its others when Star BUT NEEDS A LOT Mutual Funds of India), inherently fierce and combative nature. Sports launched the MORE TO STAY Bajaj Electricals, Indo The actual game was tweaked to make it Professional Kabaddi Nissin and USL among oth- more TV friendly, and enough work done League in 2014. We re- INVESTED ers. The opening day of the to familiarise both viewers and sports call a fair degree of deri- current season began with writers about its nuances. sion and comments in the vein of “What 60 million impressions with a cumula- There was of course the surround of next? The Chor-Police Championships? tive reach of over 50 million registering a celebrities and glamour with Abhishek Extreme kho-kho?” around the time it jump of over 59% over Day One of Season Bachchan being a team owner. Other debuted. And yet when Star Sports was 4, according to Star. celebrities who’ve come on board as looking to bolster its offering after its de- A lot of PKL’s success stems from very regional brand ambassadors are Rana merger with ESPN, it zeroed in on kabad- effective positioning at the time of launch. Daggubati for Andhra Pradesh and MADE FOR INDIA 2 “The sports ministry must be scrapped. Over the years it has ECONOMIC TIMES served no great purpose.” — Ayaz Memon, Sports writer THE AUGUST 23-29, 2017

the twitterindex sports special

Presenting the Sports Special Twitter Ad Index dated 16th August. The index looks at the Top 5 brands based on conversation volume related to sports on Twitter from January 1, 2017 to August 18, 2017.

1) @Vivo_India After two years of being the proud sponsor of the Indian Premier League #VivoIPL, @Vivo_India an- nounced that it would continue being the main sponsor for the huge sporting event for the next five years, until 2022. It celebrated ten years of IPL with the release of #VIVOIPLEdition V5Plus smartphone during IPL 2017. The brand also used multiple unique 7 REASONS WHY STILL ROCKS

hashtags that came with their own custom emoji for this campaign. Additionally, Vivo created awareness around its title sponsorship for Pro Kabaddi League for the next five years. SHOW ME 2) @Nissan_India THE MONEY The Twitter Amplify deal for Champions Trophy Lessons for marketers nected to audience at several levels.” Why both Bollywood and #CT17 with Nissan brought premium content to crick- And you didn’t need to know, love or Sports hit it off et fans. The Amplify deal featured top match video from the film’s even like hockey to identi fy with these highlights from the 18 matches of Champions Trophy narratives. The stories made it more ay back in 1984, the now celebrated from @ICC. The content was promoted by Nissan India enduring popularity, 10 than just a sports movie. Wfilmmaker Prakash Jha had made with pre-roll ads to strengthen its association with years since its release his debut with Hip Hip Hurray, possibly Champions Trophy as one of the official sponsors. In-film branding? Yes, Please one of the first films with sports — football As everyone was getting excited for India’s big game By Amit Bapna 5 Contrary to what one would in this case — as the backdrop. It wasn’t a against for the Champions Trophy #CT17 assume for such a film, Amin as- resounding success. Cut to present, three finals, @Nissan_India brought on Indian cricketer arly social-media suredly wanted brands on-board. of the top grossers of recent times – Bhaag to answer questions from fans and feedback and the pre- “Sponsorship of the team plays Milkha Bhaag (2013), (2014) succeeded in generating great engagement. The auto screening reactions a very important part especially and Dangal (2016) have all been sports- maker also ran a Nissan People’s Player of the Month to Chak De India where government funding is lim- based. Bollywood and sports are following campaign, posting tweets with photos of cricket mo- should have killed ited. We required brands to show each other in their growth trajectory. India ments using the hashtag #MomentsThatCount. Ethe film, according the transition of the lives of these has traditionally not had much to show to its director Shimit players.” The makers had a choice by way of a sporting culture; possibly the 3) @Oppomobileindia Amin. He spent a lot of the time tun- between a foreign insurance brand reason why sports films were never seen Oppo Mobiles India won the sponsorship rights for ing out feedback. It was a risk: a Yash and an Indian brand, and opted as all that viable till recently. Team India and leveraged the Champions Trophy Raj film with none of the trademarks ‘Chak De’ for the latter with the girls One big shift is an increased feeling #CT17 to promote its products. As the ICC Champions of the studio — glamorous stars, team at shown wearing UltraTech among middle-class Indians that our Trophy 2017 #CT17 continued, @oppomobilein- catchy song and dance numbers and work Cement branded jerseys. country is on the rise, and these films dia regularly posted updates and highlights on exotic locales. But it endured, leav- which gets consumed for a few bolster that sense of confidence, feels the tournament on Twitter and continued giving ing the Indian sports fan with an days and then forgotten. In his Stop! Overexposure Ambi Parameswaran, brand strategist fans a chance to win exciting prizes. All fans had anthem that we’ve heard deployed view, fiction turns out best when 6Ahead and founder, Brand-Building.com. To add to do was to retweet their tweets that contained across all sports. it’s about ideas that mean some- For Sony Entertainment, to that, there is a renewed interest in all #CT17SelfieExpert. Here’s how the film earned loyalty, thing to one personally—which which holds the broadcast kinds of sports today: from kabaddi to love and a devoted fan following; the in this case, were women athletes rights of the film, Chak De wrestling to soccer and more, and films 4) @motorolaindia stuff that brand dreams are made of, and the ignored world of public- has been special. A film that help feed that ecosystem. Corporates @motorolaindia teamed up with Rising in short. funded sports, layered with India’s has given them consistent have just about started investing money, Supergiants team (@RPSupergiants) and posted mul- uniqueness as a multilingual ratings and one that they effort and resources in sports at the tiple tweets that contained videos of players telling Getting The TG Right multi-ethnic and multi-religious have been very careful of grassroots. TV networks like Star and their fans to tune in to watch their game. Motorola 1The team deliberated a lot on society. not overexposing, shares Sony have invested heavily making sports booked 14 First Views to support its sponsorship of who the film was being made for. THE UNDERDOG TO Neeraj Vyas, EVP movie cluster, Sony more popular, with the narrative beyond Rising Pune Supergiants, showcasing all the league Amin admits, “In India, we try and The Underdogs as Rockstars CHAMPION STORY IS Pictures network (SPN). The film is cricket. Bollywood is also reflecting that matches featuring the team and dominated the time- make a film for everyone, which in 3 The film’s enduring legacy played on an average six times a year paradigm. As per Darshana Bhalla, CEO at lines with fun and quirky videos. my mind is dangerous.” While some is thanks to avid viewers of its re- THE SINGLE-MOST on the channel. Mates, (a unit of Madison world), Bhaag people manage it successfully, for runs: like the 14 year old we spoke Milkha Bhaag worked because it him it was important to know the to who has seen it over 10 times. No COMPELLING REASON Brand Longevity via The showed the adversaries faced TG and their minds. He wanted the mean feat in an age where many 7Anthem Song by sportsmen - social, politi- film to appeal to kids first: “ They are more screens vie for Gen Z’s lim- FOR THE FILM’S The roar of the film’s title-song of- cal, cultural etc. Mary Kom the best recipients of idealism and ited attention span. The underdog ENDURING LEGACY ten plays at sporting events big and on the other hand showed can relate to role models much bet- to champion story comes through small, and keeps reminding us of its the coming of age of ter than adults.” as the single-most compelling rea- default sports anthem status. Part the Indian sports- son. Social psychologists have tried Keeping it Real, Relatable of a plan? Yes, Amin shares: “The woman. The Film v/s FMCG to unravel why people root for the 4and National producer Aditya Chopra had the 2Conundrum underdog (in real life), given that Being made by a person (Amin) who confident vision early on that we While marketing and distribu- supporting the one more likely is confessedly not an avid sports-fan, ought to have a song that could be- 5) @WWEIndia tion of films have been likened to win has more positive utility. surely played a part in keeping the come a cult and a sports anthem.” With SummerSlam lined up on 20th August 2017, to an FMCG launch, the writing Opines Professor Tanuka Ghoshal, film relatable to other non-sports Adds Sahni, we did have the objec- World Wrestling Entertainment has been running and making is entirely different. assistant professor of marketing, fans. According to Jitender Dabas, tive of attempting a sports anthem interesting campaigns, conducting quizzes to ask Jaideep Sahni, who conceptualised ISB Hyderabad, Brand Chak De CSO, McCann Worldgroup and a for- which people would enjoy singing fans interesting questions related to SummerSlams and wrote Chak De India, believes India celebrated the triumph of the mer hockey player himself, “The film every time an Indian team played from the past. The idea was to increase fan enthu- people instinctively relate to and underdog (an eternal formula for wasn’t just about a sing ular narrative in any sport anywhere in the world. siasm for the upcoming SummerSlam season with value things that carry genuine success), refuelled our sense of na- of a hockey-coach looking for redemp- It ended up becoming that. #10DaysToSummerSlam. feeling, as opposed to a planned tional pride and repackaged SRK in tion but multiple narratives of differ- [email protected] and created ‘entertainment brand’ a credible human avatar. ent girls from small towns that con- Dealing with the ‘Kal Aaj Aur Kal’ of Sportstars What should brands keep and the need for brands to use a popular what you’re up against, when you’re deal- thing like this,” he says. Sense of entitlement women’s cricket team. “Mithali is a name or face to give them much needed ing with the ‘aane wala kal’ of sport stars: This generation is more brand-aware as Indranil Das Blah, founding partner known name to brands unlike most in mind if they’re planning attention and credibility. By the time well. One can see that in Mithali Raj’s re- and COO of KWAN Entertainment other key players. They might not get to sign on one of the new- , MS Dhoni, and Virat Selfie-aware solve to try a product before she endorses (who represents ), feels that the same kind of deals and that will be Kohli joined the club, the internet and Ramakrishnan R, co-founder and it. We hear of a few other new age sport the older generation of sport stars was a challenge for their respective agen- age sport celebrities? social media were gathering steam. director of Baseline Ventures, was stars exhibiting similar behaviour. more realistic. “Some youngsters seem cies,” he says. People were now inter- accompanying Olympic to have this sense of entitlement. They Managing the Gen-next of sport stars ested in knowing more “WE CHASE CLIENTS, silver-medalist PV Sindhu Crisis management in expect sponsorships without putting isn’t enough; brands have to manage BY SHEPHALI BHATT about their favourite THEY CHASE US. and her father in a car 140 characters in the hard work required – because the environment they thrive in as well. MUMBAI sport stars, but the latter SOMETIMES I FEEL in Mumbai during peak they have people telling them they A client was once discouraged by a had to maintain a certain hours once. “We were com- Earlier, if there was a crisis, the ce- are a star.” They are far more inquisi- sports marketing manager from pop- Back in the 80s, when Sunil Gavaskar aura of mystique. AS IF I AM THE ATH- ing back from a shoot and lebrity’s manager would call a press tive, adds Baseline’s Ramakrishnan. ping champagne to celebrate the suc- and entered the world of ce- The Gen Z of sports celebs LETE AND THEY ARE had stopped at the Juhu conference to do damage control. Now, “We chase clients, they chase us. cess of an athlete, because it could have leb endorsements, sport marketing was (athletes like PV Sindhu, THE AGENT” circle signal when a lady all it takes is for celebs to tweet a clari- Sometimes I feel as if I am the athlete hurt the celeb’s religious community nascent. Only a handful of brands were Mithali Raj) is different. Ramakrishnan R in the next car started yell- fication. And this lot has no qualms in and they are the agent.” and you don’t want to take that risk. willing to bring sport celebs onboard They are more outgoing, Baseline Ventures ing Sindhu’s name out,” speaking their mind. It makes the job Varun Chopra, director of Medallin Signing a big sport personality is only – Gavaskar had Thums Up, Dev had willing to share details he recalls. Sindhu got out of the brand and the sports marketing Sports (represents Mithali Raj), adds hal f the battle won, you have to literal ly Palmolive, and then Boost. The genera- of their personal lives, and some of them of the car and obliged the fan with a manager all the more critical – in that that competing with other players over drive their lives off the field thereon. tion of and Sourav are also more restless, we hear. Leading selfie. “This is a prime example of the they have to keep tabs on Twitter, and brand endorsement deals is also quite And it’s as dramatic as they show in the Ganguly saw brands flocking at their sports marketing managers of India share current generation of sport celebs. An brief their charges on stuff they abso- common. He foresees this becoming an movies, minus the glamour. doorsteps – all thanks to liberalisation some instances to give you a peak into established sport celeb won’t do some- lutely can’t talk about. issue with some players of the Indian [email protected]

Sunil Saina Gavaskar Sania Mithali Mirza Nehwal PV Raj Sindhu Kapil MS Dev Dhoni Sachin Virat Tendulkar Kohli GLOCAL BUZZ 3 “Football is an art, like dancing is an art - but only when it’s well done does it become an art.” - Arsene Wenger, manager, Arsenal THE ECONOMIC TIMES AUGUST 23-29, 2017 Life After ‘The End’ No such thing as Can brands step in when boards, industry bodies and the larger audience let underdog sports and teams languish? By Delshad irani too many leagues Relative newcomer JSW Sports has a presence in kabaddi, hockey and football. Why so many and what next? By Gaurav Laghate

In November 2013, when Sajjan Jindal-owned JSW Group, a diversified business conglomer- ate with interests across steel, mining, energy, infrastructure and software, decided to enter sports, many thought it was too late to make a dent. But the company announced its serious- ness of intent, roping in former Indian tennis player Mustafa Ghouse to spearhead JSW Sports. In less than five years, JSW Sports has made a name in football with Bengaluru FC, bought the franchise of Pro Kabaddi League and a team in League. The com- pany also supports athletes as part of its CSR. Excerpts from an interview

How has the sports business panned out for JSW Group in the last 5 years? you see more investments? MG: We launched in November 2 012. The man- MG: We got in wanting to grow the sport. It was date was to help promote sports in India. It never profitable during i-League. But since its started with our Olympic programme. We got inception four years back, Bengaluru FC has into football first with Bengaluru FC (BFC) of won i-League twice, two Federation Cups and i-League. The success of the club gave us con- made it to the final of AFC Cup. n India, every sport ex- sportswear maker is also crowd- fidence to get into more sports. It’s been amazing with regards to the suc- cept cricket is an under- sourcing funds to financially sup- cess on the pitch as well as off it. We went into dog. And you get extra port the athlete. Says Sean Wvy What kind of investments have you made? We knowing that there is huge poten- points if you’re a female Van, senior marketing director, have heard it’s in the range of `200 crore? tial for the team to get accepted and to build athlete whose opted to Adidas India, “Unfortunately MG: It is a sizable investment. We have been a fan base. But to see it happen is such a short play one of these. ITC bet there are various barriers that running a football team for the last four years, span of time is quite a good feeling. Ion badminton when it are limiting the focus of athletes we just picked up a kabaddi team and have In some aspects, the transition to ISL is busi- signed on all-star Saina to look at alternate sports, no mat- rights of a hockey team. The investments will ness as usual. F rom day one we structured our Nehwal. Over the past few years, ter how good an athlete is. Our ap- increase further going forward. team as per AFC guidelines. Operationally, badminton went through a reviv- proach was to gather the backing of there is not much of tweaking required. There al, strengthened by the Olympic people and the nation to bring the Why multiple sports? Does it help in brand build- will be change in composition of players etc silver medal from PV Sindhu spotlight on less known sports and ing? but that’s more in line with league rules. last year. Now the Kolkata-based especially the athlete.” MG: We also have a team in the Pro Wrestling In terms of other aspects, yes there will be F MCG major is attempting to push Adman Jigar Fernandes would League, but that was only in the first season a bigger push in terms of marketing, pro- its fempowered sport agenda fur- have been a professional football and then we pulled out as we were not com- motions and fan engagements etc. Telecast ther by bringing on board Bharti player if it weren’t for an injury fortable with the way the league was planned. partner (Star India) also does massive promo- Dhoundiyal, a MMA fighter. and re-live the passion.” production. “Fortunately, from early in his career. The Publicis We also have a hockey team secured, but there tions, which was lacking in the earlier league. 22-year-old Dhoundiyal has bat- So, what about a story like Aizawl a sponsor’s view, lot of brands ECD uses an analogy from a Pixar is no clarity on when the league will happen. There will be a substantial increase in the in- tled people inside and outside the FC, we ask Satpathy. “Right now, I and companies who can’t afford hit to make his point. Cars ends Having said that, we are keen to see the vestment compared to i-League as there is a ring. Including the misgivings of don’t have a male grooming prod- IPL rates are moving to other with Lightning McQueen becom- growth of sports culture in India; it is part of franchise fee component now. Also, we will be her mother, who constantly wor- uct. But it’s a very interesting sports like kabaddi, kushti, ing the darling of the car world and our group philosophy. Sports is a great way to looking at more foreign players. ried about her daughter entering underdog story; of players from a hockey, football amongst oth- a true winner despite losing or, to build a brand; it connects with everyone. a full-contact combat sport and small team from a remote (Aizawl ers.” Audiences too seem to have put it accurately, choosing to lose JSW is otherwise a B2B company and sports Q. When do you see breakeven of Bengaluru FC? battling men. Her concerns were FC’s home ground an appetite for these in order to do the right thing. After help us get our brand closer to consumers. MG: It’s difficult to say, but we are in for a long partly assuaged by her daughter’s literally hugs a near- WHILE EFFORTS alternative sports the race he goes on to reject the big- time. appearance in an ad for personal vertical cliff) part stories. Bhagat’s com- gest brand of the land and chooses What synergies do you see in multiple teams? care brand, Vivel. The way Sameer of the country doing MUST BE LED pany is producing to stick with the little known Rust- MG: At this time, we have experience of - Q. What about your CSR initiative? Satpathy, chief executive – person- something great. You ‘Umeed India’ on Epic eze, that’s been with him through ning three teams in three different sports MG: The Olympic programme is driven al care, ITC sees it, in cases like can turn it around. It BY GOVER- Channel, that tells the days when he wasn’t a star. and leagues. There are a lot of aspects which through the JSW Foundation. We have about Dhoundiyals, a brand can play requires a bit of imag- tales of Indian ath- Says Fernandes, “With the expo- are easy to replicate. Of course you have to 40 athletes who are preparing for the Tokyo the part of a normaliser. “Society ination not even cour- ING BOARDS, letes in sports as di- sure other sports are getting, it’s tweak the format for the sport as per Olympics. We started in early 2013 and 12 needs these cues, and that’s where age, because the story BRANDS verse as judo (Avatar a very interesting place to be and the region and geography. There is of our athletes qualified for Rio, of which brands can play a role.” is there.” Singh) and luge a potent one at that. If a brand lot of learning from football and Sakshi won a medal (bronze in wrestling). Which brings us to a quintes- Proof then that while TOO CAN PLAY (Shiva Keshavan), can invest in the next Lightning Bengaluru FC (BFC) that we are Some of our athletes are also currently par- sential heart-warming underdog sustained effort must shot put (OP Karhana) McQueen, they can surely be the taking to other sports. ticipating in the Wrestling and Boxing World tale that took our social and main- be led by governing A ROLE and para badminton next Rust-eze.” Or perhaps the Championships in Europe stream media feeds by storm. boards, bodies and (Sanjeev Kumar). argument would be more effec- Are there any more leagues on your As part of the programme, we work with Aizawl FC, a small football club suchlike, brands too can play a However, can brands go beyond tive if delivered a la Aamir Khan radar? every athlete in a holistic matter, with every went on to win the I-League title crucial role. just piggybacking on a compelling in the film Dangal. Khan playing MG: We are not actively looking, but we program tailored to their specific require- in historic fashion. “It still feels Marketers are, quite naturally, underdog narrative? Mahavir Phogat convinces the are always open minded and happy ments. Global ly this approach towards athlete like a dream,” says Aizawl FC’s not investing in alt-sports out of Yes, they can by backing the un- neighbourhood butcher to sell him to evaluate and asses new oppor- development is called the 3% approach and spokesperson Vanlalnghaka the goodness of their heart. But derdogs early in the game. Adidas’ chicken at highly subsidised rates tunities. our aim is to ensure they achieve what they Chhawnchhek, “The fairy-tale that’s fine. Says Chandradev latest campaign #FanTheFire so one day the butcher may say his set out to achieve. will live on, the story will be told to Bhagat, cofounder and CEO of goes a step further. Not only has it ‘broilers are the secret to Geeta Now that Bengaluru FC has become [email protected] young ones from the present gen- Greymatter Entertainment, a signed athletes like ice figure skat- Phogat’s energy’. part of Indian Super League (ISL), do eration to the next; they will learn company specialising in sports er Nishchay Luthra, the German [email protected]

SIDETAKE A Harley-Davidson patch on The Milwaukee Bucks jerseys this season

The Milwaukee Bucks are the latest team to add advertising patches to their jerseys for the upcoming 2017- 18 season. The Bucks have announced that they will have Harley- Davidson patches on their jerseys. The mo- torcycle giant is based in Milwaukee. So far, 12 teams have announced the addi- tion of ad patches and more may come as we get closer to the season. While there isn’t information on how much every team is making off the patches, the Warriors would reportedly command $15million-$20 million per year. Some teams have opted for team-color-friendly patches. Some teams have formed true two-way partnerships with their ad patches promoting a business that the team also works with off the court. And one team has even cho- sen to promote a charity with their ad patch.. Source: Business Insider Nike fl agship store should leave Trump Tower, says an US advocacy group Post Charlottesville, the anti-Trump senti- ment is on the rise. Nike is taking heat from a California- based grassroots advocacy group, which is demanding it end its support of President Donald Trump. Courage Campaign is circulating a petition calling for the brand to relocate its flagship Niketown store from New York City’s Trump Tower. The petition has been signed by more than 72,000 people. Said Eddie Kurtz, executive director of Courage Campaign, “It is time for Nike to choose which side of his- tory they stand on. Anything less means Nike is complicit in supporting Trump’s insidious, racist agenda.” Nike signed a new lease with a non-Trump building, but has not publicly commented on its plans for the current space in Trump Tower. Source: Business Insider BE CLASSIC 34 “Sports teaches you that there is always a second THE ECONOMIC TIMES innings in life.” —Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator AUGUST 23-29, 2017

BY INVITATION GroupM’s Vinit Karnik on how and why owning a brand is becoming My Fav Sports AD more important to sports people than just being the face of it Team BE asked a bunch of keen sports buffs in key marketing communication roles to pick From Brand Endorser their faves. There’s a lot of Nike – obviously – and also a few surprises. to Brand Investor Apurva Chamaria, Delna Sethna, VP and Head - Corporate Chief Creative Offi cer, David Beckham posted the high- Marketing, HCL Technologies L&K Saatchi & Saatchi est earnings of his career in 2014 ie Brand: Under Armour Brand: Nike his first full year of retirement – a Ad: Rule Yourself Ad: Traffi c whopping $75 million. This on the he tagline is “It’s what you back of partnership with Diageo to Tdo in the dark that puts launch Haig Club – a single grain you in the light.” Apart from Scotch whiskey with Beckham be- sweeping the Cannes Lions, ing a shareholder in the business, this ad connected with the TG: and with Hong Kong based Global millennial men between 18 and his is my favourite ad for the Brands Group to develop Beckham- 34. In 2016, swimmer Michael Tmusic, fi rst and foremost. Then branded consumer products glob- Phelps was coming out of the spontaneity: one ball, one bat ally in categories like menswear hiatus and nobody gave him a and it can bring a city to a complete and luxury goods. chance. The spot (with a killer standstill, as it so often does. And In India, the marketing power of soundtrack from The Kills) took fi nally, for the madness that ensues, using sport celebrities to push prod- viewers through his intense which is hyper reality granted, yet ucts is no new phenomena. But even

very reminiscent of what happens BORA ANIRBAN training process. It’s hugely here, athletes and sports stars are to this country when it’s gripped by inspiring. moving from mere endorsements cricket fever. to owning businesses. Cricketers continue to have the largest slice of the brand endorsements pie, but cial media, the degree of inf luence and consultation. Dhoni co-owns Arvind Krishnan, T Gangadhar, many sportsmen and now women and accessibility of sportsmen and the ISL team Chennaiyin FC and Managing Director, BBH India Managing Director, MEC India are fetching deals worth millions. women has gone up significantly. Rays, one of the top teams Brand: Neo Sports Brand: P&G The concept of sports-stars as Pseudo-advertising deals promot- in the apart Ad: Get Used To Tension Ad: Thank You, Mom ‘human brands’ has its own lim- ing products on platforms like from his own fitness brand that y favourite sports-related ited cycle much like Facebook, Instagram is in an expansion mode through Mcampaign is not from a sports- in the case of Indian THE NEW and Twitter fetch gym franchisees. MC Mary Kom related brand or event but from filmstars. Athletes stars top dollar and runs an academy in her homestate a CPG company. Advertising for like Harbhajan MODEL OF EN- a new way to cash in Manipur for promising boxers and sports brands can get formulaic - Singh, , on their benefit and has invested in wom- big celebrity, thrills, clever twist, Rajyavardhan DORSEMENTS influence. en’s personal care brand Paree etc. - but rarely does something Singh Rathore, A certain level of Sanitary Pads. Abhinav Bindra is work at a deeply emotional level like , AND INVEST- business savviness looking to invest in the business of ‘Thank You Mom’ campaign around MENTS OFFER is setting in. Sachin sports science and medicine after a the London Olympic Games. It’s a enjoyed their season Tendulkar has start- glorious career in shooting. There lot of advertising aspires masterclass on how to leverage in the sun, and even A LEVEL OF ed his new innings, is a strong alignment of personal Ato be a part of pop culture. sports sponsorship. had a fair number launching True Blue, values which fans can identify and Sport is a category where the of endorsements to INSURANCE a line of premium reckon with which makes it authen- product is front and centre of their credit. menswear and ac- tic and real. pop culture, but communication Anu Joseph, But today, players in India have cessories with Arvind Fashion The sportsmen and women reap often lags behind. ‘Get used to Chief Creative Offi cer, Creativeland Asia started lending not only their Brands, has invested in Smartron rewards from their own status, but name but a deeper association with for launching his own line of it can also translate into boosting tension’ broke the mould and Brand: Nike brands, services and companies phones (the srtphone), has multiple sales and a company’s shares. They went beyond montage images Ad: Find Your Greatness from previous series, by investments, product designs, investments in budding business- are looking at a fresher approach or being droll about like Nike ‘Find Your Greatness’ series, licensed deals etc to have both an es like Musafir, Smaaash (sports from just a per day rate to an active inter-team enmity Iespecially the fi rst one – Jogger. I love the economic stake and a longevity to simulation), the ‘Blasters’ family interest in everything from promo- etc. It almost made simplicity of the fi lms, and clarity of the Amaresh Godbole, their career-spans. They are mak- of franchises in ISL and PBL and tions and product design in some message. These fi lms also go to show you feel rewarded. Managing Director, India ing a difference to the business of in PKL, S Drive cases. This could help increase the that you don’t really need huge I am not a big fan of DigitasLBi sports brands by moving from be- and Sach (healthcare and sports shelf life of a sports person and to budgets to make a great sports the recent IPL work Brand: Nike ing endorsers to influencers. fitness products) among others. some extent change the perception fi lm. (over the past 2-3 Ad: Marathon Man We see cricketers continuously Yuvraj Singh’s YWC (You We Can) of sports in India, still considered seasons). They’ve y favourite would be on our television sets, followed by – Venture gives start-ups a thrust to as an extra-curricular activity. begun talking MNike’s early series shuttlers who have taken the sport build great teams and companies. The new model of celebrity en- about ‘rishtey’, ‘Just do it’ commercials. of badminton to new heights. And Virat Kohli’s Wrogn is seeing his dorsements and investments offer a ‘tyohaar’ Specifi cally the one where then come the long tail of amateur brand personality of a stylish and level of insurance. Rather than just etc. but have runners compete with athletes who are in the spotlight fit person metamorphose into a be the face to a brand, sports people left cricket themselves. It was a great every 2-4 years at multi-sport glob- brand of clothes available across invest their reputation and share behind. case of making a brand al events like Commonwealth and online and offline channels na- risks. And in the process, prove to It is less aspirational by playing Olympics. Brands get built due to tionally. He is also a co-owner of themselves that they can take on a sport, more in the self-actualisation continuous exposure and visibil- FC Goa (ISL) and a chain of gyms different turf and win there too. marketing. mind space and making it ity hence the deals, numbers and and fitness centres called Chisel. The author is Business Head - relevant to non-athletes. athletes vary. is the co-founder of ESP Properties, Entertainment However with the explosion of so- a firm that is into sports training & Sports division of GroupM.

Continued from Page 1 >> “Don’t give me...” ISL Classico, Anybody? Mithali Raj’s market- No Time For Love (Lost) ing team manages Speaking of World Cups of the “We are not a footballing nation. What her social accounts past and future, Raj never we are doing at ISL is a top down approach, WATCH THE BALL but now it’s more dreamt of winning one as where a lot of money is being infused to 1. Among non-cricketing sports – important than a child. She was passionate create a demand,” says Ramakrishnan R, viewership share in 2016 ever. It’s essential about , but director at sports marketing firm Baseline Bharatanatyam Pro Kabaddi League* – 61% to get people to re- her father (an ex-Indian Air Ventures. He believes economic force Indian Super League – 16% main interested in Force Airman) was a cricket alone cannot drive success. “That’s where Rio Olympics 2016 – 12% players and the sport, fanatic. Did it never hurt to let FIFA Under 17 becomes very important. It Kabaddi World Cup 2016 – 10% until the next match, go of your dreams in order to pur- will be a true barometer of where we can (*Two seasons) especially since the women’s team sue your father’s, we ask? Raj replies, start building,” he adds. crore in revenue share from the central Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga. don’t have matches as frequently “There was no time to think about it ISL, which was launched in 2014, has seen 2. Key ISL Viewership markets revenue pool. But Mustafa Ghouse, CEO at JSW Sports as the men’s cricket team does. The with all the activities one did in a day. three seasons of eight teams each so far. Assam/NE/Sikkim – 17% “Investment in football is much more feels that even as football remains the big- next series is the ICC T20 Women’s And when I saw the struggle both From the next season, scheduled for early Kerala – 30% than kabaddi. Investors, who were buying gest team sport in the world, “Everyone World Cup, in November 2018. my parents went through, to make next year, it will add two new teams – Tata West Bengal – 28% teams, knew that they will not breakeven has to create their own space,” Ghouse cricket happen for me, all I wanted to Group-owned Jamshedpur FC and JSW / Pondicherry – 7% before 7-10 years,” says Indranil Das Blah, adds, “Football has definitely caught the do was make them proud.” Sports-owned Bengaluru FC, which was Maharashtra/Goa – 5% CEO, Mumbai FC. “Also, operational ex- eye of lot of young kids in the bigger cit- so far part of i-League. 3. Top advertising categories on ISL penses have stabilised over the years and ies like Mumbai and . This is also Who’s It Gonna Be In The reality is that while some of the IPL will go down, while revenue catches up.” because they fol low the best of footbal l ac- a. Auto – 34% (Hero is title sponsor) The Biopic? teams have made profits, and many of The league owners – IMG Reliance and tion on TV. And finally, it’s a question of b. Services – 24% There were dramatic chapters in the the PKL teams are reaching breakeven Star India (65:35 shareholders) – extend- knowing what’s going to work for us. You c. Education – 11% past though. “I was judged several points, none of the ISL team is near break- ing it to a five-month period, will help in see the Kerala Blaster match: there were SOURCE – BARC INDIA times for being a girl wanting to play even. In fact, they are far from it. getting better sponsorship revenues. over 50,000 people in the stadium. Who cricket - and I used to play with boys As per ET estimates, operational cost average, they currently earn `8 crore-`12 Apart from financial challenge, ISL would have thought that could happen a mostly. But it didn’t matter. My priori- of running a franchise is anywhere be- crore from sponsorships, `1.5 crore-`3 also faces a big challenge of quality with few years ago?” ties were different.” Raj is grateful to tween `25crore-`35 crore per year. On an crore from ticket sales and `4 crore-`5 the popular European leagues such as [email protected] her parents for not giving her time to mull over things, growing up. They couldn’t get her away from Rumi gets brawly the way other sports do.” though - her favourite poet whose Desai believes the appeal to this demo- book she was seen reading while wait- How Kabaddi Got A Grip On India graphic could be because: “When you ing for her against England, start with a clean slate, you consume in which she broke her own record of In its fifth season, kabaddi players are what’s on screen rather than anything 50s in ODI women’s cricket. starting to see the celebrity — and money else. There are no pesky details and his- There’s enough scope for a biopic, — that being part of a profitable sporting RAID POINTS tory or backstory that you are importing basically. And production houses are tourney brings with it. While top players A Few PKL Facts & Stats into viewership. If you are talking about ` vying to bag the rights. Who does she are a few lakh shy of the 1 crore mark, FRANCHISES: 2014: 8 2016: 12 soccer, there’s just too much to be known want to play herself? “Not Deepika according to Goswami, “We introduced and there’s an asymmetry in knowledge, Padukone, at least. She’s almost 6 feet a category called New Young Players be- TOP PLAYER SALARIES which I imagine, could be off-putting. and I am 5’3”. Going purely by person- tween 18 and 22. The minimum salary Here, everyone is equally clueless.” ality, I think Priyanka Chopra would for a season is `5 lakh. If you look at the Indian: Between geographic spread and more match mine, but then she has already entry level salaries across most careers, Nitin Tomar: young people being incentivised to up done one biopic,” she quips. She gets whether in engineering, software or `93 lakhs their game, kabaddi looks to be in a com- her sense of humour from her mother. medicine, `5 lakhs would compare very fortable position — which is more than “Once I tripped and fell off the steps well.” Star is betting on a big push in the ership of women (15+) and children what can be said for its players, frequently and she started laughing, in front of hinterlands this year with the launch (4 to 14) was 54% for the last season of seen trying to get back to their side, with everyone. I asked her to help me get of Star Sports First a free to air chan- the PKL and for the Kabaddi World multiple members of the rival team hold- up at least, but she wanted to finish nel and SS1 Tamil, a dedicated regional Cup. Goswami admits, “We need ing them back. Desai considers it “A huge laughing first. Can you imagine!” sports offering. to get a better understanding of International: act of creation: not a linear step from see- We can. We also know she’s going to The one mystery the team is yet to crack what draws them to sport. One Jang Kun Lee: ing an opportunity and converting it, but keep it real - on and off the field. entirely is the appeal the sport has for reason could be though it’s a `80.3 lakhs more about imagining an opportunity.” [email protected] women and children. Cumulative view- contact sport, it very rarely [email protected]

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