Will funny get the money?

Challenger brand Indian Cricket League (ICL) from Subhash Chandra-owned Zee Sports may be struggling to convince advertisers and sponsors, but it seems to be scoring with its first rush of campaign spots unleashed on TV and radio that are now doing the rounds on YouTube. The series has been mandated to O&M, Mumbai, which has worked to bring out the local character for each of the six cities that have formed a team from local talent.

Ergo, teams with attendant personifications: Chandigarh Lions that has a tagline Khello Te Tashhan Naal (play with attitude); Delhi Jets—Dum Hai Toh Aao (Come if you have the guts); Kolkata Tigers—Humse Bachke Rehna (Beware of me), Mumbai Champs—Bole Toh No. 1 (We are No. 1); Hyderabad Heroes— Cricket Ke Ustaad (Masters of cricket); and, finally, Chennai Superstars—Anything is possible.

All these 60-second spots have found their way on to YouTube and are currently being forwarded among friends. This correspondent, who missed the spots on TV and radio, was actually forwarded a link.

The result is only too visible as the hits are mounting in their favour. “The response has been really good, as we feel the right buzz is getting generated,” says Anup Chitnis, Executive Creative Director, South Asia, O&M. Chitnis says that the agency worked hard to draw local flavours, nuances and the history of the game in each of these cities. “Also, we have sought to bring forth the local spirit, as ICL is all about building regional stars and talent,” he says.

Satish Menon, President, Zee Sports, admits that advertisers are beginning to show interest where ground sponsorship is concerned and the series has attracted brands such as TVS, Spice Telecom, Oswal Group, Rashmi Builders and Rishi Cements, among others. Also, according to reports, ICL has managed to sell the global rights for $10 million (Rs 40 crore) to three distributors. According to information available, there is also a negotiation that’s on to bring ICL on the competing TataSky DTH platform.

To be sure, even the TAM ratings will begin to trickle in soon and industry watchers aver that these, though not too high, may just pave the ground for bigger things in future. Even some prominent advertisers such as LG Electronics India admit that they would watch the progress of the ratings and keep Zee’s ICL on their radar—much like other programmes. With a slow build-up, this is proving to be the real dark horse of the media.