Big bets on the World Cup
India Inc gears up for heavy-duty brand promotions.
For a cricket-crazy country, the ICC World Cup is the mother of all sporting events. The countdown for the next edition has now well and truly begun - the month-and-a-half-long event gets under way on February 19. This time it will be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. And India Inc is planning mega marketing initiatives around the event.
ESPN, the official broadcaster for the event, says it is flooded with queries from brands: "We have already filled up 50 per cent of our inventory," says Rathindra Basu, Senior Director, Business Development & Communications (South Asia), ESPN STAR Sports.
Telecom players are planning a big push for their 3G initiatives around the event. "Tata DoCoMo has already launched 3G. Airtel and Vodafone, too, are expected to debut by year-end. But the real push for it will happen during the World Cup, as it will be the big driver for people to catch up with the game while on the move," says a marketing head. Consumer durables companies, too, have big plans.
"We hope to use this opportunity to reach out to our target audiences," says Tadato Kimura, General Manager, Marketing, Sony India. Maruti is looking to launch its premium-end Kizashi large car during the World Cup.
As a result, a 10-second advertising spot is already going at over Rs 4 lakh. And it may rise to over Rs 5 lakh in the run-up to the event. In contrast, popular celebrity shows on general entertainment channels, such as Bigg Boss 4 or Kaun Banega Crorepati, command Rs 1.5-4 lakh with TRPs of around four.
But industry experts point out that the TRPs for the World Cup matches could be much higher. The format of the tournament, too, is likely to ensure greater viewership. This time India will play at least seven matches, and 29 of the 49 matches in the tournament will be played in the country. In the last edition, in the West Indies, India made an ignominious early exit after playing three matches. "From a purely media investment angle, this makes great sense for us. The Indian team is in great form and is pitted against weaker teams from Bangladesh, Kenya and Zimbabwe in the initial rounds," says Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki.
But the megaevent might make brands wary of investing in the Indian Premier League, or IPL, which follows immediately after. "We decided against the IPL because of viewer fatigue," says a media planner. There is a flip side, too. "Ratings would depend on India's fortunes. With the IPL, the ratings tend to be steady," says Basabdutta Chowdhury, CEO, Madison Media Plus. For media planners, India's good form in the World Cup will still be crucial.
ESPN, the official broadcaster for the event, says it is flooded with queries from brands: "We have already filled up 50 per cent of our inventory," says Rathindra Basu, Senior Director, Business Development & Communications (South Asia), ESPN STAR Sports.
Telecom players are planning a big push for their 3G initiatives around the event. "Tata DoCoMo has already launched 3G. Airtel and Vodafone, too, are expected to debut by year-end. But the real push for it will happen during the World Cup, as it will be the big driver for people to catch up with the game while on the move," says a marketing head. Consumer durables companies, too, have big plans.
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As a result, a 10-second advertising spot is already going at over Rs 4 lakh. And it may rise to over Rs 5 lakh in the run-up to the event. In contrast, popular celebrity shows on general entertainment channels, such as Bigg Boss 4 or Kaun Banega Crorepati, command Rs 1.5-4 lakh with TRPs of around four.
But industry experts point out that the TRPs for the World Cup matches could be much higher. The format of the tournament, too, is likely to ensure greater viewership. This time India will play at least seven matches, and 29 of the 49 matches in the tournament will be played in the country. In the last edition, in the West Indies, India made an ignominious early exit after playing three matches. "From a purely media investment angle, this makes great sense for us. The Indian team is in great form and is pitted against weaker teams from Bangladesh, Kenya and Zimbabwe in the initial rounds," says Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki.
But the megaevent might make brands wary of investing in the Indian Premier League, or IPL, which follows immediately after. "We decided against the IPL because of viewer fatigue," says a media planner. There is a flip side, too. "Ratings would depend on India's fortunes. With the IPL, the ratings tend to be steady," says Basabdutta Chowdhury, CEO, Madison Media Plus. For media planners, India's good form in the World Cup will still be crucial.
