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Brand storm in a World Cup

Priya Srinivasan in Bombay

As the Indian cricket team left the shores today to join 11 other cricket teams in the war for the World Cup in May-June in Old Blighty, they will have carried with them the good wishes and great expectations of a billion people, and mental images of innumerable brands.

For the brands promoted by the cricketers are waging pitched marketing and advertising battles for a piece of the mind of the Indian consumer (read viewer/reader) during 'the season'.

The brand wars, advertising professionals say, are so intense and all pervading that one may like or dislike them but cannot ignore them. A relevant pointer: When India hosted the 1996 Wills World Cup, the ad spend was Rs 900 million. Now it is Rs 3.5 billion, an all-time high for a sporting event that is being held elsewhere.

Yes, Rs 3.5 billion, no less! No wonder, advertisements hitched to the World Cup bandwagon stare at one's face wherever one looks, whenever one turns on the television…. free trips to England, freebies ranging from combs to TV sets to cars for lucky draw winners, discount sales, slogan contests, quizzes, the excitement is building up with each published advert.

Britannia Khao World Cup Jao advises one poster in the street-corner store. Amul's delightfully imaginative hoarding displays 'Backbone' Tendulkar getting a massage on his injured back.

Then there are the motivational clips for the Indian cricket team and the Indian cricket connoisseurs at large -- captain Azharuddin working out with 1983 World Cup winning team captain Kapil Dev, the 1983 team in sepia-tinted pictures.

When the ad slug-fest and cut-throat competition are on, can controversy be far behind? Rival television channels are being dragged to court for violation of contracts. One brand is squabbling with another for stealing its favourite cricket star. Every brand worth its equity has found some way of deriving some kind of mileage from the run-up to the World Cup.

After all, some two billion viewers are expected to tune in to the television and radio broadcasts, half of them from the subcontinent itself. "No arithmetic progression could have prepared us for this kind of an audience following and corresponding ad spend," says a media seller.

"If a brand wants visibility during the World Cup, one is talking of no less than a Rs 35 million budget," says V Raghuraman, media supervisor, Contract Advertising. Companies like two-wheeler major Bajaj are reportedly spending about six times the amount they did on the previous World Cup.

Although international cricket is being played through the year, "the interest in cricket is nowhere near saturation point", according to Hemant Mehta of the Indian Market Research Bureau or IMRB. On the contrary, the sport has gained enough popularity to be considered the ultimate vehicle to carry the brand message.

"We carried out a survey this January to identify the key factors that make a consumer buy products and we found that cricket has replaced feature films as the main influencer," remarks Jagdeep Kapoor of Samsika Advertising and Marketing.

This is largely due to the hype around the event which began as early as mid 1998, when channels like Star Sports acquired telecast rights and launched the build-up to the event with a series of slick commercials.

Then there is the Sachin Tendulkar factor, media industry sources say. "We finally have our own sports legend, our own icon, who can hold his own against the best in the world," says a media planner. Between 1996 and 1999, Tendulkar's persona has acquired extra sheen and his very presence has turned the 1999 World Cup into a money-spinner, he adds.

It is learnt some brand managers have earmarked as much as 50 per cent of their total adspend for the year on the World Cup. "A majority of Indian households still own just one TV set and a cricket match becomes the obvious choice for the whole family at any given point," remarks a media buyer. "So you've reached the largest ever audience at one shot".

As audiences fragment and viewing options rise, a cricket match comes as a godsend, say product managers. "A cricket match means a captive audience," says Raghuraman. "There are commercial breaks between overs and viewers don't channel surf or leave the room at that point for fear of missing the action."

Industry observers point to the rising interest in cricket among women who apparently account for about 50 per cent of the viewership, up from 25 per cent one year back. One industry insider agrees with a columnist who wrote that men and women watch cricket as much for the game as for the good-looking, attractive men who play it.

They further say that players such as Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar have acquired advertisment star status, having 'starred' in umpteen commercials to endorse countless products. No wonder, during the telecast of the Good Luck India match the other day, the largest number of advertisements were for a leading saree brand.

It is not just the war of existing brands that is enlivening the run-up to the World Cup. A number of new brands are being launched to coincide with the cricketing bonanza.

Bajaj Automobiles's Caliber, Classic and Bravo two-wheelers are already in the market and a fourth model is expected shortly. Phillips has launched a television with split screen facilities, whose advertising pitch emphasises the ''role of the third umpire''.

Electronics majors Aiwa, Akai, LG , Samsung and Onida have all announced innovative schemes pegged to the World Cup. Automotive manufacturer Hero Honda has been proclaimed the ''Official Bike of World Cup 1999''. Companies like Pepsi and Britannia have launched schemes to award free air tickets for their patrons, besides organising music concerts.

"Companies who have the resources are going all out. They are ready to spend any amount of money to get noticed during the World Cup season. They believe exposure now will leave lasting impressions on the viewers'/readers' minds. Those who don't, have decided to keep out of the event altogether for fear of being lost in the clutter," says Kapoor.

"Being associated with the Cup is a great differentiator," says Raghuraman. "Being the Official Bike may mean nothing by itself but for the consumer it is something that sets this product apart, other things being equal."

One question bothers the big spenders though. What if India fails to reach the knock-out stage? A media analyst says even this has been factored in, following the not-so-great performances of the Indian team in the recent past. The highest viewership will be recorded during the first five matches that India plays within its group. So the focus is on the preliminary round matches. If India sails past this stage, so much the better.

What will it be like post World Cup? "Maybe feature films will re-emerge as the main attraction for television advertisers," says Kapoor.

A brand called Sachin Tendulkar

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