Pitch April-May -2013; Games Marketers Play by Adsert Web Solutions

Pitch Pitch||Feb-March April-May 2013

Feb-March2013 2013 Pitch | April-May

INSIDE COVER STORY Pitch Volume X, Issue-7 April-May 2013 Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Annurag Batra Editor & Director Amit Agnihotri Director Nawal Ahuja

EDITORIAL TEAM

Consulting Editor

Vinod Behl

Deputy Editor

Dhaleta Surender Kumar

Deputy Asst. Editor

Neha Pal

Correspondents

Abhinav Mohapatra Arshiya Khullar

Senior Art Director

Shamsad Shaikh

Graphic Designer

Joby Mathew

Photographers

Vilas Kalgutkar (Mumbai) Suresh Gola (Noida)

AD SALES

Rohit Sardana Abdulla M Mazumder Varnikaa jain Sneha Walke

9811377592 9871609348 9769153087 9845541143

0FFICES

NEW DELHI: Shop No. 32, 33 south Ettn. Part-I, Om vihar, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi 110 059 NOIDA: B-20, I-Floor, Sector-57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301 Phone: (0120) 4007700 Mumbai: 301, Kakad Bhavan, 3rd Floor, 11th Street, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050 Phone: (022) 2640 3303/09/14/16 Bengaluru: Flat No. 1,062, 1st Floor, 2nd Cross, 6th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar, Bengaluru - 560 038

Sports sponsorships are a passe. Marketers are building properties around sports and even looking to bet their money beyond cricket. How? Pitch finds out... INTERVIEWS

Kartik Verma | Country Head, Rush Sports Marketing Brandon de Souza | MD, Tiger Sports Marketing

COLUMNS

Navroze D Dhondy | Founder and Managing Director, Creatigies Communications James Parrish | Rush Sports Marketing and Investment

CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION

Anandan Nair (Mumbai) - 9819445200 anair@exchange4media.com On News-stands ` 75 www.pitchonnet.com Printed and published by Annurag Batra on behalf of Adsert Web Solutions Pvt Ltd B-20, I-Floor, Sector-57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301 Printed at All Time Offset Printers, E-53, Sector-7 Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301

BRAND JOURNEY

The crooked story The crookedly shaped snack from the PepsiCo stable has been able to appeal to the Indian taste buds for a decade. Pitch munches along...

An exchange4media Publication

Pitch | April-May 2013

INTERVIEWS

‘W’s design language differentiates it from others’

A ‘weighty’ matter Hoping to present themselves as healthy choices, brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are presenting an informed choice to consumers with calorie labels.

Anant Daga | CEO, W, TCNS

‘Brand extension is going to be our prime focus for this year’

Vikram Bakshi | MD, Northern and Eastern Region, McDonald’s India

What’s beneath the bonnet? Engine oil and lubricants is a category, which can be deemed intangible. Shell has taken the advertisement funded programmes’ route to reach out to the consumer

‘We are aiming to add 1,500 distribution touch points in 2013’ Deba Ghoshal | Marketing Head, UPBG, Voltas

‘We are enabling the youth to share stories through music’

Shailendra Katyal | Director, Marketing, Lenovo India

7X prison term

Tata Sky tells a jail-break story in 210 seconds. That is seven times more than the usual time taken by other brands for their communication. Does the strategy work to break the clutter?

Flip through the pages JK Paper is trying hard to make users demand paper by a brand. How? And what are its future plans? Pitch | April-May 2013

‘In 2013, focus would be on modernising kitchens’

Anshu Bagai | Chief Marketing Officer, Tupperware India

49 54

In the theatre of mind

The return of the aliens

How Perfetti Van Melle has used OTHERS radio as a perfect medium to reach Feature: HR out to its audience in smaller towns Feature: Gaming like Gorakhpur and Allahabad Column : Annurag Batra

44 48 56 3

REVIEW

Bakwaas Marketing of the month By Abhinav Mohapatra

Sumo, the new Flying Machine

ost adventurous commercials come with the disclaimer: stunts performed by experts, don’t try this at home. The latest Tata Sumo Gold commercial, shows something that is unreal. Jumping off a cliff on top of the blue city and then ﬂying on rooftops. Seems when Tata Motors was giving the brief to the creative agency, the creative director was dreaming of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Returns’. For those who haven’t seen the movie, the ‘bat-mobile’ doesn’t use roads but rooftops. And about the disclaimer, it really cannot be tried at home, or for that fact anywhere else. Anyways, Jodhpur where the houses are painted blue apparently has bikini clad women on rooftops getting a tan and also guys playing table tennis, who are awe-struck with the MUVs performance. For practicality sake, how can

a vehicle like Sumo that weighs a tonne, be jumping off rooftops like a feather-top? Isn’t the name of the automobile enough for it to remain grounded? At least I am happy about one fact, Hollywood makes movies like ‘Fast and Furious’ where cars are doing impalpable stunts, our Indian commercials do the same, they don’t even have to launch a silver screen version. n

Ranbir does it again

think Pepsi really has gone haywire with its new positioning. The ‘Oh Yes Abhi’ has no head or tail, well yes it is trying to portray the ‘impatience’ of the youth but the homogeneity that the beverage shares with the brand ambassador, especially RanbirKapoor, puts the consumer in a dilemma. Every time, the actor comes up with an even more ridiculous IPL commercial. Last time it was ‘Na-Tameez’ campaign, this time it is ‘Oh Yes Abhi’. Ranbir dressed up as a white collar ‘Babu’ stops a brawl between

a hard core Kolkata Knight Riders fan and a Kings of Punjab fan, giving them a dose on nationalism and how Pepsi is same everywhere. what is funny is a dialogue, “Humaari Lassi mein tumhare Rasgulley tairtey hain..” after Ranbir’s short speech, for a moment, it feels as if he is making sense for a change, and yes fortitude of nationalism does cross the viewer’s mind. Unfortunately he is back to basics of being an impious character and dancing away to glory as soon as he hears Delhi Daredevils win. Somehow that shatters the amplifying fondness towards the character as well as the national spirit. I thought no matter how many regional teams IPL has, it still unites the nation for enjoying a sport. Seems here Pepsi and Ranbir are playing the odds. Again, how does this get the brand in sync with the commercial or the communication? Oh well, it’s just another commercial.n

Amir is the ‘MAN’

hose who were perceptive enough to look at the newsletters and promos did get excited about Aamir dressing up as a woman in an upcoming ad but at the spur of the moment did not realise how non-germane the ad could lead to be. Well the home, characters and Aamir’s makeup is lambent but at the end of the ad you feel a fritter of about a minute, what exactly is it that Godrej wants to say “our ACs make you feel cool… period” or “our dining tables have a inbuilt heating pan”. Aamir Khan’s commercial made me wonder, “Was this the kind of research that a company should do because the prelude

teaser just passed the message that he is dressing up for some research.” The whole episode reminds of a quote by Dr Edgerton, “the nature of research: you don’t know what you are doing.” Anyways, just like recording on a DTH, there should be a technology to get to the end of the TVC for a one line conclusion, research can be done even without dressing up as a woman. Seems Godrej thinks otherwise. n

Noticing Docomo

s TATA Docomo’s brand credibility being questioned or, it just wants some credit? “When your receive an order, think of us, because leading online shopping companies use our network”, “leading job sites use our network”, “leading news use our network.” Well, if everyone does use this network, then why isn’t the brand on the top? Maybe because it needs to create ‘top’ of mind

Pitch | April-May 2013

Really No Kia?

guess this title for a joke is getting old now. I think the way the brand is going we will have to think of something else. The newfangled Lumia ads, especially the 920 have just gone overboard with marketing their capabilities. Low light imaging, smart shoot and all that jazz. Well, there is a reason why Nokia lost its rectitude, it needs to look around. In the commercial, a couple of friends keep taking each other’s case and bringing forth the features of the phone. What was always push the ‘little guy’ has become always push the ‘healthy’ guy, as long as it is all in a good spirit. Well the colourful ad, the colourful people elucidate the ‘youth’ and yes our country has more than half the population below 30, but, can this ‘youth’

afford a smartphone pegged around ` 35,000? At least the brand did something ‘smart’ by taking out low end ‘affordable’ Lumia models with similar capabilities, but no communication as yet. Nevertheless, this 920 series of TVCs is going to go on for a while, at least till ‘stock lasts’, which means it is going to take a while. n

Spontaneity vs Rehearsed

PL is here, Pepsi has landed the title sponsorship, pretty evident when we see Pepsi IPL T20. But the whole point of a rehearsed dance sequence released by Sony, which has the telecast rights, does not really justify its position. As Star has also landed the associate sponsorship, there is less ‘jumpin, jhapak…thumping, thapak…gilli..gilli’ that will be personated by viewers. Also, neither the song is addictive nor the steps undemanding, and by the end of a sixer, a four, or a

recall first and later start taking credit. As the old oriental philosophical saying goes, ‘those who say, do not know; those who know do not say’. Nevertheless, when it comes to ads such as these, even 20 seconds seems long. With more than 200 companies in every sector, my suggestion, when you are that big, don’t boast about it and even when you do get at the top. What was the creative agency thinking? This ad will make people buy more connections because leading news, jobs

wicket, viewers will be doing what they do best, spontaneous loony steps. Reminds me of certain cellular ads that ‘Idea(te)’ ridiculous songs which become viral work. Farah Khan is a celebrity, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra or Anushka Sharma would have made more sense. At least people would not necessitate on channel surfing when this commercial is having its parade. However, a kitty party or a guy sitting on a couch or a skimpily dressed girl dancing on these steps doesn’t induce excitement or the urge to do what Sony is telling one to do, as I remember one of the old commercials related to T20, ‘Na Tameez se Kheli Jaati Hai, Na Tameez se Dekhi Jaati hai’. Wishing Sony all the luck going forward with Farah and her ‘moves’. n

and online shopping services use Docomo? Sounds more B2B than B2C. n

Redefine status by blowing up cars

guess a lot of people are going to set their cars on fire, either they have or will. The new ad for Renault Fluence shows a guy taking a lift from another guy driving Renault Fluence after his car broke down in the middle of nowhere. By the look of it, the hitch hiker is tumultuous with the features of the car and later, after collecting fuel from a petrol station, puts his broken down car on fire. According to industry reports, Renault reported a sale of 107 units of Fluence in October last year, as far as I noticed there were not so many car explosions reported. Or is the number of explosions directly proportional to the number of hitch hikers being picked up by Fluence(s). Maybe after this ad, the brand thought of slashing down

the price of its vehicle bringing it down to ` 11.99 lakh. Wonder what made it do that? Mystery! A few suggestions for budding bombers, a) watch your surroundings, b) you have the option of selling your old car and buying a Fluence, only if you hate your own car so much and c) don’t judge a book by its cover. Rest assured, the commercial did not have the usual disclaimer ‘Don’t try this at home’ or your status will definitely be redefined. n -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

Pitch | April-May 2013

FUN

Photo Feature of the month

STARBUCKS

In an effort to give a local flavour to its stores, besides its localised menu, the newly global entrant in the QSR segment, Starbucks, has paid respect to local architecture too. In the store at Connaught Place in Delhi, it has used rope work, Chattai work and married that with modernity using bare walls and the unfinished cement look. In Mumbai, it has a lot of woodwork and jaali work.

By Harsh Maheshwari

The yellow car shown here is a great example of a communication positioning going wrong. This mistake justifies the overuse of the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;make it aspirationalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by the brand managers. This brand has been trying to undo the blunder but the first impression seems to last long in this case.

Ans: TATA NANO

Guess the brand?

Pitch | April-May 2013

ततिुितकुकक

Feb-March2013 2013 Pitch | April-May

7 www.ibc24online.com

BRAND JOURNEY KURKURE

The crooked story The crookedly shaped snack from the PepsiCo stable has been able to appeal to the Indian taste buds for a decade. Pitch munches along... By Arshiya Khullar

hen PepsiCo’s Lay’s bought over Uncle Chipps, it was a clear indication that Indians while do have a fascination for anything “foreign” or “Western” but when it comes to satisfying the taste buds, nothing would do other than the local spices. PepsiCo wasn’t rigid enough to push its international flavours. It did come up with many local flavours for its wafers, but also research threw up an innovative spicy snack – Kurkure, positioned on fun and an anytime snack for everyone in the family. The crookedly shaped finger snacks, over the years got the tagline – Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai. And bubbly actress Juhi Chawla,

as its brand ambassador, only added to the eccentricity attached with the brand. For almost a decade, Kurkure didn’t have any competition. Even when ITC forayed into the snacks category it really didn’t target Kurkure from day one. It cooked its Ted-

For almost a decade, Kurkure didn’t have any competition. Even when ITC forayed into the snacks category it really didn’t target Kurkure from day one he Medhe recipe quite a many years later. Despite rumours and negative hearsay that Kurkure contains “plastic” and is bad for health thereby, the brand has managed to hold on to its own. Consistently crooked One of the things that has worked in Kurkure’s favour is the brand communication. Through the years, all its communication has centred on the same premise and all its campaigns peppered with quirkiness and humour. The tagline: Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai, which revolves around the message that despite each one’s eccentricities, family members accept each other for what they are - has stayed with the brand since 2008. Also playing a role in scripting the brand’s success is its long association with actor Juhi Chawla, whom PepsiCo signed up to endorse Kurkure after three years of its launch. Now there’s an entire starstudded mad family –

Kunal Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Farida Jalal, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan and child actor Shivansh, as its members. According to Nalin Sood, Executive Vice President – Foods, PepsiCo India, while the positioning of Kurkure remains the same

as before, the communication strategy has been changed to address the brand’s expanding product portfolio and widening target audience. The brand however, maintains that it will continue to have an association with Juhi Chawla and her role will be evaluated according to the need of the marketing strategy. This campaign marks the beginning of the creation of Kurkure as an umbrella brand. “Going forward, a lot of new launches and new initiatives will happen. From a mother brand’s perspective, we need to make sure that every initiative that you try to communicate to customers does not look like a disjoint set of communication; it needs to give the feeling that it is still coming from Kurkure, but targeting a different consumption audience and a different offering,” says Sood. Seen as one of the biggest campaigns by Kurkure since its inception, the timing seems to be perfect for this aggressive marketing. According to estimates, the ` 9,400 crore Indian snack market is growing at a very healthy pace, about 25 per cent a year and as a recent survey by VML Qais indicates Indians, the 18- to 30-year old lot, are particularly fond of a crispy snack in air-tight plastic packaging. The decision might have also been

Pitch | April-May 2013

guided by intense competition from new entrants and market share considerations, even though Sood refuses to share the financial details. In the recent past, regional players such as Gujarat-based Balaji, Indore’s Yellow Diamond and DFM Foods’ Crax in addition to some variants of ITC’s Bingo snacks have emerged as strong competitors with similar pricing models and product variants. Sood sees opportunity in competition, and feels that the late entrants have only helped the category grow. The taste laboratory In 2010, a nonsensical TVC (apt to its positioning) broke out and Juhi Chawla, ala Bollywood style ran into mustard fields calling out to her son “Raj” and Raj in turn answered the call with “Ma!” as he ran towards her. The meeting point of ‘Raj’ and ‘Ma’ gave birth to a new flavour – Kurkure made of Rajma. That was Kurkure’s first experiment with dal (pulses), which led to the ‘Ingredients of India’ range and with regional flavours like Mumbai Chatpata Usal, Bengali Jhaal and South Spice Mix. Rajma was rejected outright by the Indian consumer. But that didn’t stop Kurkure from experimenting with flavours and variants. Earlier this year, in February, it launched three new variants marrying desi, traditionally Indian tastes and international flavours - Punjabi Pizza, Andhra Bangkok Curry and Rajasthani Manchurian. The original ‘Masala Munch’ Kurkure, whose appeal cuts across age-groups now comes in five different flavours. Kurkure Solid Masti, which in terms of its texture and format is closer to namkeen, serves a slightly mature target audience - young adults to older age-groups. Last year, adding another tedha twist to its snack basket, it launched two new offerings, Kurkure Puffcorn and Kurkure Monster Paws which appeal to younger consumers.

But no tedha pricing Kurkure’s pricing strategy has always been driven by the objective of ensuring a mass appeal. In January this year, an extra largesuper saver pack priced at ` 30 was the latest move by the brand to spread itself across the price spectrum. Last year, with an attempt to focus on the lower end, PepsiCo rolled out ` 2 packs of the snack nationally. Kurkure is now available across price points of ` 2, ` 5, ` 10, ` 20 and ` 30.

“While the majority of business in the snack industry still comes from traditional trade, modern trade is a growing channel” Nalin Sood Executive Vice President – Foods, PepsiCo India Lower priced packs often act as recruiter packs and serve the purpose of introducing the brand to the consumer who can then slowly move up the price ladder. Sood says the pricing strategy is seen both from consumer affordability point of view and consumption occasion point of view. “There is on the go consumption, for which there is focus on a pack small enough for one person and also not wasteful like ` 2 or ` 5 packs. From consumer end, these lower priced packs work for people looking at affordable indulgence. Then there are occasions which involve family gatherings for which a ` 20 or ` 30 pack

In January this year, an extra large-super saver pack priced at ` 30 was the latest move by Kurkure to spread itself across the price spectrum Pitch | April-May 2013

would work. The ` 10 pack works for both occasions,” he says. He goes on to add that as the market grows, there is a possibility of the brand exploring other prices at the upper end. Finding a shelf at the corner shop Along with increasing volumes, operating at lower price points also helps to push the brand in small traditional outlets. Kurkure’s effective distribution mechanism is one of the reasons for the brand’s sustained popularity. It has managed the two critical aspects of retail availability and merchandising. Go to any store in India and one will find Kurkure retailed aptly. Sood adds that while the majority of business in the snack industry still comes from traditional trade, modern trade is a growing channel. “Modern trade is growing fast and growth rates in modern trade are higher than traditional trade but on a very low base. Kurkure has a lot of packs focused more on modern trade across and expanding reach and making sure we have the right pack prices which work better in modern trade,” he says. From the mall to the Facebook wall Kurkure will be pursuing a 360-degree marketing strategy for its new campaigns featuring the new family. Along with television, print and radio will be used extensively. At the time of the launch of the new creative strategy, the Kurkure family members hosted a radio show. The brand has also been organising on-ground events to fuel engagement and interactivity. Recently, in an activation initiated in Big Bazaar outlets across the metros, consumers had to choose the character from the family they would want to be and their photo was plugged into the character in the original ad visible on the Facebook page. Digital, according to Sood, is also being pursued aggressively. With a 23 lakh strong Facebook community, the brand claims its Facebook page to be the fastest growing one among all categories and brands and as having the highest engagement rate in the FMCG space. n -arshiya.khullar@pitchonnet.com

INTERVIEW Anant daga

‘W’s design language differentiates it from others’ Anant Daga | CEO, W, TCNS

n a bid to expand its footprint in an increasingly cluttered yet steadily growing Indian contemporary wear market for women, TCNS Clothing’s women wear brand, W, is on an aggressive expansion spree that encompasses increasing its retail footprint to 120 stores in 60 cities across the country and widening its product basket. In an interview with Arshiya Khullar of Pitch, Anant Daga, CEO, W, TCNS Clothing Company, talks about the brand’s overall marketing strategy and the way forward beyond urban metros.

What is the positioning of W? Who is the specific target audience that you are catering to? W appropriates the mindscape of the contemporary Indian woman – a unique confluence of Indian and western sen-

Pitch | April 2013

sibilities. W revolutionalised the Indian retail space with its unique design philosophy and since then has remained true to its promise of being a step ahead of the fashion curve. Over the years, the brand has constantly worked on providing contemporary fashion to the consumers, taking inspirations for the latest fashion trends and forecasts from the west and transforming them into silhouettes and styles relevant to the modern Indian woman. How would you refer to W’s pricing strategy - a mass pricing model or semi-premium? We believe in bringing affordable fashion to the consumers. The price-value equation is what is looked into. While W’s core range starts at ` 799 for a kurta, its occasional wear range – Wishful is priced at ` 6,999. The pricing strategy has been consistent for individual product silos. How is W positioning itself differently from competitors like Westside and Pantaloons? Is it the product portfolio, the prices or the communication? Despite emergence of new brands and labels, we have unique strengths, which enable us to break the clutter. We have a unique design language, which differentiates us from all other players. So much so, that even without an exterior

“Majority of our campaigns are print based and we use OOH advertising format as well. We are aggressive on new age media like SMS, digital and social too” son why we have probably the most loyal customer base which keeps coming back to us. How many of your stores are in Tier-II & III cities? The last three years have seen W grow form a 10-city, 30 stores coverage to 60-city, 120 stores footprint. Currently, we have a 50:50 mix between the metros and Tier II and III cities. Would you say that the bulk growth is coming from urban cities or Tier II ones? What percentage of your growth is coming from Tier II cities? We have been growing our presence both in metros and tier II cities and have seen great response at both ends. The bulk of growth still comes from the metros. Almost 30 per cent of our growth comes from tier II cities. Going forward, what are your expansion targets for 2013? How many stores are you targeting and in what cities? We are looking at adding another 50 stores in 2013. Apart from metros, Tier-

“We will soon be launching our maternity collection. Exprecting mothers needn’t worry about changing her wardrobe as she goes from one trimester to the other” branding on the garments, one can easily identify a W kurta from any other. We have the best fits in the category. We are one of the few brands worldwide to have conducted an anthropometric study to arrive at the perfect fit for the Indian women body type. Again, we have a wide array of product offerings and are able to innovate and reinvent fashion season on season. All this makes W the most differentiated brand in the market place and that’s the rea-

Pitch | April-May 2013

II and Tier-III cities, we will be venturing into 15 new markets like Jorhat, Siliguri and Kottayam. Apart from opening exclusive stores, we are also looking at other channels to ensure the brand is more accessible to the consumer. W is already available with leading MBOs, large format stores and leading online portals. What is the marketing and communication strategy followed by W?

We believe our retail stores, products and loyal customers are the best marketing and communication vehicles for us. In the last few years, we have focused more on the newer mediums of communication as more and more consumers are moving away from the traditional mediums. An interesting marketing campaign was launched of a new size between medium (M) and large (L), which we named ML. It was a 360-degree approach that we took and got tremendous response from our consumers. Which media platform do you use most aggressively - television, radio, print, on-ground? Majority of our campaigns are print based and we use out of home advertising format as well. We are extremely aggressive and strong on new age media like SMS, digital and social. We have interactive in-store projections too to effectively engage and communicate to the consumers. We communicate with W women through mediums most consumed by them. What are the other products that you are planning to add to your existing portfolio? Apart from just kurtas, W has an exciting mix of wardrobe essentials. We have palazzos, denims, colored denims, jeggings, drapes, cocktail kurtas, kurtis, short kurtis to name a few. Also, we will soon be launching our maternity collection that has been designed to work around an expecting mother without her having to worry about changing her wardrobe as she goes from one trimester to the other. A soon-to-be-mother has a lot to plan and think about already, this line will take care of her wardrobe throughout the nine months. n -arshiya.khullar@pitchonnet.com

DEBATE RIGHT TO INFORMATION

A ‘weighty’ matter Hoping to present themselves as healthy choices, brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are presenting an informed choice to consumers with calorie labels. By Twishy

he long-term health of our families and the country is at stake’; this is not an announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO), but by Coke in America that took a call on ‘the issue of this generation: obesity’. It urges people to come together and fight the problem of obesity by offering more than 180 low- and no-calorie drink choices and smaller portions for most of its popular drinks. The company has decided to add the calorie counts to the front of their bottles and cans, to make it easier for consumers to make informed choices. Recently, McDonald’s also announced plans to promote informed decisionmaking by labeling its restaurant menus with calorie counts. KFC also came out with grilled chicken to overcome the image of being in the business of unhealthy foods. Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970s. Reports reveal that every country, with the exception of those in sub-Saharan Africa, faces alarming obesity rates with an increase of 82 per cent globally in the past two decades. As per WHO’s ‘The world health statistics

2012’ report, one in six adults is obese, one in 10 diabetic and one in three has raised blood pressure. The situation is alarming in the US where two-third of the adults are overweight or obese. Coke has come under increased fire over emerging as a predominant reason for obesity in America, according to health groups. Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) even released an animated short film that showed the impact of obesity, diabetes, and other soda-related diseases on a family of polar bears. The CSPI slammed Coke’s effort saying that, “This new advertising campaign is just a damage control exercise, and not a meaningful contribution toward addressing obesity.” The campaign raises several questions such as: Did Coke decide it’s time to become part of the solution or is this yet another sophisticated marketing campaign by the Cola giant? Are they concerned about the issue or is this desperation to do something about the declining sales in the US? Anand Halve, Co-Founder, Chlorophyll Brand and Communications Consultancy says, “I think intrinsic faults lie in some product categories and the intrinsic characteristics become harmful only due to improper or unthinking usage. This is particularly true for liquor. However, when we move to food items, it is different because people consume them on a

“Intrinsic faults lie in some product categories and they could become harmful due to improper usage” Anand Halve Chlorophyll Brand and Communications Consultancy constant basis. If it is damaging in the normal course of consumption, then it is fundamental product problem.” “This kind of communication is a politically correct apology for having done something wrong. There are responses to the public outrage. To my mind, New York was planning to limit the size of the portions of the Coke bottle. By the time, somebody is forcing the brand to do things like this, then it is a fundamental product problem. Therefore, any campaign done in this light seems to be a politically correct apology and not a sincere desire to change things. If a brand is concerned, then it should radically change the product portfolio,” he added. He highlighted that years ago this happened with baby foods and there was

Pitch | April-May 2013

a ban on advertising of baby foods. As a brand, Coke has taken a bold step of urging loyalists not to consume their products as it is leading to obesity and other lifestyle disorders. This viral campaign has surprised the audiences, but the question here is: Can brands in India take such a bold step? Gary Grewal, Founder, Red Ice Films says, “It was enlightening to view the new Coke Obesity Viral Campaign, wherein the brand reflected the way it has evolved and matured in its communication with its audience. The social impact is a growing need for brands and I think Coke just defined that beautifully in the proactive communication through this campaign. This speaks volumes in terms of understanding the target audience and their community with the underlining thought, which was well construed taking their relationship with their brand loyalist to the next level. A sure shot growing trend and it will be refreshing to have some of our Indian campaigns take that stand.” There have been discussions on various platforms on the way advertising in India is exaggerated and does not show the true face of the brand or the product. With the Indian audiences becoming informed, it is time for the advertising industry to grow and take a matured outlook towards their ads. Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults says, “India is still an emerging and developing market in these terms. I do not believe that India is ready to take this bullet but that is in the context of saying chronologically the way overseas markets have gone from the point of low to high to obscene consumption and back to low consumption of these products and services. But if India wants to skip that learning curve, I think brands should adopt it right now. We do not need to follow the curve that the western markets have followed since we already know the way of the evolution of these markets. I think we can jump in and be the first ones to be known as marketers with foresight.” “I think it is a responsibility thrust upon

Pitch | April-May 2013

Coke by the society due to huge public outcry on the issue of obesity,” he added. Experts share that it has now become mandatory for products to display their harmful effects and then leave on the people to make a choice. Most of the brands have made people aware of the risks of excess consumption. KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer India

Buying a product through information from various knowledge sharing platforms and not through persuasive advertising is the way forward Subcontinent at Leo Burnett says, “Most of the global brands have established a relationship with the consumers by being honest and clear, and this is a step towards honesty, transparency and good relationships. Brands should adopt this in India also because it builds an emotional connect with the consumers. Why do you think people had forgiven Cadbury even when it had worms inside it? It was because of the trust and emotional affinity with the brand. This kind of a communication helps in building the trust and relationship

“In India, none of the brands are hammered because there are so many other things to worry about in his country” Abraham Koshy Professor, Marketing, IIM Ahmedabad

with the consumers.” Abraham Koshy, Professor, Marketing, IIM Ahmedabad says, “In India, none of the brands are hammered by the public because there are so many other things to worry about in his country. Life itself is a challenge for the common man. Increasingly, there has been some awareness in some parts but there is a long way to go. Nobody raises a voice, so none of the brands in India are forced to take such steps.” He believes that the Tata Tea campaign titled ‘Jaago Re’ has created awareness about the brand with a bold principle stance. According to him, brands need to take interest in protection of the consumers and consumers need to make informed decisions. Buying a product through information from various knowledge sharing platforms and not through persuasive advertising is the way forward. Till that moment comes, companies will hide necessary information from the consumers. It brings us to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong in spreading a socially responsible message in the interest of the nation’s health but in order to create a healthy society, brands will have to change their product portfolio. It is high time that brands need in India wake up to the public issues and establish a healthier business model.  -twishy@exchange4media.com

FEATURE SHELL

What’s beneath the bonnet? Engine oil and lubricants is a category, which can be deemed intangible. Shell has taken the advertisement funded programmes’ route to reach out to the consumer By Abhinav Mohapatra

n its effort to engage with the consumer more effectively Shell Lubricants has recently started advertisement funded programmes. Two such campaigns are ‘Driven to Extremes’ and ‘Shell Advance Freedom Riders Asia’, which are being shot by Discovery channel and Fox Sports. The Freedom Riders shot by Fox Sports production house will be a six part series and will be shown in Star Sports. The programme will feature Charley Boorman, Motorbike Enthusiast, travel and adventure writer, who will be going to six different countries in Asia and take six different vehicles to share his perspective. India has been chosen as one of the counties where he will be seen riding a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 with Gul Panag as the co host. But will TV programmes alone help achieve Shell what it is after? Nitin Prasad, MD, Shell Lubricants India says that the ‘Driven to Extreme’ is a programme where the brand has put its Shell Helix Ultra into a Nissan four wheel drive and put it through the most extreme conditions. “We put it through the coldest place in Russian Tundra; in to the hottest part of China, and off-roads in the Malaysian Rainforest. This is where the vehicle is the driver’s ability to survive, we put to the test the oil’s technical capabilities and check good performance in extreme conditions,” he adds.

Shell Lubricants launched the Driven to Extremes on Youtube as a global campaign, and claims that amongst all the countries around the globe, The youtube channel for Driven to Extremes had 97 lakh impressions and had 3.5 lakh views. India had the highest number of impressions and viewers. This is one of the reasons why the brand is leveraging the social media platform to its benefit now. As a part of its novel social media campaigns, the brand has also sponsored a Twitter campaign for the Driven

For its Driven to Extremes campaign, Shell has taken the Twitter route and chosen individuals who have a base of 40,000 connections to further create engagement 14

to Extremes. The brand has chosen individuals who have a base of 40,000 individuals to further create engagement. Boasting about its accomplishments Shell Lubricants claims that this is the first time an oil company has gone out to consumers in this fashion. But why take such a route? Prasad explains that in India, consumers are becoming much more interested in the dynamics of their vehicles which is becoming a growing trend. “Now people want to know what is beneath the bonnet of the car, what is the maintenance required and what is best for their vehicle and how is the feel of the vehicle. That is why social media is becoming important for us

Pitch | April-May 2013

day by day,” he adds. The core target group, Prasad says is varied and there are different sets of groups that Shell targets. In reference to the Shell Advance Freedom Riders Asia campaign, to be featured on Star Sports, TG that Shell is looking at is in the 20 to 35 years age group and majorly bike enthusiasts. “The key behind this campaign is the sense of freedom that people get while driving a bike. We are appealing much to the emotional

aspect and the connectivity that a person has with their vehicle,’ he says. As a part of its media mix, the brand claims to be doing the full range starting from social media campaigns to Youtube and conferences, which is the PR part of it. “In certain geographies, specifically Ooty to Munnar for the Freedom Riders campaign, we will be relying on BTL. We want to consistently cover all media as well as be consistent with our communication and message. We will be using social media to expand our touch points, reach out to people we are addressing and be more sophisticated in our messaging,” Prasad says. He further adds that one of the things that Shell communicates within its messaging is technological superiority. “We

Pitch | April-May 2013

Among other innovations, Shell has developed Shell Lubematch, an app that tells the users which Shell oil would be the best match for their vehicle have the theme of technological superiority, so we need to push the boundaries, if we are not coming up with new ways to reach our audience then we are not in sync with the message we are giving which is technological superiority and pushing the boundaries. That is why social media aspect is a big platform. This may seem bread and butter for many companies but it something new for an oil company like ours,” he adds. In terms of investments, Prasad claims that the two campaigns will be 10 per cent of Shell Lubricants India’s marketing budget including ATL and BTL. “We look at ROIs that could range anywhere from 1.5 to 2 per cent, that is the benchmark that we would set. Unless we see the return on investments we would question whether the campaign was even worth it or not,” he opines. He claims that Shell Lubricants is the second largest in the lubricant space when it comes to investment in marketing and is trying to be consistent in

“in India, consumers are becoming much more interested in the dynamics of their vehicles” Nitin Prasad MD, Shell Lubricants India

maintaining that position. The Freedom Riders Asia will be aired on Star Sports from mid May 2013 and the Driven for Extremes is over after a three week run. Prasad says it is too early for knowing what effect it had on sales, “but looking at it from a product point of view Shell Helix Ultra’s product performance it has grown over 60-70 per cent year on year in India.” As far as positioning is concerned, since the oil itself has a full range to it, the company pitches it as a benefit in reference to its competitors. But, moving up the segment, catering to a premium audience, the differentiation becomes more evident in the performance of the product. According to the brand, Shell Helix Ultra is the most expensive oil available in its portfolio and is known to be its ‘crown jewel’. “It is the highest level of product differentiation and is also premium in terms of market range. It has a price associated with it in terms of all the research and development that has gone behind it,” says Prasad. Among other innovations, Shell Lubricants has also developed an application for Android and iOS called Shell Lubematch. This app tells the user which Shell oil would be the best match for the vehicle in what condition. Shell claims that there are a thousand OEMs built into it and it covers over 70,000 cars bikes as well as industrial applications. “The database behind it is huge. We have been out in the market place and tested it. We go to the lube shop and show this app to them. Everyone is tech savvy today and many of them are buying Smartphones so they love this app, they know what exactly to recommend to the consumer,” Prasad opines. n -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

COVER STORY

Sports sponsorships are a passe. Marketers are building properties around sports and even looking to bet their money beyond cricket. How? Pitch finds out...

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SPORTS Marketing Special

By Arshiya Khullar

ports can be entertaining, engaging and emotionally exhilarating. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat makes sports forge a deep, impassioned and meaningful connect with people. And it is this relationship that brands hope to leverage when they associate themselves with sports, whether it is by riding on the mass hysteria that cricket generates, or sponsoring other emerging sports in the country. Not to forget taking advantage of the idol-worship of sports personalities, especially cricketers; marketers hope to rub and translate some of the fascination and fervour they command on to their own brand. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; report, the business of sports in India will generate annual revenue of $1.89 billion by 2015, posting an average annual growth of five per cent. Though the Indian sports industry has continued its upward trajectory since the year 2011, it accounts for a meagre 1.3 per cent of the worldwide

revenues of $145.3 billion. While these statistics aptly signify the breadth of opportunities and untapped potential that is yet to be unmasked, we also need to take a closer look at the existing dynamics of the business of sports in this country and factors that are propelling, or in some cases, inhibiting its growth. There is any seldom any brand that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t associate itself with sports in any form and this generalisation can be made across different industry verticals. In 2012, a survey conducted by sports management company, SportzCon-

sult with 125 senior marketing professionals in the country across a gamut of sectors revealed that the percentage of respondents who used sports as a marketing tool ranged from approximately 79 per cent from the Services sector, 80 per cent from Consumer Goods, 66 per cent from Finance and a 100 per cent from Technology.

Hic-hic hurray! Attributes such as passion, youthfulness and association with an active lifestyle are often cited as the key reasons for choosing

The business of sports in India will generate annual revenue of $1.89 billion by 2015, posting an average annual growth of five per cent

COVER STORY sports over other marketing tools. Also, with the country’s demography highly skewed towards the youth- the core TG of most sports-brands find it an attractive bet to attach themselves with sports to fuel engagement and interactivity. Speaking for alcoholic beverage brands, Samar Singh Shekhawat, Senior VP, Marketing, UB Group, says that historically, alcohol, especially beer, has had a close association with sports throughout the world. For United Breweries in fact, sports represents the single largest marketing activation platform for both Kingfisher and Heineken - the two beer brands from the group. While Kingfisher has been associated with cricket in India since several years, Heineken, the iconic global beer brand launched in India in 2011, has been sponsoring global tournaments like the UEFA Champions League Football and also the Rugby World Cup. “Sports and alcohol have a perfect connect, both from a historical perspective as

“Sports is about positive values of victory and celebration, and these are alcohol consumption occasions” Samar Singh Shekhawat Senior VP, Marketing, UB Group well as the fact that it has a bang-on appeal to the relevant TG - the youth - who are either playing sports or following it. Sports is all about positive values of victory and celebration, and these are alcohol

Attributes that make sports an attractive option More than ‘active lifestyle & health’ it’s ‘passion & emotions’ that makes marketers bet their money on sports % 80 67.07% 70 64.63% 60 50 Source: SportzConsult

30.49%

26.83% 13.41%

20 10 0 Passion & Emotion

Youth & Energy

Active Lifestyle & Health

Brilliance & Iconic players

Others

consumption occasions,” says Shekhawat. Subodh Marwah, Marketing Director, Carlsberg India echoes a similar view and says that it is really a matter of who the brand’s consumer is and what his passion points are. Globally, Carlsberg has been associated with the Euro Football Tournament since 28 years and also the Danish National Football team. It recently signed a three-year deal with the Barclays Premier League (BPL) to be the official beer of the league. During the London Olympics last year, Seagram’s Royal Stag launched a campaign featuring the Indian hockey team captain Bharat Chetri to promote Indian hockey. Previously, cricketer Harbhajan Singh has also featured in its ‘Have I Made It Large’ campaign.

The non-tipsy cheer Sponsoring sporting events and having sports personalities as brand ambassadors is a core part of non-alcoholic beverages’ marketing strategy too. Both Coca-Cola’s and Pepsi’s association with global sporting properties and domestic tournaments for football and cricket runs into years. Pepsi, for instance, has bagged the title sponsorship rights for India’s greatest cricketing spectacle, IPL, for five years. Apparel and automobiles are the other sectors actively pursuing both mass sports and niche, alternative sports as a marketing tool. Many sportswear brands like Reebok, Puma, and Adidas among others have been the apparel sponsors for the Indian Premier League. For the ongoing IPL season, Adidas is the official apparel sponsor for two teams - Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils. Tushar Goculdas, Director,

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Marketing & Sales, Adidas India reminds us of the long association the brand has had with cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar since 1997. Tennis and fashion are often used in the same breadth and to leverage this stylish connect, Marks & Spencer recently tied-up with India’s only ATP World Tour Championship, the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 as the official fashion show partner. In the Automobiles space, HMCL (formerly known as Hero Honda Motors) is amongst the largest corporate promoters of sports in India. The company has been supporting various sporting disciplines like cricket, hockey, shooting and golf. For Olympics 2012, Hero MotoCorp was the title sponsor of the men’s and women’s hockey qualifying events. Hyundai Motors too, has had successful associations with the FIFA World Cup and cricket. There are also sectors like Telecom and BFSI, who have no clearly established connection with sports but are active spon-

“We follow a glocalised approach and look at bringing global properties in a way that will appeal to the Indian consumer” Subodh Marwah Marketing Director, Carlsberg India

SPORTS Marketing Special

In the Indian marketing history, there’s no bigger success story than IPL, which captures the imagination of both audience and marketers sors of different games. Last year, telecom major, Bharti Airtel announced a new football initiative in association with Manchester United - Airtel Rising Stars, an under-16 soccer talent hunt, which will be conducted across 16 cities in India to choose talented footballers, who will get to train with the Manchester United Football Club. “Airtel’s brand identity is fresh, youthful and dynamic - one that appeals to the young and those young at heart. We are always looking for new ways of being relevant to this target group, and what could be a better way of engaging with them than sports. Be it cricket (a cult sport that often terms as our country’s religion), soccer (a game that today’s discerning youth population truly enjoys) to Formula 1 (a passion for the young and increasingly global India) - Airtel continues to associate with all sports categories that appeal to discerning urban youth audience of

today’s India,” says Ramesh Menon, Hub CEO, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat , Airtel. Meanwhile, competition brand, Aircel has been associated with the Chennai Super Kings IPL Team and also India’s only ATP World Tour event. In fact, the telecom player has extended its association with the tournament as its title sponsor until 2016. According to Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, the decision to sponsor the Chennai Open is to do with the brand’s strong presence down south. At the same time, it also helps the brand target a well-defined audience. “The Chennai Open appeals to a more professional, upper middle class community.

COVER STORY

6 Ps of Sports Marketing O ne of the oldest and most successful sports collaborations has been that of Shell with motorsports. “The associations that Shell Lubricants share with brands like Ferrari and Ducati, is not just limited to sponsorship but expands to a larger technical partnership fuelled by a shared passion for performance. The Shell- Ferrari association is one of the most celebrated partnerships in the history of motorsports, which has stood the test of times for over 8 decades and 500 races. We see this partnership as an important part of our India marketing approach to create a strong reason to believe (RTB) of Shells leading technology and superior performance, “says Nitin Prasad, MD, Shell India Lubricants. In the Pitch CMO Summit held in March 2013, Mansi Tripathy, CMO, Shell Lubricants India decoded this association in terms of the 6 Ps of sports marketing which are as follows, Positioning Fit: The key to success in sports marketing is how both brands are able to complement each other as sharing equity is important. For Ferrari and Shell, the common ground was also their passion for performance, premium appeal, uncompromising quality, sustained excellence and pushing the limits. Ferrari also gets R&D support from Shell - the best support in terms of technology- apart from leveraging its wide global reach. Partnership: The partnership between Shell and Ferrari dates back to 1950 and involves over 500 races in on-track collaboration. In fact, Shell has a dedicated team focused on building this partnership. Shell also has a concept of track to road, wherein the developments and learnings from the race track are taken and transferred directly to products for customer’s car. Tripathy adds, “The Shell brand with the racing horse is a very good combination.”

Planning: Planning for any Formula One event starts about 18-24 months before the main event. Shell also uses this time to build a relationship with its core client base of retailers and distributors. For Tripathy, planning is the ‘make or break’ of how successfully you will be able to execute an event”. Participate (Pre & Post event): The pre-activation starts about six to nine months before the event and goes on till the final day with a host of activities, including road shows, simulator rides, and Shell customers even get an opportunity to engage with the Ferrari drivers. For Shell, the D-Day presents an opportunity to showcase its visibility on the scene in a variety of ways. Key clients get the opportunity to visit the Shell Track lab located at the Ferrari paddock, where scientists run constant tests on the fuel and oil used during the F1 race. Post event, the focus shifts to the digital platform to continue the engagement with the target consumer. Tripathy also adds that for every dollar spent on the partnership, three dollars need to be spent on activation. Presence Multiplier: “One hit to be multiplied to 100” that’s the target that Shell looks at by engaging with bloggers, utilising various social media tools and ensuring interconnectivity through various touch points.

Performance Review: For Shell, this association has created intangible benefits and helped the lubricant major build relations with its OEM partners. In fact, markets like Brazil saw a significant increase in retail business sales post a Formula One race.

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In Tamil Nadu, it is also more popular compared to other markets of India. It helps us target a select community of tennis watchers. It is like the English Premier League where there is a relatively small percentage audience but in terms of reasonable numbers, it isn’t that small. In India, we tend to take numbers for granted; things are looked in percentages. Here the volume may not be small, but the percentage share is small. There is a reasonable population watching it, and being in the Chennai market allows us to play it to our strengths and to target the corporate and high network customers,” he explains. Adding to this Anirudh Dhoot, Director, Videocon, says, “Associating with such tournaments not only leads to brand innovations but also it helps in meeting set marketing objectives, whether those of brand building or even rewarding one’s employees and customers.” Videocon DTH has tied up with the Hockey India League and Videocon Mobile Services (VMS) has signed up with Mumbai Indians to be its associate sponsor in this year’s IPL. Samsung, along with Amul and ONGC were the chief sponsors for the London Olympics last year.

The IPL Frenzy IPL, with its high glamour and entertainment quotient, provides brands an ideal ambience and an effective, large scale platform for consumer engagement. As the IPL fever catches on, so do marketing wars, with a deluge of brands competing with each other to woo customers. PepsiCo, which has won the title spon-

SPORTS Marketing Special

Brands like Mountain Dew, Red Bull have looked at building properties around sports and are exploring the adventure quotient to appeal to the youth sorship of the IPL for the next five seasons starting 2013, has planned a slew of initiatives such as interactive contests and engagement in-stadia, on-air and online marketing activities and product and branding innovation. There will be a Pepsi Tweet20 tournament on Twitter and the

“In case of sports marketing, we have tried to get as wide as we can, but ultimately it all comes back to cricket” Anupam Vasudev Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel

company also plans to launch a special can during the IPL season. Pepsi, which has brands including Mountain Dew, 7UP and Tropicana, has also tied up with eight IPL teams as their official drinks partner for the event. Coca-Cola India, on the other side, has its association with Mumbai Indians and has picked up a significant inventory on SET Max to launch its campaign. Many telecom and mobile players are leveraging the IPL through broadcast or team sponsorships. Aircel has launched a consumer initiative with Chennai Super Kings – Extra Talk Time with CSK. With its full talk time of ` 164, the company will offer extra talk time whenever CSK scores above 164 runs. Another telecom major, Vodafone, one of the first partners with IPL, has been successful in creating an IPL mascot that, over the years, has become a significant part of the brand’s DNA. This season too, the quirky and humorous Zoozoos are back with the brand’s latest campaign to drive the adoption of mobile internet among non-Internet users. Though Zoozoos are seen to have

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COVER STORY COLUMN

Niche sports vs Cricket The way marketers are willing to open their heart and wallets to lesser known sports is encouraging... No, actually exciting!

Navroze D Dhondy

Founder and Managing Director, Creatigies Communications navroze@creatigies.com @navrozedhondy

ust a few days ago I got a call. “Hello Navroze, we would like to meet… Karate wants to do something ‘BIG’ in India.” Karate? In India? Big? When I discussed this with a leading marketing man over a beer while watching the IPL game, he guffawed, and said, “Karate? What eyeballs will it get?” Now where does all this come from? Well following on the heels of the Hero Asian Cycling Championships, and the Yonex Sunrise India Badminton Championships, this is a trend we all have to buck. Over the last few years the Monnet Group took up cudgels on behalf of Indian boxing, supporting the boxers and the team in their quest for metals at the Olympics, the World Championships and other slugfests. The boxing mania spread to smaller towns where the success of The Monnet Boxing Fight Night saw boxers from India face their toughest challenge yet as they battled it out with pugilists Russia… and guess where? At the swanky premises of a hotel lawn at, Raipur.

For Hero Cycles, the Asian Cycling Championships is a rather simple and logical extension of it’s business and as Pankaj Munjal, Managing Director , hero Cycles said, “ if Hero won’t do this then who will? We are the world’s largest cycle manufacturers, and this helps further reinforce our position” But while the Hero story is a simple extension of a mature cycle brand moving it’s mandate ahead, Godrej Eon Tour De India came as a shocker to most marketing gurus, sports managers and the cycling fraternity at large. Now what was Godrej thinking when they decided to move into ‘cycling’ territory? The Godrej Eon “one-watt” energy campaign synced perfectly with cycling, and going green is something that Godrej has espoused over the years. So Godrej Eon and cycling fit hand-in-glove. And speaking of gloves, not just the boxing variety, when the drivers slip on their gloves, and the engines rev to a roar, Airtel steps in and creates history with the first Airtel Indian Grand prix. Making it an annual fixture for motor enthusiasts from all over the country (and some from neighbouring countries too) who book hotels, flights and their VIP passes to be at the spanking new F1 destination the JayPee Buddh International Circuit, in Noida. Marathons were pooh-poohed when the idea was mooted 10 years ago, but found able support from brands like Standard Chartered , Airtel and TCS which

believed that one of the biggest challenges a person faces is the challenge to better one’s own course record. It is not for the 100-200 off professional runners…. It not a spectator sport, but something that pumps the adrenalin in more than 25,000 people who train the whole year to be part of a unique experience. Avantha and Kensville put their hand up to support Golf in the last few years, and after the success that Hero experienced with the Hero Indian Open, golf got its own version of the IPL, as the GPL took off early this year. This was followed by the new avatar of the Premier Hockey league, HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE, where IPL style hockey teams lined up face to face, to challenge the dominance of cricket and Hero MotoCorp shifted its loyalties from the men in flannels to those with the curved stick. I love cricket, and have had this passion from the time I was born. It has grown to be more than just a passion and a key part of my business. But is it the be-all and end-all of sports in India? No. The way people are willing to open their minds, hearts and wallets to lesser known sports is encouraging… no, actually exciting. It’s the new bride waiting to take her first few steps into a new world. Marriages will surely happen, and stay happily married.  The views expressed here are of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

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Games favoured by brands for their marketing campaigns While cricket remains an ever-green favourite of marketers, niche sports like Golf and Polo too are gaining popularity as brand message carriers % 100 90 80 70 60

85.90%

e rick

ll tba ockey ennis o o H T F

the associate sponsor of the IPL league. According to Vinit Karnik, Head of Sports and Live Practice, GroupM ESP, the content, sports and entertainment arm of GroupM Media India, the total value of on-ground deals enabled and activated by GroupM ESP in IPL 6, has been estimated at a whopping US $ 15 million. GroupM ESP has been an active intermediary and enabler, for clients and their brands and team owners and their franchises seeking to leverage the IPL on-ground sponsorship platform, by providing end-to-end IPL related solutions.

Looking beyond Cricket? In a cricket-crazy nation, IPL with its high-

16.67%

5.13%

8.97%

5.13%

26.92%

ton hons olf G rat Ma

in adm

ort o ble Pol us sp ica l p o n t ap ige No Ind

ers

Oth

impact format has been able to churn up reach and viewership like no other sporting spectacle in India. However, over the years, its popularity has seen a downslide with fall in advertising rates and viewership. Hyundai Motors, for instance, decided to stay away from the IPL League but does sponsor other cricketing tournaments like the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. At the Pitch CMO Summit held earlier this year, Nalin Kapoor, Senior General Manager and Group Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India spoke on the relevance of cross-media digital activations and value of cricket that goes beyond just a sport. In his opinion, cricket is a means of entertainment, bonding and engagement apart

Source: SportzConsult

25.64%

8.97%

20.51%

28.21

40 44.87%

minimal cosmetic changes, this year’s campaign shows the characters to be busier and up to something new and bigrecruiting and training an army. The campaign is a build to something bigger as the TVC shows many mini Zoozoos buzzing, shaping up and speeding up things. As a part of Vodafone’s 360-degree communication, the campaign will be supported by a series of consumer engagement and advertising innovations. “On ATL, we will lead with products that drive people to use mobile Internet for the first time – music and picture downloads, social media, and job and matrimony search. We will also be supporting the campaign with an education drive, on-ground for people to feel comfortable using internet on mobile,” adds Anuradha Aggarwal, Senior VicePresident, Brand Communications and Insights, Vodafone India. The action is even more pronounced on digital. Disney UTV’s Indiagames has launched the official IPL season 6 mobile game -’IPL Cricket Fever 2013’and has tied up with Parle for in-game branding. Parle Products, for the first time, has become

SPORTS Marketing Special

COVER STORY from being a regular sport. He adds that cricket lovers want to watch the sport in any form, whether it is IPL or ODI. “We found ICC fulfilling all the guidelines. However, if there are opportunities, we would definitely like to look beyond ICC,” he said. At the same time, with so many cricketing tournaments being played through the year, an element of fatigue gets generated among viewers. It is perhaps because of these shortcomings that many brands are moving away from cricket and embracing other sports that do not have the same reach as cricket but score on several other fronts. According to the SportzConsult Report, while 86 per cent of the respondents favoured cricket for their marketing campaigns, football came second at 45 per cent followed by hockey at 28 per cent, golf at 27 per cent and marathons at 25 per cent.

Getting kick-started The spurt of football-themed bars and cafes, football merchandise stores and training camps by international football clubs isn’t the only sign of growing football frenzy in India. Marketers are also cashing in on the latest sport infatuation in the country and associating themselves with global football properties. The sponsors for the Euro Cup 2012, for instance, included Carlsberg, Cadbury, Reliance, DHL and Intel, while advertisers included Airtel, Coca Cola, Samsung, Nokia, Hero Moto, Sony, Titan and Vodafone. Last year, handset maker, Nokia India became FC Barcelona’s regional partner for the whole of India. Airtel, with its tie-up with Manchester United, is promoting the game amongst youngsters with its Airtel Rising Stars tournament. Coca-Cola India has also been sponsoring various football tournaments in

Watch Out With growing interest on niche sports, media houses are also not letting the opportunity go and are giving equal coverage to them By Abhinav Mohapatra

ricket is considered another religion in India. It is a sport that almost every marketer plays. But is it the sport that every marketer invests in? What are the alternatives to cricket and are they viable options when it comes to using sports as a marketing tool for brands? An assured high ROI is what marketers look at cricket for, whether it is the IPL or World Cup, whether it is India Vs Pakistan or Australia Vs Sri Lanka. Is this a level playing field or is there scope for other niche sports to pave a healthy future for themselves? Vijay Rajput, Chief Operating Officer, ESPN Software India says that ESPN

sees a strong future for the growth and development of niche sports in the country. “In fact, we have been making strong strides towards developing a multi-sport content portfolio on our network of channels. We strongly believe that Indian fans would love to consume non-cricket sports as well if the product is packaged well, communicated and presented in an interesting manner,” he adds. Congruent to this but putting a different perspective, Prasana Krishnan, COO, Neo Sports Broadcast says that digitisation has given fans the choice to watch sports of their interest on a consistent basis. “This bodes well for niche sports as their delivery has become viable and it is a win-win situation for both the broadcasters and the viewers,” he opines. “At the regional level, it is not just about cricket,” says Vineet Mittal, Business Head, BIG Rural (the Rural IPL team of 92.7 BIG FM). He further adds that there is much scope for niche sports, which bear the flavour of the local cities. “In this case for instance, the Punjab region where showcase of

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“We strongly believe that Indian fans would love to consume non-cricket sports as well if the product is packaged well” Vijay Rajput | Chief Operating Officer, ESPN Software India brawn and strength is a big thing, the BIG Panja, which is an arm wrestling competition works superbly. We go deep into the cities, which creates excellent opportunities for the local populace, while creating excellent entertainment content parallel,” says Mittal. On the other hand, taking cricket into consideration, ESPN Software India, has made cricket more engaging with Hindi presentations in addition to the existing English one leading to newer audiences. The world class Hindi commentary simulcast found favour with cricket fans as it contributed to 40 per cent of the overall ratings for the recently concluded India-Australia series. The brand claims that the Test series delivered an average rating of 2.05 TVR – the highest average rating for a Test series played by India in the past four years. Focusing on alternatives Why is cricket considered the only game with such high potential? Why not any other niche sport such as golf, that targets HNIs? “Each sport has its own following. Cricket being a mass sport obviously attracts the bulk of investments. The value of these deals would be dependent on the audience for the sport as any advertiser would look for an appropriate return,” says Sunil Manocha,

COO, Nimbus Sport. He further adds that there has been a marked increase in investments made in golf over the last two years. “It is the fastest growing sport in India. It reaches out to a niche audience but as infrastructure development and rising disposable incomes allow increasing access to the sport, its popularity will continue to rise along with the sponsorship,” he opines. Krishnan talks about the advantages that he sees in niche sports such as golf, even though there is a limited target audience. “Golf attracts an unmatched quality of audience and is followed the world over. The broadcast of the PGA

SPORTS Marketing Special

a period of five years. “We are extremely bullish on soccer as well. We currently hold broadcast rights of leading properties like Barclays Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and English FA Cup and England international matches. Going forward, with digitisation, niche sports will get even more prominence. Now broadcasters have the choice to create content which will attract select audiences. This augurs well for sporting disciplines which otherwise would not get prominence enough to help build consumer pull,” adds Rajput. Pull of cricket and push of niche What is the kind of investment being made for sports sponsorships by brands? Are the brands really leveraging sports as a marketing tool? Manocha says that there has been an exponential growth in sports sponsorship and that figure would now be in excess of a ` 1,000 crore on an annual basis. He says, “We have had large sponsor-

“In Punjab, where showcase of brawn and strength is a big thing, the BIG Panja, an arm wrestling competition works superbly” Vineet Mittal | Business Head, BIG Rural Tour allows us to engage with key decision makers from various areas including the corporate world,” he adds. Among other niche sports, ESPN Software India too had recently showcased the inaugural season of the Hero Hockey India League and also acquired broadcast rights for the Super Fight League (SFL) for

ship deals for Asia Cup, World Series Hockey, and the Hero Indian Open in the past and the numbers are on the upswing. Hero MotoCorp is one of the leading investors in golf and the sport also draws investments from the auto and banking & financial services sectors. Real Estate companies are increasingly bullish on golf as a wave

COVER STORY of premium offerings begin to be offered across regions in India.” From the broadcasters point of view, how different can the revenue model for cricket be if compared to other niche sports? Krishnan says that there is a significant difference in revenues when comparing cricket to other sports. With TV distribution opening up, more and more niche sports will be available and draw relevant advertiser interest. Similarly, Mittal cites that the revenue models are based on sponsorships and with right brand associations and integrations, one sees more and more brands willing to be associated with niche sports to build connect. “The idea is to offer the brand the right messaging and optimal ROI for their marketing campaign. In

great platform for mass brands, sports like golf have luxury automobiles, high-end watches, financial services and other premium sponsors as global partners of the sport,” says Krishnan. The categories that buy ad spots for cricket says Mittal, are FMCG, Money Transfer (Financial Services), Automotives, Footwear, Lubricants. Hard time marketing the niche It is understood that cricket makes money but what are the key challenges that a broadcaster has to face while marketing cricket in comparison to niche sports? ESPN’s Rajput says that sports hold a very distinct position in the overall media mix. “It is very difficult to compare sports with any other genre because of the way it is consumed/ followed by fans. Live

“Digitisation bodes well for niche sports as its delivery has become viable and is a win-win situation for both broadcasters and viewers” Prasana Krishnan | COO, Neo Sports Broadcast the case of BIG Panja, we had Ambuja Cements coming on board as partners since the brand messaging was in sync with that of the property,” he adds. “Sports consumption is skewed towards males,” says Rajput, adding, “15+ SEC ABC which we define as ESPN’s core TG. All clients who want to attract this particular set of audience invest on sports. While cricket, because of the reach it delivers, is more mass play, sports like golf, soccer, tennis, motorsports are skewed more towards 15+ SEC A of the society,” he says. “While cricket’s popularity serves as a

sporting action help you cut across geographies and cut across linguistic barriers. Most importantly, sports generate a distinct level of involvement with the fan. It is an unscripted live reality show, which touches everybody like no other genre,” he adds. In his opinion, the biggest challenge when it comes to monetising cricket vis-à-vis any other sport is the value one derives from it. “Cricket rights are expensive and therefore the monetisation strategy has to ensure that the inventory is sold at a particular level to ensure healthy margins,” he adds. On the other hand NEO’s Krishnan

says that, as niche sports have relatively smaller audiences who aren’t always easy to reach, the biggest challenge is to manage audience spill over in the marketing plan. BIG Rural’s Mittal, bringing the practicality while pitching for the spots says that there is of course a challenge in convincing brands of the returns and value that another sport could deliver for their brands. “Cricket is like a sure-shot winner for them. However, when you do it regionally, the sport is identified and event tailored to ensure maximum participation and acceptability. We see huge participation and enormous audiences, which works well,” he appends. Citing a few examples, ESPN’s Rajput says that last year for the very first time ESPN Software India, changed its sales strategy and signed annual deals with clients like Nokia, Havells, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Docomo, which came on board as sponsors for almost all cricket events for the calendar year like the T20 World Cup, Champions League T20, England/ Australia tour of India. This helped the clients plan their campaigns better while we were able to monetise a large chunk of our total on-air inventory at one go. “When it comes to all other sports, the sales strategy is not dramatically different. The underlined principle remains delivering value to our clients. Sports like soccer, golf, tennis etc. attract a very premium segment of our society and hence there is a premium attached to them. We, therefore, help clients target these specific set of audiences round the year with our customised packages,” Rajput appends.  -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

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India to develop the game at the grassroots level. Mahindra is the title sponsor of Mahindra Youth Football Challenge (MYFC), an under-14 school-level football tournament played in several cities across India with the objective of creating a competitive grass root but professionally managed platform for the youth to play football and thereby get an opportunity to showcase their skills. However, when it comes to sponsoring global events, brands need to build in a certain level of localisation to increase its appeal amongst the Indian audience. Shekhawat says that while the messaging and the overall promotion plan is global, they do add local top spin in terms of the promotions that are run which include distribution of free tickets and merchandise. “We follow a more glocalised approach and look at bringing global properties in a way that will appeal to the Indian consumer, rather than being completely global or local. First time ever, we got the UEFA Euro Trophy to India last year across a number of cities so that the sports fans could get a feel and experience the magic. We also gave consumers a chance to go to Ukraine and see the quarter finals of the tournament,” says Carlsberg’s Marwah. While traditionally, the sport has enjoyed a cult following in certain pockets of India, especially North-East and Kerala, many brands feel that there exists a huge interest in the game amongst urban youth as well. While it may not enjoy a nationwide appeal commensurate to cricket, football fervour is slowly gripping the cricketcrazy nation. On the other hand, Vas-

“MotoGP as a sport has grown across the globe over the years, which does not leave India out” Mufaddal A Choonia Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Racing SRL udev of Aircel, which also sponsors the Shillong Lajong Football Club in the NorthEast, feels that appeal of football is limited to local terrains. “In case of sports marketing, we have tried to get as wide as we can, but ultimately it all comes back to cricket. And that is a limiting area; it makes the cost of sports marketing very difficult to do because then you are only working with one sport. The biggest challenge is that sports in India aren’t broad based enough,” he opines.

A perfect Formula? After two successful editions of the Indian Grand Prix, the arrival of Formula One has surely

SPORTS Marketing Special

seemed to have helped arouse interest in the virtually non-existent motor sports landscape in the country. The glitz, glamour and adrenaline rush associated with Formula One has caught the eye of not just enthusiastic sports fans but also brands. “What Formula One gives you, is a big boost in brand value,” says Askari Zaidi, VP Corporate Communications and Official Spokesperson of the Jaypee Group, adding, “F1 has given a boost to India’s image, that we are capable of hosting international mega sports events.” Jaypee Sports International has been the official organiser of F1 in India. Airtel, which is the title sponsor for the Formula One Grand Prix in India, and has a ` 34 crore worth five-year contract with Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is of the opinion that the “interest in the sport”, particularly amongst the youth has gone up. However, on a thorough analysis of the brands associated with the sport, one finds that the premium nature of the sport mostly attracts bigger brands that have international stakes and deep pockets rather than smaller, local brands. Sahara, JK Tyres, P&G, GSK, MRF, UB Kingfisher, Mercedes, Shell and Puma are some of the participating brands. The list of brands that associated with the sport on-ground, and on television in last year’s F1 included Petronas, Samsung and Vodafone as sponsors and 14 others: MRF, BPCL, Pernod Ricard, Sony India, Sistema Shyam Teleservices, Bharti Cellular, Total, Exxon Mobil, Malayasia Tourism,

Airtel, the title sponsor for F1 in India, feels that the “interest in the sport”, particularly amongst the youth has gone up in the past few years

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COVER STORY

The celeb quotient When it comes to betting money on sports personalities, cricketers are still the first choice of marketers

ollywood and sports remain by far the most sought after genres when it comes to endorsements with their underlying glitz, glamour, mass appeal and revered status. In the latest CelebScore track, a comprehensive rating of celebrity power in a consumer’s life brought out by Alchemist Talent Solutions and Hansa Research, the top ten celebrities in India include only Bollywood biggies and two cricketing stars - Sachin Tendulkar at Rank 2 and MS Dhoni at Rank 7. On the visible trends in the sports endorsement industry, Manish Porwal, Managing Director, Alchemist Talent Solutions says that contrary to popular perception, sportsmen who have a clean image, have been around since a long time even if they are now retired score better than emerging talent and youngsters. Virat Kohli, for instance, is the face of the young cricket brigade and has around 10 endorsements in his kitty (Flying Machine, Titan Fastrack, Pepsi, Fair & Lovely, TVS Motors, Toyota, Nike and Celkon Mobiles) but fails to make it to the top ten in the CelebScore list. In the cricketers’ list, he is ranked four after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. “Youngsters take time to come in the Top 5 or 10. People may like to see them playing cricket but aren’t too convinced if they can buy products endorsed by them,” says Porwal. Unlike Bollywood where actors from

Top 10 Cricket Celebrities 1 2

Sachin Tendulkar

58.5 MS Dhoni

54.4

Yuvraj Singh

Virat Kohli

Virendra Sehwag

49.6

Rahul Dravid

Gautam Gambhir

Saurav Ganguly

Harbhajan Singh

Yusuf Pathan

48.9

across the spectrum are bagging endorsement deals, sports in India is still defined by cricket. Football, hockey and other sports are yet to reach the same cult status and the same is reflected in the marketers’ choice of brand ambassadors. Even though niche sports’ players figure markedly below cricketers in terms of popularity, they are gradually beginning to attract advertisers’ attention. Badminton star Saina Nehwal is perhaps the biggest non-cricket star having endorsed around ten brands. Apart from commercial products, Nehwal recently was signed up as a brand ambassador for the Andhra Pradesh government for the State Energy Conservation Mission (SECM). Olympic star Mary Kom is endorsing brands like NECC, Emami, GSK, Piramal, Laxmi Tea, Calcom Cements and Herbalife. Porwal believes that non-cricket sport stars are beginning to get recognition through the media, and in some cases are known to people because they are much bigger than the game they represent. He

44.7

43.5 43.0 41.9 41.7 38.8

also points out to the rise of a mini celebrity. “Earlier there were only mass icons like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev who got the major chunk of advertisements. Now there is an emergence of an in-between, mini celebrity like Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma who also bag endorsements. Prakash Padukone, for instance, has also got a few advertising opportunities. Endorsements are all about popularity but there is an added reel to endorsements- how well do I regard you - and that helps players; whether small people in bigger genres like cricket or bigger people in smaller genres,” says Porwal. Apart from the top three cricketers Tendulkar, Dhoni and Singh, the endorsement fee of cricketers varies between ` 25 lakh to ` 1 crore. Porwal adds that Nehwal is the only one in her zone who gets as much as a fifth most popular cricketer. According to Porwal, what works in the case of women sports icons like Nehwal or Sania Mirza is that they are the only few women in a man-led endorsement world. 

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UBS, Singapore GP, Q Net, India Tourism and DHL. Auto brand, Mahindra has had a successful association with MotoGP, with Mahindra Racing being the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship. Speaking about Mahindra’s association with MotoGP and the scope in India, Mufaddal A Choonia, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Racing SRL says that India is drawing a lot of attention as a big destination for motorsport events and the country is no longer a one-sport loving nation. “MotoGP as a sport has grown across the globe over the years, which does not leave India out. The youth at large has shown tremendous response towards the sport with a fan base that is growing into tens of thousands,” he says. On the advantages of sponsoring such a sport, he adds, “MotoGP, being a global sport has a wide reach globally with millions following the sport both live on track and through television broadcasts across more than 207 countries. Thus MotoGP is a spectacular platform to showcase brand Mahindra to the world. Also participation in MotoGP, the pinnacle of 2 wheeled road racing, also gives Mahindra a great platform to showcase its technological and engineering capabilities, on a platform

SPORTS Marketing Special

MotoGP, being a global sport has a wide reach globally with millions following the sport both live on track and through TV broadcasts across more than 207 countries where the best in the world compete.”

Game for niche? While Formula One, football, and even hockey to some extent, enjoy a fairly sizeable fan base, there are certain sports that serve an extremely well-defined target audience; polo, golf, adventure sports, and marathons being a few examples. Over the years, there has been a surge of brands associating themselves with such niche sports either by way of sponsorships or by creating their own sporting properties. What makes such sports an attractive bet for marketers? What are the advantages over other mass sports which have both high reach and impact? Most brands which attach themselves to such sports are of the opinion that unlike cricket, which sees a clutter of brands competing with each other, niche sports help brands in establishing a definitive connect basis the brand’s attributes that are in sync with the sport. Austrian brand, Red Bull, is one of the most popular examples of a brand that has innovatively and successfully woven in adventure sports

into the very ethos of the brand. Broadly, aggression, freedom and youthfulness are the key attributes portrayed by Red Bull and it has associated itself with sports that signify similar characteristics. Along with sponsoring racing and football events, it also sponsors a multitude of adventure sports. While some of its popular global events include the space diving project, Red Bull Stratos, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and Red Bull Rampage, last year saw the brand bring the popular

“Today, most sports sponsorships are bought from a tactical point not a strategic point” Vinit Karnik Head of Sports and Live Practice, Group M ESP

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COVER STORY INTERVIEW

“Sports marketing isn’t just a media buy” Kartik Varma | Country Head, Rush Sports Marketing & Investment

rands in India, when it comes to finding solutions for their sports-led associations, still depend on their advertising agencies. Kartik Varma, Country Head, Rush Sports Marketing, in an interview with Arshiya Khullar of Pitch tells that it’s time brands went to a neuro-surgeon, than a spine-specialist when the problem is neuro-related. Excerpts... Are sports associations, especially niche, looked at from a profile perspective rather than an ROI one? Raising your brand or company’s profile in a vacuum, without this translating into business performance or without this being capable of being measured in business metrics, is meaningless. Ultimately, sports marketing is just another part of a company’s marketing mix. It needs to be measured and its results need to demonstrate long-term ROI. Otherwise, just like you won’t uselessly spend you marketing budget on activities and programmes that yield poor results, you won’t spend on

sports marketing if it doesn’t yield results. However, sports marketing done the right way has always shown to get successful results that can be measured in soft metrics as well as in financial metrics such as the top and bottom line. Involvement in niche sports must also demonstrate repeatable ROI and internally agreed KPIs must be met or exceeded, otherwise it’s not a good use of a company’s marketing resources. Some niche sports clearly raise a brand’s profile by instantaneously creating a connection between the sporting property’s values and associates them with the sponsoring brand. Successful sports marketing strategies are ones that are thoroughly thought through and where the results are rigorously analysed, to ensure that the marketing objectives are being met. It’s less about putting your brand on a sporting property, and more about activation focusing on giving your target audience a money can’t buy experience, as well as by making them feel as close to the ac-

“It’s less about putting your brand on a sporting property, and more about activation - focusing on giving your target audience a money can’t buy experience”

tion as possible even though some fans might be watching from the comfort of their homes. This is equally true for niche sports as it is for mass appeal sports. Does monetising sports properties remain a challenge for sports agencies? Some sports with a global and mass appeal are clearly easier to monetise than others. But a good marketer will intelligently use the rights they get from a team or a sport that allow them to use the rights beyond just being a visible sponsor through brand related advertising, by creating customer experiences that allow fans to experience the brand in a manner that superficial advertising doesn’t even come close to connecting with the target audience. Monetisation also depends on how smartly the team or the league creates a set of rights that appeal to different constituencies of brands. Advertising options are just the low hanging fruit-like putting your logo on the jersey or around the venue.

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But smart sponsors, like American Express and its association with the US Open tennis tournament, wrap themselves around the whole fan experience in the stadium and in the virtual world. When it comes to niche vs mass appeal sports – both need to be monetised successfully for the league to be commercially viable. Hockey, our national sport, has mass appeal in India. Yet, the first avatar of a hockey league faded away with a few years of its founding because the league did not turn out to be commercially viable. In a cricket obsessed nation, what can be done to make games like hockey and football mainstream? Unlike golf or tennis which are often seen as a rich person’s sport, football and hockey are sports that anyone can play. You don’t need to be a member of the local country club, nor do you need expensive equipment. These sports are already mainstream to some extent because children participate in them in school, but our domestic leagues and competitions have not broken out on TV the way cricket has. There are some signs that other games are beginning to gain popularity, even though we don’t have high quality domestic talent. Non-stop television coverage of different football leagues from across the world is certainly making football a sport of choice for young kids across India. There are many junior leagues in urban centres, coaching camps from leading European clubs and Sunday league games that are being played all around the country. More people in India probably watch a Premier League game featuring Manchester United or a La Liga game featuring Barcelona than they do featuring our national side. Quality of content has something to do with

it. If we can get a superstar who makes it big internationally, then of course more interest will come into the sport. It will be interesting to see how the Hockey India League develops in its second year. Are sponsorships beginning to be looked at as a long-term strategy or are they still seen as a tactical tool? Advertising campaigns are seen as longterm activities that are just one contributory step in evolving a brand. Similarly, sports marketing should also be seen as a long-term activity. You can’t be chopping and changing your strategy every few weeks. Similarly, you can’t just decide one morning mid-way through a tournament that you want to participate as a sponsor. Shell has been in Formula 1 for almost

SPORTS

Marketing Special

it can lead to with your audience. Do you think that sports marketing agencies in India are not doing enough to fully leverage sports sponsorships? The sports marketing industry is in its early stages of development in India. We have big sponsors, in addition to the ones who have been active in sports, who have the resources to put their marketing might behind sports. Over time, these companies will come to recognise how this will result in superior business performance and improve the perception of their brands. But for now, what a lot of brands and agencies are content with is celebrity endorsements with sports stars. We expect that over time this will evolve. Companies will come to appreciate and

“A specialist can really help in choosing the correct set of rights from a sport or a team and design a highly capital efficient marketing programme” 60 years and its most recent non-stop association with Ferrari dates back to 1994. It has been able to use Ferrari branding in its message to customers and also use the sport of F1 and the Ferrari-backed R&D to develop special fuels and oils that can be used in road cars. Clearly something is making business sense, otherwise such an associating would not have be measured in decades. But you’re not going to be successful if you start and stop your sponsorship every few quarters. Your customers are going to be confused with the interrupted messaging, your brand’s story will be incomplete when you pull out your sponsorship, and you won’t give yourself a fair chance to benefit from any association with the sport and emotional engagement

value the special skills that sports marketing agencies possess. You don’t go to a spine specialist when what you really need is a neuro-surgeon, even though both fields might be related. Similarly, companies will recognize that they need the expertise of a sports marketing specialist rather than their advertising agency. A specialist can really help in choosing the correct set of rights from a sport or a team and design a highly capital efficient marketing programme, and then create a rigorous analytical framework to track performance that isn’t as shallow as tracking “likes” on social media. Sports marketing isn’t just a media buy. Companies will come to this realisation and then use specialists rather than generalist advertising agencies. 

COVER STORY INTERVIEW

“Golf is becoming the No 2 sport in the country”

Brandon de Souza | Managing Director, Tiger Sports Marketing

n an interview with Arshiya Khullar of Pitch, Brandon de Souza, Managing Director, Tiger Sports Marketing, stresses on the need for marketers to look at sports as a long-term investment, rather than a tactical tool. Excerpts... Do you think monetising sports properties remains a huge challenge for sports agencies? And does the challenge get more pronounced in the case of niche sports like Golf which serve a well-defined target audience? I cannot be in total agreement with the Indian Golf Premier League a perfect example of creating a property which immediately paid dividends as it was marketed sensibly. When a corporate chooses to do as a PR exercise or as mere entertainment of clients, he does not start with the

Coming from the golf space and seeing our sport quickly becoming the No 2 sport in the country, it has shown that if done right golf could be to a niche audience what cricket is to the masses. Due to poor performances in the international arena the hockey league or even football has not had similar results but this would also change if some home grown stars were to come out of this game and we were doing better on an international stage. At the same time, many agencies and corporate advertisers are also beginning to look beyond cricket and signing up athletes across the sporting spectrum. In your opinion, what explains this trend? Do you think it is to do with cricket-fatigue or that there aren’t many sporting icons left in cricket anymore?

“Due to poor performances in international arena, hockey and football have been unable to attract marketers, but this could change if home grown stars start doing well” premise of monetising the investment but instead sees it as a successful business promotion vehicle. In a cricket- obsessed nation, these niche sports fail to attract as many sponsors and the value of deals are also markedly lower than those for cricket. What are the reasons for this?

Clearly what Saina has done to badminton or a Pankaj Advani to billiards or our shooters at the Olympics, there is place for them to gain recognition and be used as brand ambassadors. Volvo chose Jeev, Mercedes Gaganjit and to a lesser extent Audi Sharmila Nicollet to promote their brands and it is just that they are not as visible as Dhoni or Kohli or even the film legend Am-

itabh Bachchan lending their names to any conceivable FMCG product. Are sponsorships beginning to be looked at as a long-term strategy or are they still seen as a tactical tool? Definitely long term with a minimum three-year horizon and those involved with proprietary events realising they will see value by year two onwards. What is the kind of money being spent in sports sponsorships by brands? For some of the sporting events you have been associated with, what is the kind of investment you have seen brands making? Who are the brands spending the most on Golf at present? Please share a few examples. Avantha Masters while not handled by us is worth over two million Euro in prize money alone. Add the Hero Indian Open USD 1.5 million, Panasonic and SBI Sail for additional 300,000 each and we are talking over USD 5 million just in the purse offered in foreign exchange. The domestic tour contributes another USD 1 million and it’s not surprising that lots of young players are pursuing professional golf for a living. We have been involved with a series of corporate events many of which would spend over ` 1 crore on a pan India promotion and it is a mix of companies in the luxury car segment, consultancy, telecom, real estate etc. 

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Red Bull SoapBox race to India. Another beverage brand that has attitude, adventure and exhilaration as a core part of its brand DNA, Mountain Dew, is globally known for taking on niche sports, particularly extreme sports. Last year, the brand brought ‘Mountain Dew Xtreme Tour’, featuring renowned athletes in skateboarding, BMX and freestyle Motocross to India for the first time. Mountain Dew has also joined hands with Super Fight League, the first India-based Mixed Martial Arts property, as its official beverage partner. Recently, the brand also launched the ‘Push for Wrestling’ campaign with its brand ambassador Sushil Kumar. The campaign is aimed at garnering support for reinstating wrestling as a core sport in Olympics. Explaining the association with such adventure sports, Ruchira Jaitly, Category Director- Flavours, PepsiCo India says that these associations give Mountain Dew the opportunity to leverage the passion that is building among Indian consumers. Through this strategy, the brand is using a more targeted approach to build credibility in the consumer’s mind and cut through the clutter rather than latching on to a mainstream sport which will see sponsorships by many brands. “Wrestling is a very connect sport in the northern part of the country, a region where Mountain Dew has a strong presence. This association helps us target the smaller towns, and Sushil Kumar is one

SPORTS

Marketing Special

Industries that bet high on sports Almost 100% of marketers from the Tehnology sector seem to bet on Sports. Consumer Goods are the No 2 at a little more than 80% % 120 100.00%

100 80

78.95%

80.56% 66.67%

57.14%

40 20 0

Services

Consumer Goods

Technology

of the biggest heroes of the game in the North,” says Jaitly. Officer’s Choice Blue, the whiskey brand from the ABD portfolio has been associated with boxing and in a bid to promote the sport, has sponsored ‘Fight Night’, a boxing property created by Percept Limited. UB has also attached itself to several niche sports. The Kingfisher Derby, one of the most popular events in horse racing has been running for more than 25 years. Kingfisher also sponsors marathons like the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, and Airtel Delhi Half Marathon among others. The automobile sector is also seeing brands tying up with adventure sports.

The auto sector is also seeing brands tying up with adventure sports. Maruti Suzuki’s Raid-de-Himalaya has been successfully running for more than 14 years

Finance

Others

Maruti Suzuki’s Raid-de-Himalaya Motorsport Rally has been successfully running for more than 14 years, and is a highly anticipated competition for motoring enthusiasts across the country. Cult brands Royal Enfield and Harley Davidson are other well-known examples of brands engaging their loyalists in hairraising adventure sports and riding tours. In 2013, India will witness its first National HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally. Harley owners will ride into Goa from across the country for what is essentially a giant Harley fan club meeting. For Swedish luxury car-maker, Volvo, golf is an intrinsic part of the brand and the sport enjoys considerable affinity amongst its target audience. The brand has had a long association with golf and is the only car company which owns golf tournaments that are part of the European Tour or Asian Tour, such Volvo World Match Play, Volvo Masters and China Open. These are strategised, planned and executed by

COVER STORY Volvo Events. It has also brought the Volvo World Golf Challenge, a global event for amateurs, to India. “Golf is a niche sport if you take the entire universe, but so is our brand, and so is the luxury cars segment. Of 2.4 million cars sold, only 30,000 are luxury. Amongst, our TG, there is a lot of affinity towards our prospects playing golf,” says Sudeep

Philippe, as a brand, is not one-dimensional, it is a lifestyle brand. Sports like football and cricket do not have a lifestyle around it. Golf, for us, represented that lifestyle.” Another brand that has successfully leveraged its commonalities with a niche sport like chess is NIIT. NIIT’s 13-year long relationship with Anand has been built on the basis of the similarities between the

Sponsoring a niche sport whose attributes fit in with the brand values helps brands establish a connect with their TG, but such sports enjoy partisanship of a select few Narayan, Marketing and PR Director, Volvo Auto India. PepsiCo’s Jaitly feels that with their exclusionary nature, niche sports are easier to deal with than cricket. In case of cricket, with the sheer number of brands associated with the game, brands face the tough task of establishing their credentials that they are all about cricket. For apparel brands, the association with niche sports is explained by the common attributes of style, perfection and sophistication. Raymond, for instance, has sponsored the RWITC Polo Championship 2013 while Louis Philippe is the title sponsor for the second time for the golf tournament, the Louis Philippe Cup. Explaining the connect, Samrat Som, Director, Marketing, Louis Philippe says, “ We looked at several parts of a man’s life and what we want to be associated with. As people grow professionally, they also start cultivating interests in other areas- art, culture and finer things that make life. We considered various options in sports and entertainment. Golf has certain sophistication and it is nicely poised as a game. Louis

game of chess and the brand personality of NIIT. Explaining the powerful synergy between the two, Prateek Chatterjee, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Marketing at NIIT says, “Just as chess helps to develop the young mind and enhance lateral thinking skills; NIIT has also been shaping minds by bringing people and computers together.”

Volvo’s case, it is both an ROI and an engagement tool. According to Shekhawat, the ROI, in this case, is calculated more in terms of brand associations, recall and brand values that associating with such events drive on the overall perception of the brand. “I don’t think any of them are looked at from an ROI perspective. These are identified brand platforms and the ROI for us are scores in terms of brand health indicators and brand perceptions rather than sales volumes. You can’t get sales volumes and market share through this. But yes, in terms of associating with the right platforms to touch the right TG, I would rather do something that will allow me to get a significant and large number of target audience in one place than do several smaller activities wherein I have to reach out to them separately,” he says. PepsiCo’s Jaitly feels that the ROI, in this case, is calculated in terms of just the sheer consumer connect and engagement that the association generates. “When the Mountain Dew Xtreme Tour was brought to India last year, we did see a lot of buzz gen-

For Profile or Money? Sponsoring a niche sport whose attributes seamlessly fit in with the brand values helps marketers establish a connect with their target audience but there is no denying that such sports enjoy the partisanship of a select few. It definitely helps in creating brand imagery but what about monetary considerations? Are such sports looked at from a Right now, Polo finds favour with at least 5% of Indiprofile perspective an marketers. But more premium brands are coming or an ROI one? In

forward to bet their money on the grand sport

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erated in those cities. We saw an increase in the sheer recognition of the brand, association of the brand with such properties and also a bump up in consumption and volume,” she adds. But how financially viable are such associations? “Our association with golf is financially viable because we involve our dealers,” says Volvo’s Narayan. “It is more like a sales tool for us, not just a tournament. We engaged with 1,000 people last year and this year we are targeting around 1,600 people. The selection happens on certain criterion which enables us to talk to the kind of people who will buy or the golfers who are in the window to buy a luxury car within six months to a year,” he adds. Aircel’s Vasudev, however, has a different opinion on this. He believes that in case of niche sports, it becomes difficult to measure the financial impact. “Beyond a point, you can’t put everything in black or white. It is not a financial return analysis you do, you have to make some judgement calls on this. If it is appealing to the emotional side of a person, and building your brand affinity, the immediate thing that people do is to translate that into numbers,” he says. While brands enthusiastically claim that they view sponsorships from a longterm point of view, GroupM ESP’s Karnik differs in his opinion. He believes that a most brands do not know the reason behind buying a certain sponsorship; most of the times it is entirely based on ROI

“It is risky to pick up something from the global menu and put it here. We try to identify the local sport-connect with consumers” Ruchira Jaitly Category Director- Flavours, PepsiCo India considerations. “Today, most sports sponsorships are bought from a tactical point not a strategic point. I would struggle to find more than five brands in the country who have consistently invested in one property on a long-term basis,” he says.

Playing a risky game Ultimately, the risk-return trade off in sponsoring a niche sport depends on the consumer passion towards the sport. “If your consumers are not watching the game, ultimately you cannot do anything beyond a point,” says Vasudev. You need to ride that wave, and somewhere with the marketing that you do for an

While brands claim that they view sponsorships from a longterm perspective, GroupM ESP believes that most brands do not know the reason behind buying a certain sponsorship

SPORTS

Marketing Special

event - it does help to create interest in the sport. The core product has to be strong enough for the consumer to watch it. Marketing can help it increase its frenzy, but marketing cannot change the basic product story. Does this make owning or sponsoring a niche sporting property a riskier bet than leveraging mass sports? Jaitly seems to disagree. “Risk happens when you pick up something from the global menu and put it here. We did a lot of work, to figure out whether the consumers identify with the sport. Once you’ve done that, then it is about going to the right place. It is not that risky as going out to literally create something,” she says. Narayan echoes a similar view. “We have around 800,000 golfers in India now so it is not just an elite sport. Several middle-level to senior level executives in companies have started playing golf and they are our target customers in the next one to two years. Thereby, it makes our property that much more engaging with our prospects rather than shooting in the dark,” he says. At the same time, according to most marketers, sports engagement is viewed from a long term perspective rather than merely as a tactical tool. “Your youth target audience doesn’t change in the short term, so it is for sure a long term direction, not a tactical approach,” says Shekhawat. The findings of the SportzConsult report also corroborate this claim. According to the survey, around 67 per cent of the respondents described their engagement with sports as a strategic one while 25 per cent view it as tactical and short term. “We feel that brand imagery is built being associated with such sports. Once

COVER STORY COLUMN

Activation more important than visible branding In fact some of the most successful sponsorships have come in the Olympics, a property that offers sponsors no branding at all sage “The only limit is the one you set yourself.” Any consumer that believes in that message becomes the most loyal customer and an ambassador that spreads the message far and wide.

James Parrish

Rush Sports Marketing and Investment james@rushgrouplimited.com @JPazza222

he use of sports sponsorship as a way to reach a target audience can be powerful as for the fans the sport provides an escape from everyday life and in many cases forms part of a person’s selfidentity. This emotional connection is an attractive vehicle for communicating with consumers and can help build brand preference.

Segment your target market: It goes without saying that marketers should know their customer demographics and segments. The most successful sponsors precisely know the demographics of the sports fans, the team’s fans, and the individual athlete’s fans. If there is not a strong correlation, the target market doesn’t hear or see the message and return on investment should not be expected. Red Bull’s marketing has always had exceptional correlation. The Austrian energy drink has sponsored many different extreme sports and extreme events, from skateboarding and snowboarding to Felix Baumgartner’s leap from the edge of space. All these sponsorships exude the Red Bull brand and can be traced back to one mes-

Activations are more important than visible branding: Sports marketing isn’t about branding everything you can afford. In fact, some of the most successful sponsorships have come in the Olympics, a property that offers sponsors no branding at all. British Airways saw great success in the UK last year with its ‘Staying at Home’ campaign, promoting the excitement and buzz that comes from a home Olympics. What BA were effectively saying was don’t fly abroad, stay here and enjoy the event. Quite a statement for an airline! But research has shown greater affinity for the brand and increased likelihood of travelling with BA in the future. Branding helps drive association but the activation of the rights and messages communicated are where brands drive preference. Ask yourself whether your message is resonating with your target audience and will this engagement lead to brand loyalty. Brand association should have a relevant fit: If the brand association between a brand and a sporting property is tight, you don’t need a lot of noisy branding to achieve success. The brand fit, the customer perception and the aims for the brand all need to be considered when designing a sponsorship. A company should seek sponsorship only with properties that reflect and enhance the image of the company. Rolex’s partnership

with Wimbledon since 1978 is a great example for mutual brand enhancement. Both are legendary, prestigious brands but the length of relationship also enhances the great history of both the event and the brand. In an effective sponsorship, consumers don’t have to stretch their imagination too much to draw the positive connections between the brand values of the sport and how they relate to a sponsors brand. Acquire rights that allow your brand’s attributes to stand out: Sponsorship ROI can be increased through product relevant rights acquisition. IBM is a large sponsor of tennis and produce the exclusive mobile device application for the US Open. Their ‘Smarter Analytics’ concept provides fans with real-time stats and analytics. But rather than a simple score sheet, IBM algorithms analyse millions of data points to provide fans with three ‘keys’ to each competitor winning the match. This showcases IBM’s highly advanced technology and fans love them for it as their viewing experience is enriched in a way they could never have imagined. Clearly, acquiring rights to offer such analytics is more powerful than just the rights to display the IBM brand on the scoreboard. Sponsorship best practice is constantly evolving but by taking inspiration from global examples, Indian businesses will start to see greater brand preference, increased employee pride and ultimately increased revenue and profit.  The views expressed here are of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

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Getting a scoresheet for brands How do marketers evaluate the success of a sports-led marketing campaign? Is it tangible results like an impact on sales or a change in brand perception? GroupM ESP’s Karnik goes ahead to explain different aspects of sports evaluation. “One aspect of sports evaluation is the media valuation of a sport based on what sponsors get through that sport. Every sport is consumed differently from a television point of view. A typical media evaluator would give you media value of a particular asset. Repucom is the standardised thing in India when it comes to media valuation. Then there are consumer insights. For IPL, GroupM, in the last five years has invested greatly on pre-evaluation and post evaluation of consumer insights,” he says. United Breweries, for instance does a post event evaluation on major sports associations in terms of factors like the brand recall and likability. Several parameters are researched from a third party in a scientific fashion to get an idea. Carlsberg’s Marwah is of the opinion that any property takes time to build up and therefore one can’t access its impact over a shorter period of time. It has to

Avenues used by brands to utilise sports TV still remains the marketer’s favourite when it comes to putting money on sports % 80 70.89% 70 60 54.43% 50 44.30% 37.97% 40 35.44% 34.18% 30 20 10 0

5.06%

e t ts ts p le te en ps eagu ip shi ven ip spo nts v r e hle hip e cab i o t g h l i L h l s e s h e n a s A r i p v s n rs p o tiv or on or so tis e ssi pons m Sp on nso Not a ipa pons ver ports e c p o i f d t S p s o a s r s S Pr Tea Pa TV ring du be around engagement with consumers, how they are viewing your brand and how they feel about your brand. MEC, for instance, has developed a research-based tool called Partnership Intelligence that allows marketers to make an informed selection of sponsorships across non-comparable properties like sports, movies and art. It provides in-depth analysis into consumer interests, media consumption and attitudes towards different partnership platforms and thereby, according to Shweta Singh, Business Head, MEC Delhi, helps to deliver an analysis of the property attributes and a comprehensive assessment of the

When it comes to measuring ROI on sports, there are tools like TAM, TGI and IRS which have been providing essential insights about consumer behaviour

Source: SportzConsult

you build onto a brand name, then surely it puts a positive impact on sales. Thus, we look at a long term impact rather than just an immediate sales boost with such sports,” says Videocon’s Dhoot.

SPORTS

Marketing Special

potential fit of a property with a brand’s own values. Partnership Intelligence was born out of an online administered study conducted across 17 countries with SEC A, B and C people last year. According to the study, the ODI Cricket World Cup and the T-20 Cricket Tournament last year were the most preferred sporting properties amongst the Indian audience with a love and like score of 80 per cent. IPL came in third with a 71 per cent love and like score. FIFA World Cup was found to be the highest among non-cricket properties with a 66 per cent love and like score. There are tools like TAM, TGI and IRS which have been providing essential insights about consumer behaviour. Explaining the functioning of these, Singh said that while TAM provides viewership data, and information about the consumption of programming channels

COVER STORY mathematically, in TGI, brand consumption is mapped to the audience consumption and to the media consumption. However, there is no linkage between each of them. “TAM and IRS are numerically driven. TGI has psychographics covered to an extent. Partnership Intelligence links brand, audience and media consumption with each other. We take a set of qualitative attributes equivalent to psychographic dimensions and layer it on the brands as well as the properties. You are, therefore, able to marry the brand with the property much better,” she says. Show me the money honey! The findings of the SportzConsult report indicate that over 65 per cent brands who participated in the survey spent over ` 1 crore on sports-led marketing campaigns and over 35 per cent spent ` 5 crore. At the same time, 60 per cent of the total respondents confirmed an increase in their sports investments in the coming years. For UB Group, around 30-35 per cent of its total marketing budget is allocated to sports marketing, sponsorships and sports activation platforms. This investment, according to Shekhawat, is seeing an annual increase of 7-8 per cent. While there is enough money being spent in sports, the pertinent question is about the returns that can accrue. Do marketers find monetising sports associations a tough task? “I think the challenge comes when we look at monetisation only as sales; we need to look at the very

Karnik terms them. He does add a caveat to this though. “Not always do I buy sponsorship of a sport from an association point. I would also buy a sport from an engagement point. I may have a specific problem with my brand and I buy soccer purely to from engaging a new TG point of view. Therefore, only media metric might not be a right tool to evaluate,” he says.

“Our association with golf is financially viable because we involve our dealers. It is more like a sales tool for us” Sudeep Narayan Marketing and PR Director, Volvo Auto India strong equity builds as well because that is valued highly,” says Jaitly. Monetisation is equal to the fact if you can target this well, think of the wastage you get on media spends with mainstream media , were you to convert that into this activity and take it to those consumers, we are actually leveraging that money far better for something that has a high affinity. Karnik however disagrees. In his opinion, India continues to be a one sport nation and therefore, from an audience point of view, the challenge for brands associating with lesser consumed sports is how to define ROI. And this challenge gets even more pronounced in the case of niche sports - ‘Bechara Sports’ as

It’s no more about putting a sign in a stadium, placing a TVC or tossing a logo on a car. Instead, marketers want to take advantage of the emotional attachments with a sport

Sports not a sponsorship tool? To sponsor a sport doesn’t mean only embedding the brand’s logo on the team’s shirt or on the board around the playing arena. Through sponsorships, brands must have a more involved association that makes them resonate in the consumer’s mind as someone connected to a particular sport. It’s no longer simply a matter of putting up a sign in a stadium, placing an ad in a broadcast or tossing a logo on a car. Instead, marketers want to take greater advantage of the deep emotional attachments leagues, teams and athletes have with the fans that follow them. In Choonia’s opinion, it isn’t just about paying money and coming on board as a sponsor; a lot of companies are now putting resources towards development of sports at the grassroots level which could be considered a contribution towards the welfare of the society. “Other than the benefits of world-class visibility and branding, sporting properties and sponsors are building mutually beneficial and long lasting relationships with a sport. If this were to be seen from a corporate perspective, investment in sport would form an integral part of the ‘triple bottom line’ – ‘people, planet and profit,” he says.  -arshiya.khullar@pitchonnet.com

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INTERVIEW VIKRAM BAKSHI

‘Brand extension is going to be our prime focus for this year’ Vikram Bakshi | Managing Director, Northern and Eastern Region, McDonald’s India

n an interview with Neha Pal of Pitch, Vikram Bakshi, Managing Director, Northern and Eastern Region, McDonald’s India, shares his company’s outlook towards becoming the ‘King of Out-of-Home Breakfast’ segment along with the brand’s marketing strategy enroute. Excerpts:

What is your marketing strategy for 2013? How are you going to shape up your 4Ps? Starting with product, the ingredients used in our products are sourced locally and we along with our supplier McCain work with farmers to produce varieties of potato. Right from McEgg to McSpicy products, we would continue to come out with different products this year. We have recently introduced our breakfast products that include McMuffin with various ingredients like egg, veg stuffings, spinach, corn as well as global favourites such as Hash Browns, Pancakes with coffee. In terms of price, we have been very competent, which is why we have still stuck around to ` 25 despite rise in commodity prices and would like to follow this approach as long as we can. When it comes to promotion, we would continue our focus on offers and schemes for our customers such as a free McMuffin was put on offer between 8 AM and 11 AM on National Breakfast Day. In terms of place, we are following a cluster based approach, which is like having 3-4 restaurants in a radius of two kilometres to reach out to consumers in a much faster way. Business is not done on the basis of

spread as there is supply constraint. The idea is that we want to spread ourselves sensibly. We see Kolkata as a cluster of east and Chandigarh and Ludhiana having huge potential where we are going to follow a cluster based approach. How are you positioning yourself differently from your competitors? We are the first ones to introduce the concept of out-of-home breakfast in India. We have a first mover advantage as competition is not a worry and hence we think that we have positioned ourselves quite differently than the rest. How is India’s out-of-home breakfast market different from other countries? The out-of-home breakfast market in India is still in its nascent stage. Breakfast contributes only four per cent of our overall revenues in India, whereas it contributes 25 per cent in developed countries. We have 300 outlets in India out of which 150 will serve the breakfast menu. There is an option for home delivery also. How are you planning to increase your brand value? Brand extension is going to be our prime focus for this year. For us brand extension drives through delivery, breakfast, extended hours and kiosks. Brand extension contributes 25 per cent to our sales and we want to take it to 50 per cent. Our aim is that every restaurant should have three brand extensions. Apart from this, we have also worked

Breakfast contributes only four per cent of our overall revenues in India, whereas it contributes 25 per cent in developed countries Pitch | April-May 2013

on the interiors of our stores and have given them a new trendy look. Is there a price-rise on your cards considering the hike in service tax given in the budget? Yes, there has been an increase in the service tax and that has impacted our prices. We have had a five per cent hike across all categories from April 1. What is the main focus area of McDonald’s this year? With four distribution centres in Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata, the company would focus on brand extension which would help us to increase our brand value. We are planning to set a part of our marketing spends on ‘Brand Extension’ which would mean having more of kiosks, drive-through, better delivery management, breakfast menu and operationalising extended hour. Also, we would be focusing on store expansions pan India like Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kochi. With four distribution centres in Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata, the company would focus on brand extension. Breakfast will have single largest investment from our side and this is something we are very clear about. Fifty per cent of our brand extension budget will target at this. What kind of impact has the slowdown made on McDonald’s? Our same store sales have dropped. Last year, the same store sales registered a growth of 15-16 per cent and this year, they have dropped by single digits..  -neha@pitchonnet.com

FEATURE TATA SKY

7X prison term Tata Sky tells a jail-break story in 210 seconds. That is seven times more than the usual time taken by other brands for their communication. Does the strategy work to break the clutter? By Twishy

n ad-break in the middle of an emotional soap and leaving the viewer at a suspense point to urge them to buy something, is a prison-term. And brands usually takes 30 seconds, in turn, to torture the viewer and extend the suspense time. As such, there is very less attention span time and viewers are likely to move to other channels. So when Tata Sky comes with an ad that is seven times - 210 seconds to be precise - the usual torture, do we call it a great straetgy to come up with its own mini-programme or an extrashort feature film to keep the audience hooked or do we call it a bad thinking on the part of the DTH provider’s marketing team? Anyway, ‘Poochne mein kya jata hai?’ as Tata Sky’s other campaigns urge you. Vikram Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer,

“It is an appropriate time to launch the commercial because of the IPL fever and the upcoming vacations” Vikram Mehra Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Sky

Tata Sky answers, “Advertising is all about storytelling that has to be engaging, interesting and compelling. It made us choose a script of 210 seconds.” Conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, along with Vivek Kakkad, Director, Curious Films, the story revolves around a bunch of foreign convicts imprisoned in an Indian jail. These convicts conspire to escape when they realise that a cricket match is being played between India

The TVC was a result of an extensive research, where it was found that working professionals do not have time to watch TV because of late working hours and Pakistan, assuming that the match would keep the Indian guards and the jailer occupied. But when the jailer and his men intercept their escape, the convicts are fumbled by what kind of Indian doesn’t watch such an epic match. That’s when the clincher kicks in – ‘a hard working Indian’, who with Tata Sky+ HD can record it and watch it at his own time. The fast-paced commercial has been shot with an international cast and crew in an actual prison in Hungary. The TVC, according to the brand, is on its way into the Limca Book of Records for being the longest TVC to be telecast in the history of Indian advertising. According to Mehra, the TVC was a result of an extensive research, where it was found that working professionals do not have time to watch TV because of late working hours. “Hence, it was challenging for us to provide an engaging

story to help customers get glued to Tata Sky. In other words, it’s ‘For those who don’t have time to watch TV’,” he says. The brand wants to target new customers in the 38 cities where digitisation of television broadcast is underway. Tata Sky is promoting the campaign through digital and on-ground activations such as product demonstrations. “It is an appropriate time to launch the commercial because of the IPL cricketing fever and the upcoming vacations,” feels Mehra. However, we still want to be sure and this time ask our brand experts. For replay sake, we present the recorded dialogue again. ‘Poochne mein kya jata hai?’ Will the ad be able to grab audience at a time of narrowing attention spans? When marketers are cutting down their ad spends, is it a safe bet by Tata Sky? What is the need for a 210 seconds ad when the story can be conveyed in

Pitch | April-May 2013

30 seconds? Abraham Koshy, Professor, Marketing, IIM Ahmedabad, is sure that the strategy should work for the brand when it is looking to acquire new customers. “This kind of a communication is done to reduce customer attrition and to gain new customers from switching to more attractive packages. With digitisation emerging as the compulsory mode, the

market is forced to expand so it might help the brand gain newer customers.” However, he also does caution that the TVC may not have repeat value. “If a brand can tell a story in 30 seconds, it should stick to the format rather than having a three-minute ad as it becomes

“This ad has certainly attracted attention and created a difference from the usual 30 seconds spot” Ramanujam Sridhar Founder CEO, brand-comm

Pitch | April-May 2013

boring and will not have repetitive viewership,” he says. He feels that while people watching it for the first time may enjoy it, but in the long run, the extended TVC might just force viewers to switch channels. The theory, according to him works just the opposite in a 20- to 30-second ad where the cost of swapping the channel is higher. “By the time a viewer switches

advertising is a point of differentiation between one product and the other,” he says. Given that Tata Sky has its own Channel 100 that will keep playing the commercial, it is a safer bet for Tata Sky in money terms as it wouldn’t have to spend money to buy spots on other channels. “Hence, its problem is not as severe as any other category launching

Tata Sky wants to target new customers in the 38 cities where digitisation is underway and considering the IPL season, the launch of the TVC is just perfect timing to another channel to skip the 20 seconds ad, the programme might start. In that way, the viewer is forced to see the commercial in a passive manner,” he explains. But Tata Sky isn’t perturbed. It does have elaborate plans to have reruns of the TVC. After airing the full film for a week, 60 seconds to 75 seconds spots will run for two to six weeks on various channels including Star World, AXN, NDTV Good Times, Zee Cafe, Zee Studio, Fox Entertainment, Fox Crime, etc. The TVC will also be screened in theatres. Meanwhile, Ramanujam Sridhar, Founder CEO, brand-comm, feels that if nothing else, the TVC has been able to attract attention at least. “Brands are constantly trying to do something that makes them different. This ad has certainly attracted attention and created a difference from the usual 30 seconds spot. In this highly cluttered space,

a commercial of more than three minutes. It’s probably a safer bet for them than someone who has to buy the media because they can keep playing it on their own platform whereas any other brand can play such a long commercial only on YouTube,” he adds. If that’s the long-term strategy, it’s probably targeted at existing customers who can view Channel 100 and are urged to upgrade their set-top-box to HD. If Tata Sky is looking at customers in the new markets, it probably is a bad idea. But does a brand need three minutes or more to get the message across? “No,” is Ramanujam’s answer. “Do you think Surf Excel doesn’t have a story when it says stains are good in just 20-second to 30-second spots or Idea hasn’t told a story ever in 20 seconds,” he counter questions. n -twishy@exchange4media.com

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Pitch April-May 2013

INTERVIEW DEBA GHOSHAL

‘We are aiming to add 1,500 distribution touch points in 2013’ Deba Ghoshal | Marketing Head, UPBG, Voltas

ith TATA Group’s consumer durable major Voltas coming out with its new range of ‘All Weather Positioning’ air-conditioners with brand ambassadors, Mr and Mrs Murthy, the company’s Unitary Products Business Group (UPBG) is looking to invest about ` 60 crore in its marketing initiatives. In an interview with Neha Pal of Pitch, Deba Ghoshal, Marketing Head, UPBG, Voltas, shares the marketing plans and brand positioning of the company for 2013. Excerpts: What is going to be Voltas’ marketing strategy for 2013? With a focus of ‘Change in Consumer Mindset’, Voltas has devised a new marketing strategy at the back of its ‘All-Weather-Positioning’ products with Mr and Mrs Murthy campaigns. Last year, we just had Mr Murthy with us but this time, we also have his lovely wife Mrs Murthy. The strategy behind this year’s campaign was to appropriate the solution to pain-points arising from extreme weather. With the introduction of Mrs Murthy, the campaign re-inforces the ‘Comfort-allyear-round’ benefit of our All Weather positioning, in an interesting manner. The new range of ‘All Weather ACs’ comes with an enhanced range of features that equip the product range to deliver uniquely and efficiently across all market conditions be it the extreme heat of New Delhi, dusty conditions of Rajasthan, humidity of Chennai, or peak winters of Shimla, throughout the year. What prompted you to rope in Mrs Murthy this time? Weather changes moods within a household and moods get reflected best through slice of

Pitch | April-May 2013

life, real situations at home. Hence, the introduction of Mrs Murthy this year whose role is to escalate situations at home, when they face extreme weather. As far as Mr Murthy is concerned, he is unflappable as always, with his Voltas all weather AC by his side. Last year, Murthy’s boss was the genesis of the situation. This year, its Murthy’s wife. Also, the script needed to work harder this time, keeping in mind the new features supporting the all-weather positioning. Further, the idea was to heighten the relevance of all weather, from a household perspective. So how much are you spending on marketing this year? Our marketing spend is going to be three

II and -III markets, which contribute 55 per cent of annual sales. Tell us something about the new range of products. Our new and powerful range of ‘All Weather’ air-conditioners is tailored specifically for varied climatic conditions across the country, all around the year. The new range of air conditioners now offers a brand new Insta–Cool Compressor and a host of new and improved features, and is equipped to deal with extreme weather patterns, ranging from peak summers to chilling winters. The Insta-Cool Compressor is the new generation T3 compressor enables instant cooling even at 52° Celsius. There is active

“Weather changes moods. The introduction of Mrs Murthy this year is to escalate situations at home, when the couple face extreme weather situations” per cent of the total durables turnover. We have set a budget for ` 60 crore for marketing initiatives in the current fiscal. What is the company turnover in the UPBG category and how do you plan to work on your distribution? The company’s UPBG vertical posted a turnover of ` 1,560 crore in 2011-12. With plans of larger penetration in the market, the company is also planning to ramp up its distribution network. We currently have around 6,000 distributors across the country and are aiming at more than 7,500 of such touch points for 2013. We want to expand our national retail footprint and garner a greater chunk of Tier-

dehumidifier with mode that ensures comfortable indoor conditions even at peak humidity. Then there is this Super Dust Guard which ensures that the quality of air being circulated within the room is clean and fresh, especially in dusty conditions. There is Intelligent Heating that keeps the room warm and comfortable even during extreme winters. How has the progress of the company been like in the last 10 years? Voltas has seen a rapid rise to a $1 million club. From ` 953 crores in FY 02 to ` 2,481 crore in FY 07 to ` 5193 in FY 12, Voltas has come a long way.  -neha@pitchonnet.com

FEATURE HR

Overcoming marketing HR challenge As Capgemini seeks to attract job applicants, its CMO talks about challenges in marketing HR By Arshiya Khullar

ike the services sector or even the medical sector, where performance, ethics and emotions play a vital role and make marketing a challenge, marketing Human Resource equally is challenging. As competition heats up and high attrition rates and when in the economy is in a slowdown and not many jobs offer growths in monetary terms, keeping employee morale is a tough task. Employees are stake holder sin the business of the company. In such a scenario, it becomes more imperative for a company to market itself from an HR point to attract good talent and project to its family that all positives and the company’s giving a platform and environment where we all will sail through. Amidst that environment, consulting, technology and outsourcing services company, Capgemini, is pursuing a human-centered communication approach focusing on employees’ experiences. Capgemini is one of the few companies that has taken the 360-degree communication route to reach out to the

professional. The aim certainly is to attract more job applicants and establish the brand as a preferred career destination. “This effort is to differentiate, track talent and show them what it takes to work in an MNC like Capgemini, where it is more about people and how to correlate what you do to be able to have a direct impact on your end customers,” says Rajesh Chandiramani, Senior VP, Marketing & Sales, Capgemini India. While Cha.ndiramani agrees that this is not the first time that an IT company has

Capgemini is one of the few companies that has taken the 360-degree communication route to reach out to the world to showcase itself as a human-centric company world to showcase itself as a humancentric company. Some other companies that often invest in such communication are HCL, Wipro, Intel and Mahindra. Else, such communication gets restricted to Jobs & Career pages of newspapers and magazines. ‘Be the YOU want to be’, the campaign launched recently, showcases Capgemini’s employees as a part of real-life and overcoming challenges. The campaign highlights the key elements that have helped them develop as a person and a technology

used employees as the face of its communication, he does maintain that Capgemini’s focus on people has remained consistent with all its brand campaigns since 2010, with the objective of making the individual feel empowered, aligned and inspired to do what he wants. “If you see, the IT industry is a very people oriented industry. So having people who have worked in the organisation becoming your brand ambassadors is the bigger considerations of success,” he adds. ‘Be the You want to be’ campaign is an

extension of the earlier campaigns in 2010 and 2011. The reliance on human-centred communication started with the “People matter, results count” campaign at the end of 2010 and then moved on to the “We are the ones” and ‘Experts Connect’ campaigns in 2011-2012. The current campaign will essentially look at developing nine key objectives, which will be used in a series of adverts. Some of these objectives include people getting empowered, inspired and challenged in order to deliver the business outcome to the end customer. In this way, the company is providing prospective employees with an aspirational and real picture of what their professional life could be if they pursue a career in the company. According to Chandiramani, the company is nursing a target to increase its employee base from the existing 40,000 people to 70,000 by the end of 2015. The company is expected to spend about Euro 1 million (approximately ` 7 crore) on the marketing campaign. The campaign will be launched in two phases. While the first phase, which is of three month duration, will see the company employing print, outdoor and digital in its media mix, phase two will incorporate television as well. The promotional activities will be done in nine cities across the country where Capgemini has a presence. Outdoor advertising will be seen in key metros and cities such as Mumbai, Kolkota, Trichy, Salem and Thiruvananthapuram. While technology parks will be targeted for direct customer engagement, the company will be aggressively using social media to drive awareness. In terms of the relative percentage contribution, print, outdoor and digital each will occupy a third of the total marketing budget. n -arshiya.khullar@pitchonnet.com

Pitch | April-May 2013

INTERVIEW

‘We are enabling the youth to share stories through music’ Shailendra Katyal | Director, Marketing, Lenovo India

hailendra Katyal, Director, Marketing, Lenovo India, in an interview with Abhinav Mohapatra of Pitch delves into the strategy behind Lenovo’s partnership with MTV to form CO:LAB, an initiative to target the youth. The concept of the six-month platform is to enable Indians to connect with like-minded individuals with different artistic skills across DJs, Vocalists/Instrumentalists, Film Makers or Motion Graphic Artists, where the winning talents across these four categories are determined by public votes through the Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB website and regional mentors. Excerpts:

What is the positioning that Lenovo wants to attain with this campaign? Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB is an extension of Lenovo’s “For Those Who Do” brand position that reflects who we are as a company, what we make and the mindset of our target customers. At the end of the campaign, we hope to have inspired and equipped talented individuals to collaborate across borders in order to turn their dreams into reality. Why did Lenovo chose MTV as its partner for this specific initiative? Both Lenovo and MTV are innovative companies with dynamic brand personalities that are strongly focused on the Millennial generation. Hence, it made perfect sense for us to join forces for this campaign. Both brands support the mindset of creative, optimistic and ambitious people who will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. With MTV’s deep knowledge of music, lifestyle and the youth, Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB will inspire and encourage Indians to take action, collaborate and create music using technology. What is the rationale behind taking the music route?

Pitch | April-May 2013

Universally, music and technology are two things the youth is passionate about. With this, we are focusing on creating an integrated social platform that will enable the youth from India to share stories about their communities through music. What is the segmentation strategy that Lenovo has defined for this campaign? India offers a huge talent pool that is virtually untapped across the length and breadth of the country. Hence we are not limiting it to a particular segment or geography. What is your media mix for promotion? Television as a medium forms a major part of the media mix for our overall communication and we will be present on MTV to build the momentum on Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB. This will be supported by a strong presence on the digital medium, especially through the Lenovo and MTV websites and our Facebook page, which we will use to

colleges and film institutes as they nurture the best talent in the country. However, our focus is on both trained individuals as well as people who have not undergone any kind of professional training. We will not be in a position to engage with entrants who are registered under a contract with a record or publishing company due to legal reasons. Does the campaign go beyond Tier I and II cities? Lenovo – MTV CO:LAB is a pan India campaign that extends beyond Tier I and II cities. India’s rapid growth is resulting into the emergence of new economic centers for the consumption of technology and lifestyle. These centers are spread beyond tier I and II cities, where penetration of technology and supporting infrastructure is in progress. Besides exploring their talent, this campaign requires the effective use of technology from the participants. With Lenovo- MTV Co: Labs, we want to present the

With MTV’s deep knowledge of music, lifestyle and the youth, Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB will inspire and encourage Indians to collaborate and create music using technology reach out to our five lakh fan base in India. Is this a pan-Asia campaign? Is the content being localised for India? The campaign will be launched across India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand and will run over the course of six months. The content is being localised across all regions. What is the rationale behind taking entries only from people who have no professional or semi professional affiliations? Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB is reaching out to art

Indian youth with an exciting opportunity that will motivate them. Is Lenovo promoting any specific product with this campaign? The winners will be presented with a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, a laptop that combines the productivity of an Ultrabook with the touch experience of a tablet. The screen of the IdeaPad flips a full 360 degrees into four modes (tablet, laptop, tent or stand) that make it easy to create, share or consume content.  -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

FEATURE JK PAPER

Flip through the pages JK Paper is trying hard to make users demand paper by a brand. How? And what are its future plans? By Abhinav Mohapatra

e use them, scribble, print and present on a daily basis, but never notice what brand or type of paper is being used. To the unseen eye, the transparent mark of the brand on the paper is only seen when one holds it against the light. But what does JK Paper that claims to be the leader of the business multipurpose paper do, to market its brand to the end consumer? Being the first company in the country to sell paper under a brand, JK Paper with its sub-brands, JK Copier, JK Easy Copier, JK Aero White, JK Bond are not just spontaneously remembered brands but are also making new roadways with fresh tie-ups and marketing strategies. Santosh Wakhloo, Vice President

Marketing and Sales, JK Paper tells Pitch, “JK manufactures three kinds of paper, namely the business multipurpose paper, which has brands like JK Copier and JK Easy Copier; coated paper segment which has brands like JK Cote and the premium end of the packaging board segment which has brands like JK Tuff Cote and JK Ultima.” Wakhloo further says, “We are in the three fastest growing segments which are multipurpose office papers, cut size coated paper and the premium end of the packaging boards.” In terms of the business papers, the JK Paper claims to be a market leader in cut size segment with a market share of 26 per cent. It also holds 26-27 per cent share in packaging boards. “We are

the leaders in the packaging boards and hold the second position in coated paper when we talk about domestic markets,” Wakhloo says. He further explains that the virgin fibre based boards, has a large market and JK Paper is not present in the entire market. The brand caters to only the top end segment which includes top-end consumers in categories like Toiletries, Cosmetics, Pharma, Processed Food etc. About the positioning of JK Paper, Wakhloo says that the sales and distribution pattern in ‘Cut Sized Paper’ is more B2B oriented and to market the products JK Paper invests a lot into road shows, exhibitions, trade fairs etc. “For our branded Office Papers, we also focus on BTL activities like Customer Loyalty Programmes. These are more towards the trade and thereby reaching the endconsumers. As part of its ATL activities, JK Paper has been advertising in magazines, but this is extremely need-specific. Final end consumers do not normally associate ‘paper as a brand’. JK Paper, for long, however, has been making efforts in developing ‘Paper as a brand’ in the minds of final customers. We feel that much more needs to be done in this direction by way of more vigorous ATL activities and other innovative marketing approaches,” he adds. According to the brand, in office papers, B2B holds an 80 per cent share

As part of its ATL activities, JK Paper advertises in magazines, but this is extremely need-specific. Final end consumers do not normally associate ‘paper as a brand’ 46

Pitch | April-May 2013

for the copier brands contrary to an 80 per cent share that stands for packaging boards, which is B2C. With plans of having a digital campaign somewhere around July-August, Wakhloo believes that such digital campaigns will help increase the paper requirement and presence in that platform and will give the brand a top of mind recall. “In a way while internet and multi screen environment is prevalent, I would say, to a certain extent it has helped in the growth of paper. Plus, you also look at segments such as ticketing, invoicing, e-commerce and the telephone industry all expanding. Also there is demand for paper rising from student community: this is because many a times they use internet for preparing class-room projects and assignments which have fundamentally spurred the usage of paper,” he adds. In its endeavour to have a stronger foothold in the high end paper industry, JK Paper recently tied up a tripartite arrangement with OJI Holdings and Marubeni Corp, to foray into the corrugated paper industry. According to the brand, OJI is the prime player globally in the corrugated paper segment. This JV has set up a pilot plant in Neemrana, Rajasthan and will start production in the end of the first quarter of 2014. Across all of JK Paper’s categories, namely, Office Papers, Coated Papers and Packaging Boards, the total annual capacity stands at 2.9 lakh tonnes which is expected to shoot up to 4.5 lakh tonnes July onwards. Wakhloo says that one large investment is getting commissioned at JK Paper’s end which would accelerate global quality standards of multipurpose office papers. “This will produce 1.65 lakh tonnes of copier and have a

With plans of having a digital campaign somewhere around July-August, JK Paper believes digital campaigns will help increase the paper demand pulping capacity of 2.15 lakh tonnes. Copiers would be of the best quality available globally. This state-of-the-art plant will have more of automation and the paper produced would be virtually untouched by hand till the time it is put in the trucks,” he says. Also, “there would also be new brands coming out

“The challenge is to make a white sheet of paper look exciting, and communicate this to consumers” Santosh Wakhloo Vice President Marketing and Sales, JK Paper of the machine as “pigmented papers” currently not being manufactured in the country as of now. These “Pigmented Papers” would be ideally suited for coloured printouts from multi-colour printing machines. But how does an end user understand the function of a specific paper?

In its endeavour to have a stronger foothold in the high end paper industry, JK Paper recently tied up a tripartite arrangement with OJI Holdings and Marubeni Corp

Pitch | April-May 2013

Wakhloo explains that fundamentally these papers are designed for different applications, like the pigmented papers are used for digital printing and coloured printing, hence one would understand that one would get a better result with this paper and use it accordingly. The other area would be a simple photocopy, where the person is looking at a trouble free printing process, less jamming and smooth flowing paper with good printing ability; hence JK Paper would customise its brand so that the product performs perfectly on the photocopying machines and desk printers. “We have to understand the needs of the customer in terms of his preferences based on which, we would offer products catering to that segment. Like there is a segment that is looking at economy papers, so we will be having a range for the economy segment,” he opines. JK Paper also claims to be conscious of the environmental needs and invests a lot towards CSR activities along with technology to ensure that it reduces the impact on the environment with having more efficient machines. According to Wakhloo, that the fundamental challenge is to make a “white sheet of paper” look exciting, and somehow communicate this to final consumers. This would inspire them to ask for a particular brand whenever they buy paper. The other challenge, he says, in the country is that the raw material cost, particularly the wood, is very high. This increases the cost of paper significantly. JK Paper’s social and farm forestry activities help to provide additional livelihood and income opportunities to farmers as also enable us to get raw material for paper making. n -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

FEATURE GAMING

The e-game gets grounded How is PVR, looking to spread popularity of its lately launched Playstation lounges? By Arshiya Khullar

nline gaming industry is no challenge to the Playstation lounges launched by PVR bluO lately, feels Gautam Dutta, COO, PVR. According to him, the Playstation lounges allow users to get into a world of fantasy, which the home environment cannot provide. PVR, in association with Sony, lately launched country’s first Playstation lounges in its Delhi and Gurgaon centres. In Dutta’s view, the mistake that most brands have done is that they have created an experience that can easily be replicated at home. And that is where PVR creates a differentiation. “When you conceive any OOH entertainment places or concepts, you have to go deeper beyond the concept and look at how you package it, and make sure that the lounge becomes part of the customer’s brand world,” he says. According to a study by market research firm, MarketXcel, the Indian gaming industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 32 per cent to ` 3,100 crore by 2014. Console gaming, which forms a sizeable portion of the gaming industry, is set to grow at a CAGR of 19 per cent to ` 1,160 crore. Numbers clearly signify the breadth of opportunities that exist in this potentially lucrative industry in India. In Dutta’s view, the decision to launch a unique concept of Playstation lounges in the country was also driven by the fact that Out of Home gaming is a nascent industry in India. While the target audience for these Playstation lounges cuts across segments, the majority lies between the age-group of 14-25 years. Pricing doesn’t seem to be a hindering factor either; PVR has followed an affordable pricing strategy with the first half hour of gaming costing ` 175 and subsequent half hour for ` 125. Spreading over 500 square feet, these lounges offer full 3D immersive gaming experience along with surround sound.

There is one PS 3 unit per room and there can be as many as four players playing games on it. To attract gaming enthusiasts, PVR organised a bloggers’ meet at the Playstation lounge recently and also gave away sampler packs of half hour gaming to kids. Currently, PVR bluO is present in Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Pune and will be soon opening centres in Chandigarh and

“When you conceive any OOH entertainment places or concepts, you have to look at how you package it” Gautam Dutta COO, PVR

Ludhiana. For Playstation Lounges, PVR is targeting the same route to have a pan India presence. There are no immediate plans of venturing into Tier II and III cities. An estimated investment of ` 25-30 lakh has gone into one Playstation lounge. In terms of the revenue margins of bluO, centres in Delhi and Gurgaon are making a topline of around ` 12 to ` 16 crore annually while the recently constructed ones in Bangalore and Pune contribute roughly ` 12 crore each annually. Sports: Through an entertainment lens PVR bluO, which started as a bowling parlour, never focused only on the sport and has been pegged as an entertainment destination. And that explains the reason behind the success of bluO, especially when bowling, as a sport, has failed to take off in the country, owing to infrastructural hurdles and lack of appropriate ambience. Besides, bluO also has karaoke lounge, a tattoo parlour, merchandise is available and a range of gourmet food. In Dutta’s view, this lifestyle approach to bowling has helped PVR bluO create a space for itself, and bowling in a market like India which remains a sports watching nation rather than a sports playing one. n -arshiya.khullar@pitchonnet.com

Pitch | April-May 2013

FEATURE ZOOZOO

The return of the aliens The Zoozoos make an appearance once a year, only during the IPL season. So what’s the message they bring in 2013? By Abhinav Mohapatra

s one of the first partners with IPL, Vodafone unleashes the Zoozoos on television and as merchandise T-shirts, key-chains, water bottles, besides others. Since each Zoozoo campaign has its own agenda, for example, the 2011 had the 3G with Vodafone aspect, this IPL Vodafone’s campaign aims to drive adoption of mobile internet. “We want to handhold the consumer to get on mobile internet by making him understand the relevance of it in his life. The idea is to improve the quality of awareness and thereby relevance of mobile internet,” says Anuradha Aggarwal, Senior Vice-President, Brand Communications and Insights, Vodafone India. According to earlier reports by Vodafone, a majority chunk of Vodafone customers are non-internet users even though they have an internet enabled connection. How is Vodafone leveraging this platform and the Zoozoos to enhance that? According to Aggarwal, IPL is the biggest sporting property in the country and if a brand does something innovative and cutting edge during the IPL, then the impact multiplies and bang for the buck is unmatchable. “Zoozoos have won people’s heart with their humour and quirkiness. Vodafone’s earlier Zoozoo campaigns have helped the brand to establish a strong connect with the customers and enhance brand recall,” she opines. Considering IPL is one of the biggest mass-media properties in the country and that provides brands an effective, large scale platform for consumer engagement, it becomes a perfect platform for Vodafone too to bring Zoozoos in a new avatar. “Vodafone has set an internal filter where we only bring back Zoozoos if and only when we can do something new, better and bigger with them than the previous season,” she appends. Though Zoozoos are seen to have

Pitch | April-May 2013

minimal cosmetic changes, but this year’s campaign shows the characters to be busier and up to something new and big, recruiting and training an army. The campaign is a build to something bigger as the TVC shows many mini Zoozoos buzzing, shaping up and speeding up things. According to Vodafone, the first three television commercials, which are live now, will be followed by six other spots to be unveiled in the due course during the IPL. As a part of Vodafone’s 360-degree communication, the campaign will be supported by a series of consumer engagement and advertising innovations as a part of BTL. “On ATL, we will lead with products that drive people to use mobile Internet for the first time – music and picture downloads, social media, job and matrimony search etc. We will also be supporting the campaign with an education drive, on ground for people to feel comfortable with using internet on mobile,” adds Aggarwal.

“We want to handhold the consumer to get on mobile internet by making him realise the relevance of it in his life” Anuradha Aggarwal Senior VP, Brand Communications and Insights, Vodafone India

Since the campaign is mobile internet oriented, the brand claims that its philosophy on social media is in tune with the theme. “It’s an exciting and dynamic medium and brands need to experiment with the kind of content they create for social networks, and be responsive to their fans and customers to earn customer trust, interact with the brand and seek information and resolutions to any problems they are facing,” she says. She also claims that the Vodafone Zoozoo page is one of the biggest in the country with over one crore fans, primarily because of a lot of exclusive Facebook content. “We are one of the two brands in India to have more than one crore fans,” she adds. The Zoozoo fan page was launched on April 20, 2009, and claims to be the first telecom brand on Facebook in India. Its internal reports say that during IPL 2009, 26 lakh people visited the page in just 10 days. The Zoozoos also boast of nearly two crore views on YouTube and 40,000 followers on Twitter. But do social media statistics help when it comes to equity? Aggarwal says that the next generation of internet users is expected to experience it first on its mobile phones. This non-user’s awareness about internet and its quality is low; he /she is also intimidated with its complexity and price and Vodafone is aiming to bridge the gap. Without disclosing its marketing spends, Vodafone claims that Zoozoos have created a benchmark in Indian advertising and marketing industry and says that it is challenging to conceptualise an equally creative and engaging Zoozoos campaign to meet high expectations and deliver the right message.  -abhinav@pitchonnet.com

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INTERVIEW ANSHU BAGAI

irect selling company Tupperware India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Tupperware Corporation is currently focusing more on Tier II and Tier III cities. With a 360-degree media amplification strategy, Tupperware intends to engage the women folks with its ‘She Can, You Can’ campaigns apart from its creative campaigns like celebrating April 6 as ‘Care4Food’ Day and ‘Top of the Mind’ in innovative kitchen solutions segment. In an interview with Neha Pal, of Pitch Pitch, Anshu Bagai, Chief Marketing Oﬃcer, Tupperware India shares the key highlights of the brand’s only women workforce company. Excerpts: What is your marketing strategy for 2013? The year 2012 was a good year for Tupperware India and we have made significant progress in fortifying brand Tupperware as the most salient brand in premium kitchenware category across major cities in India. Our 2013 marketing strategy is to build on this success and achieve a larger market share. Tupperware India’s campaigns will encompass TVCs, print, social media, workshops and seminars, BTL and experiential marketing. Our campaign ‘She Can You Can, launched in 2012 brought this aspect of Tupperware in the mainstream media. The objective of this initiative was to spread confidence amongst women audiences by upholding examples of women who have not only empowered themselves but also empowered many others to fulfill their dreams. 2013 will see the next phase of this initiative, where we will build this property further to include more

‘In 2013, focus Anshu Bagai | Chief Marketing Officer, Tupperware India such examples and recognizing the power of women. Another initiative unique to 2013 is ‘Care4Food’. We observed April 6, 2013 as the ‘Care4Food’ Day and we wish to make this an ongoing property to last for years to come. This initiative propagates that we should handle and store food carefully to avoid any wastage of food. How do you plan to focus on ‘social media’ which is emerging as one of the most popular mediums of marketing in India? We are quite active on social sites such as

Pitch | April-May 2013

Facebook and twitter. We have also initiated a signature drive that urges people to never to waste food again: “Food is precious. Store it in Tupperware. Enjoy it for longer,” is what our Facebook tagline says. Apart from this, ‘I Love To Party’, ‘Organize Your Kitchen Game’ are some others listed on social sites which have received great reviews. These initiatives are at complete synergy with Tupperware’s core competency. Tell us something about your new product launches? We will continue to innovate to bring out more products that suit the Indian consumers’ needs. One such product we launched in 2013 is a compact masala keeper named ‘Spice It’ that allows one to store multiple spices for daily cooking. We plan to launch more such products in 2013. These may be products from our international portfolio that suit Indian kitchens or products invented specifically for the Indian market.

“The true value of Tupperware can be communicated only through demonstrating how it can transform a kitchen into a more functional, convenient work place” tinue to lead in the Water, Lunch and Outdoor categories and also to innovate. Our focus will be on our other product ranges that help modernise kitchens across the country. The ranges we will focus on will include our dry storage range of Modular Mates, Refrigeration range and food preparation range. We will launch 360-degree campaigns to continue to be a leader in terms of ‘Top of the Mind’ recall in the kitchenware category where our distributors will spread awareness about our products in the market. We will promote our dry storage, refrigerator and food preparation range including ‘Ultimo’ – our range of premium cookware. In a research carried out by Nielsen Company, when asked to rate ‘Customer satisfaction’ on a scale of 1 to 5, a whopping 93 per cent of all users gave Tup-

it can transform a kitchen into a more functional, convenient work place that makes cooking, storing and serving food a fun experience. Kitchen on Wheels are mobile vans that are customized to hold fully functional kitchens and demonstrate in very real terms how using Tupperware in the kitchen saves time, money and space. In many ways, this is a market expansion programme that aims to bring category awareness to hitherto unreached places. Particularly in case of Tier-II cities, we have also introduced the concept of ‘Tupperware Carnivals’. Under this, we book a prominent venue in Tier-II cities and demonstrate our entire range of products to invitees. This gives our sales force a chance to interact with consumers at a one to one level and disseminate the

would be on modernising kitchens’ How are you positioning yourself differently from your other direct selling competitors? Tupperware business opportunity is unique in the sense that it is open only to women. It helps women build their own businesses and allows them to scale up their sales, team building and business skills to make a larger impact. The objective of Tupperware business opportunity is not only to build a robust sales and distribution network, but it’s also to instill more confidence in women with proper training and mentoring so that they too can run successful enterprises. How are you planning to increase your brand value? On the products’ front, we wish to con-

Pitch | April-May 2013

perware a positive rating of 4 or above (78 per cent of total giving a rating of 5). In the same research, Tupperware came out as having the highest brand equity in the kitchenware category in major metros of India. How are you going to scale up your presence in India? While continuing our efforts to fortify our position as market leaders in metros in India, we also plan to penetrate Tier-II and Tier-III cities and scale up. In order to achieve this, we have designed several innovative ways to reach out to these places. One such concept has been ‘Kitchen on Wheels’. The true value of Tupperware can be communicated only through demonstrating how

benefits of both Tupperware products as well as business opportunity. What kind of impact has the slowdown made on Tupperware? Despite the slowdown, the Indian market still has great potential for growth. We continue to reach out to more and more consumers on a weekly basis and the slowdown has not affected the business much. Another reason for this is that for a customer, Tupperware is not a luxury spending item, but a lifetime investment. When customers see the value that they get from Tupperware for their money, they do not hesitate in spending it; provided that they fully understand the benefits they stand to get. n -neha@pitchonnet.com

FEATURE RADIO

In the theatre of mind How Perfetti Van Melle has used radio as a perfect medium to reach out to its audience in smaller towns like Gorakhpur and Allahabad By Neha Pal

imaag ki batti jala de, Hilaake rakh de... well if they weren’t the quirky taglines of Mentos and Center Shoch respectively, one would’ve heard some of the RJs rattling them often to keep the audience hooked, engaged and trying to be funny. Believing in the concept that ‘Radio is the theatre of mind’, Perfetti Van Melle India, has worked on creating and recreating itself on radio. When people confused ‘confectionary’ with ‘bakery’, the company with more than 15 brands under its umbrella has banked on a

It’s often said that radio is the best medium for tactical advertising, and a poor medium for strategical communication. In a new series, we bring some of the cases where brands have effectively used radio for both tactical and strategical reasons. Our first in the series is a perfect case... Perfetti.

Mentos, Fruittella, Cofitos, Happydent, Marble, etc. Of course tactical is radio’s strength and the simplest of mediums to reach out to listeners but is also one of the strategic development levers. And radio certainly has played a big role in making the brand, the numero uno in the confectionery business, commanding about 30 per cent share. With a reach in more than 300 cities in

Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly

he ` 1 product that comes in the shape of a strawberry jelly is targeted at kids on the irresistibility proposition and was a successful radio campaign. Made with an effort to dramatise the product on radio, Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly campaign narrated a picture of a mother trying

to cajole (that reminds us that Kajol featured in the TVC version) his son to come near her. The son is evading her and trying his best to keep the mother at bay. It’s revealed that the mother’s greedy about Juzt Jelly in possession of the son. Talking about the Juzt Jelly campaign, Sharma says,

“Radio is a very effective medium for smaller markets, which is why radio deserves its true credit” Nikhil Sharma Director, Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India simple marketing mantra - ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ when it comes to selling a low denomination product like a 50 Paisa or ` 1 candy. Having entered the Indian market in 1994 with CenterFresh, Perfetti Van Melle has more than 15 brands under its umbrella including Alpemliebe, Chlormint,

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the country, Nikhil Sharma, Director, Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India, says that radio is ahead of other mediums when it comes to geographical reach. “This is a very effective medium for smaller markets, which is why radio deserves its true credit. Also, when it comes to entertainment, what can beat radio, especially in terms of sweets and confectionery products,” he says. In his 14-year old stint with Perfetti, Sharma has been responsible for formulating the overall marketing strategy along with capacity planning and re-

search. Talking about the challenge of keeping the brands alive in a highly fragmented market keeping, Sharma says that radio should be used to publicise something that is of interest to listeners and ‘Cricket’ is one such feel good factor. “We use Cricket as a medium to reach consumers on radio and the latest one was during the India-Australia Test match series,” says Sharma. While radio is about listening and talking, paradoxically, for Center Fresh, its campaign – ‘Zubaan Pe Rakhe Lagaam’

There is much more to experiment on radio in terms of formats, as it allows brands to make use of local dialects and content unlike TV, which provides a restrictive format

“Radio has emerged as a successful medium when it comes to tactical advertising. We have done several campaigns in radio and this campaign did help to increase the recall value of Juzt Jelly.” The radio commercial is a part of the brand campaign on the irresistibility platform. The key creative thought behind the radio commercial was that Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly is so irresistible that everybody would like to get it after hearing it on air. Sharma says, “The radio campaign has been run in South markets where we’d launched the product around mid-last year. The commercial has recently been on air in Mumbai. We plan to air this in more markets in the coming months.” This campaign received a very positive response for the Juzt Jelly launch too. The campaign helped Perfetti to generate significant awareness and trials for the new launch. “It generated a positive feedback from consumers as well as trade partners,” Sharma adds.

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was articulated well on radio after its visual representation on TV. According to Sharma, radio and television can complement each other very well. Radio has been an ‘add-on’ factor for many of our campaigns, and one of them is ‘Zubaan Pe Rakhe Lagaam’. Talking about the geographical presence for radio targeting, Sharma says, “We focus on developed as well as various emerging markets at a pan-India level. Lately, we have focused more towards North, South and West and have conducted researches in inner parts of these regions with a view to understand the brand value of Perfetti products in these regions.” As per the research, Alpenliebe is a “big hit” in inner areas of Uttar Pradesh such as Gorakhpur and Allahabad and hence Perfetti uses regional radio channels for advertising. Mentos, meanwhile takes up radio space in the West, and partcularly Mumbai and going down South, Bengaluru and other smaller areas respond better to Center Fresh. “Every brand is always backed by concrete advertising support that helps it penetrate the market and consolidate its success and radio has helped us to incorporate that ‘add-on’ factor to these brands,” says Sharma.

Mentos Batti Jalao contest – Khuni Kaun Hai?

alking about Perfetti’s recent radio campaign, the Mentos Batti Jalao contest – Khuni Kaun Hai?, Sharma says, “We were always sure that this campaign will work in our favour because the winner will get a cash prize of ` 25 lakh.” The campaign presented funny and quirky situations that were supposed to be clues for a supposed murder. “With a punch line - Agle chaleez second aapko pacheez lakh jeeta sakte hain, this campaign was an instant hit and did really well on radio and we received calls from all over,” he adds. So who was the murderer eventually? A ‘liquid mosquito vaporiser’. He feels that there is much more to experiment in terms of formats, as radio allows brands to effectively make use of local dialects and content unlike television which provides a restrictive format. A business like that of confectionery is a “pots and pans business” because the entry levels are very low. “Every year, we have about 1,200 launches and at the end of it only three per cent survive in the impulse purchase category and this is where we realise the importance of a strong advertising medium, such as radio.” n -neha@pitchonnet.com

COLUMN ANNURAG BATRA

Games India can play and win What are the challenges facing the sports marketing landscape in India that are halting its growth?

Annurag Batra Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, Pitch Magazine abatra@exchange4media.com @anuragbatrayo www.facebook.com/anuragbatrayo

here are seldom any brands today, irrespective of the category and industry, that are not associated with sports in any form. Either through sponsorships of sporting events or associations with celebrity sports stars; sports marketing has become a preferred engagement and revenue generation tool. However, there exists a yawning gap between the sports marketing scenario in India viz a viz how it is pursued in the rest of the world. When it comes to sports sponsorships, India has only scratched the surface and statistics aptly confirm this trend. According to a PricewaterhouseCooper’s report, the Indian sports industry accounts for a measly 1.3 per cent of the worldwide revenues of $145.3 billion. What are the factors that are hindering the Indian sports marketing industry from leveraging the breadth of opprtuinties that exist in this space? There are many fold reasons for this lack of evolution. Contrary to the scale of investment globally, spends in sports marketing in India remain at low levels. Most brands view sports marketing as a tactical tool rather than as continued long term association; there are very few brands in India that can

boast of owning a successful sports property. Moreover, in most cases, the marketing strategy employed for sports isn’t a holistic 360-degree plan but led by selective media platforms. However, the most crucial challenge is the dearth of specialised sports marketing agencies in India that understand the business of sports and can guide marketers in finding the correct sports fit. Most marketers here view sports marketing from only one lens - celebrity endorsements - in the hope that they can rub off some of the sportsstar’s popularity and appeal on to their own brand whether or not there is any commonality and synergy between the two. In a country of over a billion people, cricket remains the only sporting obsession and cricketers are a revered lot. The last few years have seen a mushrooming of cricket tournaments in the country - from Test cricket and Ranji Trophy, the spotlight is now on T-20 cricket leagues, especially the IPL with its underlying glitz, glamour and entertainment. However, with time, cricket fatigue and the clutter of brands latching on to one sport has led to the growing popularity of alternate sports in the country.

Marketing strategy for sports sponsorships isn’t a holistic 360-degree plan but led by selective media platforms 56

Brands have begun to explore associations with niche sports like Golf and Polo which appeal to a well-defined target audience and therefore result in a more effective collaboration. While niche sports are slowly gaining ground, universitylevel sporting championships remain a fairly unchartered territory as far as brand associations go. College level sporting events can become the ideal platform for marketers to build engagement and connect with the youth by unearthing fresh talent and generating interest for alternate sports in the country. There are also examples abound of companies parking resources to promote sports and talented sports people. Brands like Airtel, Panasonic and Coca-Cola have been launching initiatives to develop football at the grassroots level and train young, aspiring football enthusiasts; Aditya Birla Group has established a youth cricket academy and NDTV in collarboration with Toyota recently launched the University Cricket Championship to encourage talent at the university level. Sports personalities aren’t just celebrities; they are leaders and influencers. Sports marketing therefore, needs to be viewed not just an a marketing tool for enhancing the brand’s image and profile but also to mould future leaders of this country. 

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