ICC World Cup 2011: Nike, Pepsi look at ways to gain from World Cup victory

Did the brands have spent millions of marketing dollars on the game and the cricketers?Brands like Pepsi with 'change the game' and Nike 'bleed blue' pledge are looking to leverage the historic win by India. Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India says the Nike 'bleed blue' campaign was an expression of passion for the game that the brand capitalised upon.

Nike's strategy, says Gangopadhyay, was to tap the fervour as World Cup entered the crucial quarter final knockouts. Thus for the quarter finals, Nike had six spots, followed with four spots of 60 seconds for the semis and the finals. It hit the air with the Nike 'bleed blue' campaign followed by Nike Yards commercial in the semis and the finals. The third instalment of the television campaign, says Gangopadhyay, will hit the air on Monday.

Senthil Kumar, executive creative director, JWT India , the agency that created the 'bleed blue' campaign says that it was a brave decision to take the situation head on right at the quarter finals, instead of running it through out the duration of the tournament. It's not only Nike that has entered the popular lexicon with bleed blue, but Pepsi with 'change the game' campaign have been able to get the timing right according to observers.

"Two brands have been able to stand out in this clutter of World Cup communication. One is Nike and the other is Pepsi. Pepsi 'change the game' campaign is a fantastic line to leverage on as it has been able to capture the imagination of cricket loving population in India," says a senior media planner from a reputed media buying agency in Mumbai. Sandeep Singh Arora, EVP - marketing, PepsiCo India says that change the game with 'helicopter shot' with Dhoni and 'upar cut' with Sehwag is Pepsi's attempt to innovate and connect with the game in an unconventional manner.

"Cricket has undergone a change in the last 3-4 years in the way the game is played. So the objective was to challenge the status quo and own anything in the game that's innovative," says Arora. Agnello Dias, co-founder, Taproot India , the agency that created the 'change the game' campaign says that though Pepsi is an official associate, the aim was to retain the unofficial spirit of the brand.