Cricket and brands

Its that time of the year when the commoner and the millionaire both metamorphise into couch potatoes.....yes its the ICC World Cup season. India being a cricket hungry nation, we walk cricket, we talk cricket, we eat cricket, we drink cricket. It will be an understatement to say that cricket is a religion in India. The entire nation is glued to their TV sets, toatally gripped by the World Cup mania. As such a number of brands are trying to leverage the stupor created by cricket. As a result of which the viewers are being bombarded by a plethora of ads some of them on the verge of being preposterous. Ambush marketing can work wonders if executed well. Brands adopt the strategy in the belief that they are being clever by rubbing shoulders with a mega property but such associations in the past have been found to be ineffective and undifferentiated. Brands that use the property as a media opportunity are more likely to benefit rather than those who use it as a event opportunity.

There are hundreds of ads riding on the winning horse called cricket. In a commercial for Parryware Roca Pvt. Ltd, makers of sanitary ware and bathroom fittings, an umpire raises his hand as if to declare a player out. Instead he makes the universal sign for the rest room. An ad for JK Tyres has a truck packed with fans sporting the Indian team jersey. The ad reads, "JK Truck/Bus radials: Wheels to the nation." Sundaram Mutual Fund, Johnson & Johnson's contact lens brand Acuvue and Beltons True Wireless hearing aids all have ads with a cricket theme. The marketing show around the ICC World Cup is not run by just about big sponsors and their crouching big rivals looking to pounce on ambush opportunities, a host of odd desi brands too has found a place on the mega stage. The list includes vada paav maker Jumbo King, noodles maker Capital Foods and agarbatti maker NR Group.

Mumbai based vada paav maker Jumbo King is in talks with official food and beverages sponsor PepsiCo to allow Jumbo King mascot to accompany PepsiCO trolley during the drinks break. The unique selling proposition for Smith & Jones masala noodles at Capital Foods is masala noodle- Tadka Maar Ke, which metaphorically means excitement. We all know that for the next couple of weeks there will bee no better excitement other than cricket! My favourite is 'Pray For India' campaign by NR Group, the Mysore based maker of Cycle Agarbattis, who hope to push their incense sticks brand this World Cup season. They are striving to associate the brand with hope, prayer and faith and cricket being the religion of the nation, their purpose is served well. To conclude, i can only say that for most of the companies, its not just about sales, it's more about building brand and creating a buzz.