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The retention lists of all ten franchises for the <keyword id="6354831" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League" source="Orion">Indian Premier League</keyword> (<keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL" source="Orion">IPL</keyword>) season next year were finally unveiled on Thursday, with several big names like Jos Buttler, Aiden Markram, Glenn Maxwell, Faf Du Plessis, KL Rahul, Rishabh <keyword id="19900230" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pant" source="keywords">Pant</keyword>, <keyword id="19904097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shreyas-iyer" source="keywords">Shreyas Iyer</keyword> etc being let go by their respective franchises. The surprising retentions and releases by all ten franchises have laid down the foundation for what could be an exciting, fun and record-breaking auction later this year. Let us look at several takeways from the auction: <h2>Several captaincy options available</h2> With the release of IPL winning skipper Shreyas Iyer from Kolkata Knight Riders (<keyword id="19924483" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kkr" source="keywords">KKR</keyword>), Rishabh Pant from Delhi Capitals (DC) and KL Rahul from Lucknow Super Giants, three top-class Indian captaincy options are available. <h2>Auction could be defined by wicketkeepers pulling double/triple duties</h2>The announcement of retention lists have seen many wicketkeeping options being released by their respective franchises, including Pant (from DC), KL (from LSG), Ishan Kishan (from Mumbai Indians) and Jos Buttler (from Rajasthan Royals). With all of them having captaincy experience at various levels, including international <keyword id="1521" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cricket" source="Orion">cricket</keyword> in case of Pant, KL and Buttler, several teams could go after them. Their experience and strong records as wicketkeepers and top-order batters, particularly opening except for Pant, will help teams find a captain, wicketkeeper and an opener in just one player and save them plenty of money. <h2>No English players retained? Could withdrawing/not playing full season be a cause?</h2> No England players have been retained by franchises this team around. Various stars players like Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Phil Salt, Will Jacks etc have been let go. These players missed out some part of their season due to international commitments, while Harry Brook pulled out due to personal reasons. England batter Jason Roy pulled out of IPL ahead of this season due to personal reasons. These all developments damaged the team balance at times, with several teams dependent on their overseas talent. Has the habit of not honouring contracts and missing matches caused this move? The hammer strikes at auction could answer this question. <h2>Caribbean power trusted ahead of mega auction</h2>Four of current top West Indies stars, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre <keyword id="20287010" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="russell" source="keywords">Russell</keyword> and Sunil Narine have been retained by their respective franchises. Pooran has dominated the T20 run charts this year, scoring a record-setting 2,251 runs in 68 matches with a century and 15 fifties at a strike rate of 160.90. Hetmyer is one of the best finishers in T20 circuit and Rajasthan Royals trusts in his abilities. Russell (222 runs in nine matches and 19 wickets) and Narine (488 runs and 17 wickets) have also been reaped rewards for their title winning performances last season and their loyalty to KKR brand. While seven West Indies talents have been released, namely, Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford, Kyle Mayers, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph and Rovman Powell, the four modern-day T20 greats keeping their spots safe with the franchise shows how much trust franchise has in Caribbean power. And who knows, the released names could get brought using right-to-match card or find a new home at a higher price. <h2>Another setback for Ishan Kishan?</h2> Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) placed their trust in Indian core, consisting of skipper Hardik Pandya, former captain Rohit Sharma, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, 360-degree hitter Suryakumar Yadav and young left-hander Tilak Varma. It was expected that Ishan could retain his place, given his youth and experience with the franchise. Aged just 26, he had spent seven seasons with the franchise and did reasonably well. However, after being brought for Rs 15.25 crores ahead of 2022 season, the price tag seemed to have caught up with Kishan. In next 44 matches for the franchise till the 2024-season-end, Kishan scored 1,192 runs in 43 innings at an average of 28.98, with just seven fifties. While these numbers are not bad, it could be debatable that he did not deliver as per expectations, with 19 scores being below 20. In the 2024 season, he could score just 320 runs at an average of just over 22, with just a fifty to his name. After being excluded from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contract this year after not participating for red-ball cricket, this is another big setback for Kishan, who has not been considered for international cricket despite participating and doing well in red-ball tournaments like Buchi Babu Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy recently. <h2>DC era 2.0 on cards?</h2> With wicketkeeper-batter and biggest superstar of the franchise, Pant released from the franchise and looking for a new franchise as per several media reports, Delhi Capitals could be moving to their 2.0 era, placing trust in young, under-the radar names like Axar Patel (235 runs with two fifties and 11 wickets in 2024), Tristan Stubbs (378 runs with three fifties and three wickets), Abhishek Porel (327 runs with two fifties) and Kuldeep Yadav (16 wickets at an average of 23.25) after good performances last year. Franchise has also released big time stars like David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje, Prithvi Shaw. Could this be the start of a new era for DC? Only time will tell. <h2>Shreyas Iyer joins unfortunate list of captains</h2>The IPL winning captain Shreyas Iyer has been let go after winning the title for his franchise KKR this year, their first in a decade and overall third. While many argue his batting stats of 351 runs in 14 innings with two fifties at a strike rate of 146.86 could be a reason behind his release, the other half of the story is that the in-form KKR top-order did not leave the middle-order with much to do. His recurring fitness issues, which caused him to miss 2023 season, also could be a reason. Irrespective of what the reason could be, one thing is for sure, Iyer is up there with likes of Adam Gilchrist (released by Deccan Chargers in 2011 after title win in 2009, semifinal finish in 2010), David Warner (released by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of 2022 season despite 2016 title win and multiple playoff finishes) as one of the most unluckiest captains in IPL. <h2>Strong faith in Indian uncapped/inexperienced stars</h2>The franchises have been extremely bold this time around, opting to release experienced, household Indian/overseas names and placing their trust in several Indian uncapped/inexperienced players. Out of a total of 46 players retained across all franchises, 36 players are Indian. Out of these, 10 players are uncapped Indians stars. These players are Abhishek Porel, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Yash Dayal. Also, out of other 24 capped Indians, 13 players have played less than 30 international matches and eight have played 10 or less international games for India. Of these 24 uncapped players, no one has all format experience for India and only two have Test cricket experience, Dhruv Jurel and <keyword id="20022019" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajat-patidar" source="keywords">Rajat Patidar</keyword>. Notably, it is Jurel, who has just played international matches for India, who has received the biggest pay hike, going from Rs 20 lakh this season to Rs 14 crores next season. <h2>End of 'KGF' era for Royal Challengers Bengaluru?</h2> With stars like Faf and Maxwell released, it could spell the end of 'Kohli, Glenn, Faf' (KGF) era for <keyword id="20282652" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rcb" source="keywords">RCB</keyword>, which lasted from 2022-24. During this phase, they all scored heavily for RCB. Despite a lull in 2022 season, Virat scored 1,721 runs in 45 matches and innings at an average of 44.12, with three centuries and 13 fifties. Skipper Faf also scored 1,636 runs in 45 innings at an average of 38.05, with a strike rate of 146.99 and 15 fifties to his name. Maxwell sits at the third spot with 1,266 runs at an average of 28.77 and a strike rate of over 159, with 12 half-centuries in 50 innings. The only player that came closer to the trio was Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who made 796 runs in 44 matches and 42 innings at an average of 29.48, with three fifties. If RCB had Virat-AB de Villiers-Chris Gayle in 2010s, KGF dominated the RCB batting numbers in 2020s. When RCB starts rebuilding their side from scratch in the auction, they would have a huge task in hand of finding one or two highly popular, capable and consistent foreign stars to help Virat unleash the carnage in a "Play Bold" avatar. Also, with the Rajat Patidar being retained for 11 crores, RCB might have made it clear that he could be the next big Indian batter the franchise invests in. His exceptional spin abilities have made a lot of difference for the side. Ever since he was brought by the franchise in 2021 for Rs 20 lakh, Patidar has played 27 matches, scoring 799 runs at an average of 34.73 with a strike rate of 158.84 and having registered a century and seven fifties. A complete list of retained players is as follows: <ul><li>Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni</li><li>Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel</li><li>Gujarat Titans: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan</li><li>Kolkata Knight Riders: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh</li><li>Lucknow Super Giants: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni</li><li>Mumbai Indians: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma</li><li>Punjab Kings: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh</li><li>Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma</li><li>Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal</li><li>Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head.</li></ul>

From spotlight on uncapped stars to big releases, a look at key takeways from latest IPL retention lists

<ul><li>Virat Kohli, the captain of the Indian cricket team, remained the only Indian in Forbes' top-100 highest paid athletes in 2020.</li><li>Kohli, who also figured in the list in 2019 at the 100th position, jumped 34 places to rank at the 67th position this year.</li><li>Tennis legend Roger Federer claimed the top position with estimated earnings of $106.3 million, edging out football star Cristiano Ronaldo.</li></ul>Virat Kohli, captain of the Indian cricket team, remained the only Indian and sole cricketer to feature in the top 100 of highest-paid athletes of 2020 put forward by Forbes magazine. With an estimated total earning of $26 million ($24m from endorsements and $2m from salary/winnings), Kohli has made a jump of more than 30 places from 2019 and is at the 66th spot in the list. In 2019 too, the ace batsman was the only Indian to feature in top 100 (at 100th place) with estimated earnings of $25 million. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="74893037" title="Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli join the list of cricketers who have donated to fight Coronavirus" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Meanwhile, Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer became the first from the sport to top Forbes' list of highest paid athletes. With an estimated $106.3 million earned over the past 12 months, the Swiss maestro edged out Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from the top spot. The three athletes immediately below Federer are all football players with Ronaldo on second with estimated earnings of $105 million. Ronaldo's arch rival Lionel Messi is third with an estimated $104 million while Brazil's Neymar comes fourth with $95.5 million. NBA stars came next in the list with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James earning $88.2 million, Golden State Warriors all-star Stephen Curry with $74.4 million, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant with an estimated $63.9 million. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka is the highest paid female athlete with $37.4 million. She however comes only 29th in the overall rankings. US tennis great Serena Williams comes 33rd with $36 million. The factors that went into Forbes' calculation were athletes' revenue, including prize money, salaries, contract bonuses, endorsements, royalties, and appearance fees from June 1, 2019, until June 1, 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/list-of-indian-cricketers-coronavirus-donation/articleshow/74893037.cms">Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli join the list of cricketers who have donated to fight Coronavirus</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/virat-kohli-surpasses-sourav-gangulys-track-record-in-the-list-of-most-odi-runs/articleshow/73958497.cms">Virat Kohli surpasses Sourav Ganguly's track record in the list of most ODI runs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/article/virat-kohli-continues-to-be-the-most-valuable-celebrity-with-a-brand-value-of-237-5-million/articleshow/73954865.cms">Virat Kohli continues to be the most valuable celebrity with a brand value of $237.5 Million: Duff &amp; Phelps Study</a>

Virat Kohli jumps 34 places in Forbes' top-100 highest paid athletes in 2020

Star India batter <keyword id="6354486" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="virat-kohli" source="Orion">Virat Kohli</keyword> has opened up on his decision to step down as skipper of <keyword id="6354506" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="royal-challengers-bangalore" source="Orion">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword> after 2021 season, saying he had no "belief" and his "tank was absolutely empty" towards the end of his IPL captaincy tenure. RCB had a horror run in 2019 when they lost six games in a row to eventually finish at the bottom of the IPL table. They were wooden spooners in the 2017 edition as well. <keyword id="6360637" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="kohli" source="Orion">Kohli</keyword> quit as RCB captain after the 2021 season with South Africa's Faf du Plessis taking over the reins. "The time when my captaincy tenure was coming to an end here, I was left with no belief, to be very honest. I was gone, the tank was absolutely empty," Kohli said during his motivational speech to the RCB women's team ahead of their clash against UP Warriorz in the <keyword id="3796649" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="wpl" source="Orion">WPL</keyword> on Wednesday. "But that was my own perspective, that was me just an individual saying that I have seen so much of this, I can't just manage it, handle it anymore." RCB hade made it to the playoffs in the 2020 edition for the first time since 2016 season and also reached the knockouts in the next two editions. "But the next season, new people came in, they had new ideas, there was an another opportunity. They were excited, may be as an individual I wasn't that excited. But they created the energy and we reached the playoffs three years in a row," Kohli said. "Now we start every season with the excitement that was before and I feel excited now, the person who was not up to the mark. So it is a collective responsibility, if someone is feeling down as well, the others can pull them up." Kohli's decision to quit RCB captaincy came after he had made up his mind to step down as India's T20 skipper, following the 2021 T20 World Cup. He was later removed as ODI captain and soon after quit as Test captain as well. The 34-year-old from Delhi said there have been phases in his career when he felt insecure and tried to save his reputation. "...I have needed constant reminders, even from youngsters, because they have a fresh perspective. I have been under pressure because I have played for so long, I have been insecure, I have tried my performances, my reputation like 'Oh I am Virat Kohli, I have to perform in every game. I can't afford to get out'. "But these youngsters come and tell me, 'why didn't you hit the ball?' and I was like, 'he is right'. I couldn't think about it because I am so caught up with me, me, me and what I should do and how people are looking at me and all that stuff that I forgot how to play the game." Kohli recently cracked a superb 186 against Australia in the drawn fourth and final Test, ending a three-year wait to get to his 28th Test century. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/vedanta-appoints-omar-davis-as-its-president-strategy/articleshow/98690407.cms">Vedanta appoints Omar Davis as its President-Strategy</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/indian-economy-likely-to-log-in-a-tepid-6-growth-next-fiscal-crisil/articleshow/98690120.cms">Indian economy likely to log in a tepid 6% growth next fiscal: Crisil</a>

I had no belief, tank was empty: Kohli on quitting IPL captaincy after 2021

<ul><li>RCB team will be spotted wearing #MyCovidHeroes Tribute Jersey through the season.</li><li>Tribute Jerseys to be auctioned to support Give India Foundation.</li></ul>We are living in a new normal and the idea of Heroes in the field has got redefined in the past six months as regular people have transformed themselves into selfless frontline warriors who are winning the battle of humanity. During <keyword id="8767789" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL-season-13">IPL season 13</keyword>, <keyword id="6354506" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword> would be paying tribute to these Real Challengers through #MyCovidHeroes initiatives. To acknowledge the efforts and honour the sacrifices made by these real challengers, RCB team will proudly don a tribute jersey with the message “My Covid Heroes” both during training and matches for the entire tournament. The message will be displayed on the back of both the jerseys. RCB team will also be supporting GiveIndia Foundation by donating the proceeds from the auction of the jerseys that players wear during season’s first RCB match. Also through the season RCB players would be paying tribute to all the Covid Heroes and sharing some of the inspirational stories on the team’s Social Media Handles with the intent to inspire millions of RCB’s fans to embrace this hero spirit and be Real Challengers in their own context. During the tribute Jersey launch, Sanjeev Churiwala, Chairman, RCB said, “Royal Challengers Bangalore has always stood for playing bold in the face of adversities, and we believe that right now these Covid Heroes are embodying this purpose by relentlessly fighting for the greater good. Humanity is going to be grateful to them for many generations to come and through this campaign, we wanted to be among the first to pay tribute to their challenger spirit both on and off the field.” Virat Kohli, Captain, RCB said, “In the past few months, whenever I heard the stories of the Covid Heroes it has given me literal goosebumps. These real challengers have made the country proud and inspired all of us to be more persistent and dedicated to our efforts to build a better tomorrow. I am truly proud to wear RCB’s “My Covid Heroes” jersey as a sign of solidarity and gratitude to everyone who is right now going the extra mile to support the community at large. They have batted day and night and fought on the field, and I am honoured to call them my heroes.” During the launch, RCB players including Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel and Devdutt Paddikal were seen interacting with Real Challengers Simranjeet Singh, Hetika Shah and Zeeshan Javid who have worked tirelessly and have created strong positive impact in these trying times. <ul><li>Simranjeet Singh, a hearing impaired but that did not stop him from helping others in the pandemic. He approached people to raise donations for the poor suffering in the pandemic and many Deaf individuals agreed. These individuals weren't from any particular organisation and they selflessly donated funds. Simranjeet Singh along with his friends raised Rs 98,000 to help people.</li><li>Hetika Shah - During COVID-19, seeing the urgent requirement for protective gears, Hetika Shah through continuous effort developed ‘Four-S Shield’- First Indigenously made N99 Mask certified by NABL lab. Developed by Hetika Shah, the 4S SHIELD face mask covers all four sensory organs and aims to help frontline workers treating COVID-19 patients.</li><li>Zeeshan Javid who is helping migrant workers in need by delivering milk, as it is a vital commodity for children. He started Mission Milk and began funding it with his pocket money. He along with his brothers started by providing 60 litres a day and slowly scaled up to distributing 500 litres of milk every day. This way, the team has distributed 20,080 litres of milk among 40,000 children living in 45 different areas of North Bengaluru. The team has started an online fundraiser on Milaap, a crowdfunding website with a goal to raise Rs. 7.5 lakh and provide 150 families with milk on a daily basis. </li></ul>Many such stories of such selfless unsung heroes will be shared throughout the season. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Covid Hero – Swati Rawal - Air India commercial pilot, brought home 263 Indians stranded in Italy, a country ravaged by the COVID-19 outbreak. Her safe return infused hope and optimism in hundreds of Indians and their families. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Covid Hero - Sagar Gupta Naugriya co-founder of Indian Robotics Solutions since 2015- habituated with building drones for agricultural utility, they quickly scheme a successful launch for their Corona Combat Drone (CCD) to sanitize the overgrowing and stuffy neighbourhoods of Delhi. With permission from the NDMC (North Delhi Municipal Corporation), drones manned by trained pilots create hygienic conditions for congested and overpopulation slums in Delhi. A liquid is sprayed from above these areas to prevent the spread of the virus in such overwhelming conditions.

Royal Challengers Bangalore to pay tribute to COVID Heroes during Dream11 IPL

<ul><li>Known for wearing his heart on his sleeves, Virat Kohli is always batting for sixes when it comes to marketing and brand endorsements.</li><li>As per Duff &amp; Phelps, a Kroll business, his brand value also remained steady at $237.7 million in 2020.</li><li>With the ongoing Indian Premier League, we talk to experts to find out what makes Royal Challenger Bangalore’s Captain Virat Kohli Indian brands favourite endorser.</li></ul>Virat Kohli, the flamboyant Indian skipper who enjoys a massive fan base across the globe, has not only emerged as one of the most gifted cricketers on the field, he is also India’s favourite brand endorser off the field. Known as the ‘run and the record machine,’ Kohli retained his top position for the fourth time in a row in Duff &amp; Phelps’ ranking with a brand value of $237.7 million in 2020. In the brandverse, he has beaten the Khans and left the whole Bollywood far behind in the last four years. He is the only sports celebrity on the top 10 list this year. Even during IPL commercial breaks, he is one of the most visible faces on television with more than 17 brands in his kitty. As per IPLomania, a syndicated study from Hansa Research, Kohli is one of the most highly-rated players in the IPL. His popularity across performance parameters, as well as image attributes, have already surpassed those of Dhoni who has unequivocally been the biggest star in the IPL over the years. India is a country that worships cricket. IPL brings a great opportunity for brands to connect with their consumers and it is during this extravaganza that celebrity endorsements see a spike on television. According to TAM Sports-IPL 13 Advertising Report, the total number of celebrities seen in ads during the IPL went up by 92% for the first four live matches, as compared to the 2019 edition. The demand for cricket celebrities is also increasing over the years. The report further stated that IPL 2020 witnessed 18 sports celebrities in ad films during the first four matches. In 2019, only four sports stars were seen during the same duration. Kohli was the second most visible celebrity during IPL season 13, contributing 16% to the ad volume. As per media reports, Kohli is also the highest-paid athlete and apart from cricket, he earns a majority of his net worth from brand endorsements. Duff &amp; Phelps and Hansa Research told us that Kohli is expected to earn around Rs 10-12 crore or $20 million per endorsement on an average. So, what makes Kohli so popular? N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research said, “Virat Kohli has established his credentials with panache in his earlier cricketing innings and the seeds of his popularity lies in that. His records in today’s day of fast cricket are quite commendable too. Though he has among the lowest percentage wins as Captain of any league team, his personal performance has been extremely good and makes him desirable as a brand ambassador. The value of Virat is linked to RCB victories, but a cricket celebrity is no longer just limited to the game, and his versatility has been useful for him. While Virat has a few more cricketing years left, other talents like Devdutt Padikaal are emerging, and as we know NILF (Nothing In Life is Free), so as long as Virat continues to score in the game, he will score with the brands and fans.” “He has emerged as the primary choice of product brands to engage and attract consumers. Not only has Kohli amazed the audience with his professional laureates, his personal life has also always been in limelight. Be it his strict fitness regimen or his ‘family man’ image, many product brands have associated with Kohli to capitalize on the perception he has created over the years. Even though he may not perform at the top on the cricket field at times, he is still the most loved celebrity in the brand verse owing to the additional qualities and quirks he brings to the table, which resonates well with the product’s brand image,” said Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff &amp; Phelps. Kohli represents brands across categories, as mentioned below in Duff &amp; Phelps 2020 report. Some notable endorsements signed by Virat Kohli include Great Learning, iQOO, Iqoo Smartphones, Lafarge, Max Life Insurance and Vizecare. Additionally, he has been endorsing brands like Colgate, Google, Hero, Puma, Vicks, etc. He was also recently appointed as the brand ambassador by IPL’s title sponsor Vivo. Telling us what inspired the brand to choose Kohli amongst other IPL team captains, Nipun Marya, Director - Brand Strategy, vivo India said, “Cricket in India is not just a sport. It is an emotion that binds the nation together. Virat Kohli steers this passion for the sport well through his commitment and winning mentality. When it comes to making the real difference in a Cricket match, Virat is the undisputed king. His strong character on the field and captivating charm make him bring joy to millions of cricket fans worldwide, making Virat a perfect choice for vivo. The idea behind associating with a sports youth icon like Virat is to better connect with our consumers. With Virat Kohli's association, we aim to reach the millennials and technologically driven consumers, the key audience for us." Brand Endorser, another syndicated study by Hansa Research, validates Kohli’s celebrity status. A comparison of ‘Celebrity Scores’ across various parameters – Recognisability, Personality, Persuasiveness, and Likeability – puts Kohli in the same bracket as Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Shahrukh Khan, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, some of India’s most bankable celebrity endorsers. Comparing Kohli with other cricketers, V. Sudarshan, – CMO and SVP, Hansa Research said, “Virat Kohli is one of the most expressive cricketers, be on the ground or during interviews. Tendulkar was a Cricketing God for a nation that had hardly seen any sporting personalities as heroes that had a global reverence. Dhoni was a small town railway employee asserting himself by winning the world cup. Virat did neither, but has managed to become a modern role model for a new India that is unapologetically assertive and fiercely independent. In terms of performance on the field, both Tendulkar and Dhoni were superlative in their own right. This was a vital factor in their stardom and the resulting marketability. Virat has not only matched it but, arguably, gone even further in dominance. He could be one of the first batsmen to be a genuine master across all formats – Tests, ODIs, &amp; T20s. Virat’s consistency in performance, and resonance with the youth could be seen as the key ingredients that make him such a sought after sports celebrity in India.” Sudarshan also told us that Kohli earns massive amounts of money via endorsements of brands like Puma, Audi, MRF, Colgate-Palmolive, Tissot and has done shoots for many personal care companies as well. MRF signed Kohli in 2015 for a three-year period, where he reportedly received ₹8 Crore per year. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kohli’s charm on social media" text="Kohli’s charm on social media">Kohli’s charm on social media</cmsannotation> Kohli’s social media following also increased by 46.3% from 112.8 million in 2019 to 165.0 million in 2020, revealed Duff &amp; Phelps. He has been engaging with his fans frequently through live sessions, posts, reels, etc. Here’s how his Social Media following has grown across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram over the last 3 years. “This massive social media following adds to the potential consumer base for the associated brands, especially during the lockdown when most of the brands had little to no access to the traditional channels of advertisement. As per data from Hyper Auditor, his quality audience has increased by 66.6 percent from 41.9 Mn in 2019 to 69.8 Mn in 2020. Moreover, Kohli has been engaging with his fans frequently through live sessions, posts, reels, etc. His engagement per post also increased from 2.2 percent in 2019 to 2.8 percent in 2020,” said Jain. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Will RCB’s performance impact Kohli’s brand image?" text="Will RCB’s performance impact Kohli’s brand image?">Will RCB’s performance impact Kohli’s brand image?</cmsannotation> Kohli’s IPL team, RCB’s brand value declined by 9.9% in 2020. Considering that brands chase numbers and eyeballs, will this decline in the team's value impact Kohli’s net worth this year? Jain explained, “RCB’s value decreased largely due to the impact of pandemic last year. While RCB’s value declined last year, its value may have been further impacted had RCB not leveraged heavily on Brand Kohli. A large portion of RCB’s ability to generate sponsor interests (even after below average on-field performances) is due to their association with Virat Kohli. Virat has been signed as brand ambassador of many brands since cricket has mass appeal, and fans worship him for his expertise, consistent performance and excellence in all three formats of cricket. However, his following is dependent on a lot of factors besides his professional excellence. Thus, while we agree that brands chase numbers, Virat’s brand value may not be materially impacted by the decrease in RCB’s value. Kohli’s brand image, relatability and followership continue to remain strong and we expect the same trend going forward.” Sudarshan also said that Virat Kohli’s popularity is not dependent on RCB. In fact, it’s the other way around. “RCB has been able to sustain its popularity (despite an indifferent IPL performance) because of Virat Kohli. Players like Virat Kohli and Dhoni are not dependent on the IPL to enhance their earning potential. Rather, it is the IPL that becomes a more marketable property for brand, because of the presence of such players in the league,” he added. While only time will tell whether Kohli’s RCB will bring back home ‘team of the year’ title, he will continue to be the favourite celebrity in the brandverse.

What makes Virat Kohli the most loved brand ambassador during IPL

<ul><li>Smartphone brand <keyword id="215177" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vivo" source="Orion">vivo</keyword> has launched its <keyword id="188" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diwali" source="Orion">Diwali</keyword> films featuring veteran <keyword id="42902" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kanwaljit-singh" source="Orion">Kanwaljit Singh</keyword>.</li><li>In an exclusive chat with Ad &amp; Media Insider, <keyword id="6574292" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nipun-marya" source="Orion">Nipun Marya</keyword>, Director Brand Strategy, vivo India, about the new campaign, the consumer sentiments during this year’s festive season, the brand's IPL experience this year, and more.</li></ul>The Diwali week is finally here and brands are doing all in their might to make the most of this festive season, by telling lots of beautiful stories. Last week, Vivo launched a heartwarming film, to celebrate the spirit of Diwali. Featuring actor Kanwaljit Singh, the film is aimed at encapsulating the role of smartphone photography in rekindling the joy of connection. At a time when there is a constant debate about the effectiveness of long-form ads with dwindling attention spans, this film has tried to tell an engaging story in around 5 minutes. The film has been conceptualized by <keyword id="3553893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dentsu-impact" source="Orion">Dentsu Impact</keyword>. Photographs play an important role in the narrative and Vivo has tried to show how We speak to Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, vivo India, about the new campaign, the consumer sentiments during this year’s festive season, the brand's IPL experience this year, and more. Excerpts: Q) People often talk about the decreasing attention span of consumers and you have just released a 5-minute long film for Diwali. Tell us a bit about Vivo's new campaign. As a consumer-centric brand, vivo has always focused on establishing a strong connection with its audience through emotional storytelling. With the #JoyofHomecoming campaign, which features the veteran actor Kanwaljit Singh, we aim to remind everyone that the festival of lights is fondly celebrated, when the entire family gets together. The campaign encapsulates the role of smartphone photography in rekindling the joy of connection, and aims to bridge the emotional and physical distances between families and spread happiness. India is a collectivist society and all of us are deeply emotionally connected with our families and loved ones. We understand the importance of capturing those perfect moments with the help of photography and how it can be used to stimulate emotions. Delivering industry-leading camera technology, we want our consumers to enjoy this festival with their loved ones and capture every moment and emotion. Through this, we also intend to strengthen our bond with our consumers, which motivates in delivering what’s best for them. Q) What is the message you are trying to communicate? Mobile photography has always been the key focus for vivo. From delivering industry-leading technology to the best camera features, we make sure to spread joy to our consumers. We understand how technology plays a vital role in today’s fast-moving world and how important it is to help us stay connected with our loved ones. Pictures have a way of conveying the entire story. The purpose of this campaign is not to highlight a feature, rather to understand and establish the emotional connection behind the picture. At vivo, we understand that technology is an enabler for the joy in our lives and through this campaign we want to celebrate homecoming, as people will be able to visit their families by taking necessary precautions and celebrating this festival at home. Q) How has the festive season been so far this year? Are you witnessing a revival? Recovering from 2020, this year businesses across the globe are gradually coming back at their feet. We are definitely optimistic about the situation getting back to normal. As businesses are steadily opening up, we foresee a huge scope for engagement with the consumers and smartphone sales are proportionately expected to increase in the coming months. According to <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/india-smartphone-market-q2-2021/">Counterpoint Research</a>, India’s smartphone shipments grew 82% YoY to reach over 33 million units in Q2 2021, and vivo captured a 15% share of the overall market. According to the latest report by Counterpoint, nearly $7.6 billion worth of smartphones is likely to be sold during the ongoing festive season in India. Hence, we are looking forward to the festive season. Despite the ongoing situation, we have managed to maintain steady growth in the Indian smartphone market. Our V-Series models (the V20 and V21 series) have performed exceptionally well, and since our entry in the premium segment with the X50 series last year followed by the launch of the X60 series early this year, our market share has become 3x in the above 30k segment. The growth numbers clearly indicate the consumers are out there, looking for feature-rich smartphones. As we are nearing the festive season, we have introduced the all new X70 Series Co-Engineered with ZEISS and the response so far has been tremendous. We expect that the premium segment will continue to grow in the future as consumers want to upgrade and they are willing to pay a premium for meaningful innovation. Therefore, the launch of the X70 series is vital ahead of the festive season. Q) How did your association with IPL work for you this year? The duration of <keyword id="3133036" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vivo-ipl" source="Orion">Vivo IPL</keyword> holds special significance in our product launch and marketing calendars. It offers us a great opportunity to engage with our target audience across the country more effectively. Most of our significant announcements or product launches have been around IPL - be it the announcement of <keyword id="6354486" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli" source="Orion">Virat Kohli</keyword> as our brand ambassadors, the launch of our popular V-series, or the most recent launch of our X70 series. Cricket, as we know, is not just a sport in our country. It is a religion. People in the country are connected to the game. The Indian Premier League is a perfect blend of cricket and entertainment. It offers a brilliant opportunity to connect with our consumers more closely and effectively. Vivo IPL has played a vital role in catapulting vivo to being a leading smartphone brand in India. It has helped us tremendously in enhancing Brand Awareness and Brand Salience. Today, Vivo's brand awareness is 100% in the country. Furthermore, association with the league has also had positive impacts on our business results. Today, vivo is the leading smartphone player in the mainline retail market (Source: GFK). As a brand, our consumer-centricity focuses on youth, and vivo IPL helps us to connect with them. Q) How is Vivo as a brand pushing the threshold of technology and innovation in the smartphone segment? What more can we expect from the band in the coming months? At vivo, our acute focus is our consumers. As a consumer-centric brand, we have set high benchmarks in the industry by launching meaningful innovations for our consumers and have won the admiration of smartphone lovers with its technological prowess. From introducing the world's first 20MP moonlight selfie camera to launching its first smartphone with in-built Gimbal technology, vivo has always surprised the audience with its innovative products. The recently launched X70 series is a testament to the capabilities that vivo has as a premium smartphone brand. Similarly, the vivo V21 launched this year, was the thinnest smartphone in the category and was launched with the Industry first front OIS. We are manufacturing future-ready 5G phones that also provide the industry best camera innovation and design excellence. In the future, to meet the demands of our evolving consumers, we will continue to focus on game-changing innovations and customize enhancing smartphone user experience. Q) Where will your next phase of growth come from in India? We have always focused on providing innovative technology to our customers and helping spread joy in their lives. At vivo, this has been our vision for the last six years of spreading happiness among our Consumers, Partners, Employees, and Shareholders. With the same vision, we will continue to delight our customers by bringing splendid innovations in the future.

Our new campaign aims at bridging the emotional and physical distances between families and spread happiness: Nipun Marya, vivo India

<ul><li>As the industry copes with the after-effects of the lockdown, which had paralyzed the logistics and production involved in making ad films, communication around IPL has not been very impressive this year. </li><li>A lot of people have been talking about the dearth of quality ads that stand out or that have created an impact this year. </li><li>We speak to experts to find out the reason behind the dip in quality advertising this year and how ad agencies can buckle up to help their clients reap the best benefits in the upcoming days of IPL. </li></ul>Indian Premier League (IPL) has almost become a festival of its own that gives brands an opportunity to reach out to a huge number of people who are glued to their television sets for close to two months every year. Dream11 IPL 2020’s opening match itself was watched by 200 million people, which indicates why IPL is the biggest marketing opportunity for brands this year to bounce back. IPL also brings along an array of wonderful ads every year. In the early years, brands like Vodafone, Kingfisher and Nestle created some spectacular work to take advantage of this uniquely-engaging event. However, the on-going pandemic has brought in a lot of challenges for agencies. They are producing ads with minimum money, trying to operate within the government guidelines of production and selling it for really expensive slots. They are also expected to create an ad that stands out in a sea full of celebrity-endorsing cliches. And after seeing a lean first-half this year, all kinds of brands are trying to cash in on IPL’s fervor. With this increased pressure and responsibility, agencies are working extra hours to meet clients’ expectations. To top that, an air of despondency is still looming around because of the fear of the unknown, blues of working in isolation, pressure to overperform in a dismal atmosphere, salary cuts, work overload and time-crunch. Ergo, COVID-19 has had a clear impact on the country's creative minds as well, possibly leading to unimpressive production this year. A lot of people have been talking about the dearth of quality ads that stand out or that have created an impact this year. A few experts did appreciate Dream11 and Khatabook for their IPL ads but largely, they were disappointed with the plunge in quality ads. <div type="twitter" handle="anubhavsinha" handlename="Anubhav Sinha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1297501233310138368/6ehw_DUO_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2869" retweetcount="141" status="Who has Directed the Dream11 commercials? Very nice and all the cricketers are acting so well. @agracadabra" createdat="1600876574000" id="1308797330389229568"></div> Roshan Abbas, MD and Founder, Geometry Encompass took to Twitter and said, “The drought in quality advertising during IPL is mind boggling. Show me one good ad, please one good ad.” <div type="twitter" handle="roshanabbas" handlename="Roshan Abbas" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1296454010052808704/zIDYh7wP_normal.jpg" favoritecount="118" retweetcount="9" status="The drought in quality advertising during IPL is mind boggling. Show me one ad, pls one good ad! @AnantRangaswami" createdat="1600839200000" id="1308640574233223168"></div> On lack of quality, Satbir Singh, Founder and CCO of Thinkstr, commented, “Over the next 45 days, clients are going to spend over 2,000 crores on ads on IPL. About 500 crores on celebrities. And, looking at the ads, a couple of crores in creative fees.” <div type="twitter" handle="thesatbir" handlename="Satbir Singh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1263439382133927941/1jXTTKoe_normal.jpg" favoritecount="506" retweetcount="68" status="Over the next 45 days, clients are going to spend over 2,000 crores on ads on IPL. About 500 crores on celebrities.… https://t.co/nKQbSM3jz9" createdat="1600616932000" id="1307708312478121984"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="dabas_jeetu" handlename="Jitender Dabas" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1137186055126278145/nFmzhBxz_normal.jpg" favoritecount="19" retweetcount="2" status="Buy the most expensive raw ingredients in large quantities, spend more money on fancy ingredients &amp; spices ... the… https://t.co/1qPtZMGY8Y" createdat="1600664254000" id="1307906794367246336"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="abidmg" handlename="Abid. M" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1275706817524510721/zTzvK04N_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="2" status="No wonder ads are looking lousy these days. Increase creative budgets. Make better ads. https://t.co/PUDONAwtWE" createdat="1600659487000" id="1307886799818170369"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="SlyandSulk" handlename="What's in a name?" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1261406875750330368/LSIs7HNY_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3" retweetcount="2" status="Advertising industry leadership is equally at fault. &quot;20 lakh me campaign kar denge saar&quot;&quot;20 lakh me campaign ka… https://t.co/j4iPPLkWM7" createdat="1600664558000" id="1307908069876137984"></div> Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former HP, Asia Marketing Head found this year’s IPL to be quite disappointing. He said, “I guess in their keenness to use cricket and cricket stars the brand proposition has got lost. There are a few exceptions though. My personal favourite is the Swiggy spots – esp. the middle aged men getting together to watch IPL. Harsha Bhogle’s commentary at a key moment lends a great touch. IPL sponsor Dream 11’s ads using the superstars in classic gully street cricket situations with the line ‘yeh apna game hain’ is funny, endearing and tells consumers everyone is an equal when it comes to Dream 11.” On whether lockdown has impacted industry’s creativity, Mathias said, “Not really. I think many advertisers think that a spot in the IPL must be anchored in cricket – and sometimes the best spots have little to do with the sport. Vodafone’s zoozoos are a great case in point.” On the other hand, Ambi Parameswaran, Founder, Brand-Building helped us look at the brighter side and appreciated brands who have trusted in advertising despite seeing gloomy days. Parameswaran said, “There is a lot of debate on the fall of creative quality of ads in this year’s IPL. But this is a false argument. The country faced a severe lockdown and even now the movie halls are yet to open. Film shootings are happening in stages. So it is futile to say that why are the ads not their sparkling best. Instead we should applaud the brands that have boldly decided to advertise. These brands are demonstrating their faith in advertising and its effectiveness. Yes, there is a surfeit of tech-enabled brands and that is to be expected. But there are also so many auto brands, consumer product brands, consumer service brands, etc., that have decided to bet on IPL. Each and every one of those brands needs to be praised and not criticised for their relative tame creative quality. Research has shown, over a broad range of products, the creative quality may account for just about 7 - 11 % of ad effectiveness. The balance rests with media weight and the core messaging. So let us put our hands together for those brave brands who have decided to stimulate the market, nudge the consumer out of their inertia, to start spending.” Earlier while conceptualising TV ads, production challenges were given scant thought while approving scripts. However today, the starting point of conceptualising creatives would be around the associated production constraints, which Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting said is one of the reasons why IPL ads are impacted this year. Mitra said, “All these constraints and challenges are visible in the ads being played during IPL 2020. However, these challenging times are also the litmus test of the true creative potential of the creative teams. Due to cuts in marketing budgets, ads have probably been made on much lower budgets. Further given the safety protocols to be followed these days you can see that most brand ads are either old ones or shot with solo models, or using animation. Viewers would also be seeing ads with those filters in mind and therefore be tempering their expectations of the entertainment value of the ads. Still, IPL 2020 could have been the ideal opportunity for brands and agencies to showcase some real creative talent, and to show that creativity and the power of idea can rise above the constraints of low budgets or execution constraints. To that extent, the display of creative thinking has been rather disappointing. For me, the Dream 11 ads are the only ones that stand out for making a serious attempt at creating a series of engaging ads.” Albeit, Kuber Chopra, Founder, Creative &amp; Strategy Director, Rasta, said that lack of creativity is not due to lockdown constraints. Chopra said, “I don't think one should attribute this lack of creativity to the lockdown because all good creatives enjoy good constraints. I am personally just really surprised that no one has done anything contextual which is focussed on the consumers who’ve been dealing with the pandemic. For instance the ad by Paytm featuring Sachin Tendulkar is quite campy where the service is also lost. I really like Dream11’s focus on the active fan. It is also good to see how the cricket demigods have been humanised and are happy to be part of the sobering script. In my opinion, ads need to have some cultural connect with viewers and much of this is missing as is evident even in the ad for Apple 11.” “It’s surprising how brands haven't taken a chance with either new stories or fresh treatment. Decision-makers and creative heads have chosen to be safe,” added Chopra. IPL is considered India’s Super Bowl, not only because it’s the biggest sporting event but also because over the years, it has come to become the benchmark for creativity in advertisements. Shashwat Das, Founder, Almond Branding, said, “Whether it was the iconic Zoozoos or Jio dhan dhanadan, Amazon’s Chonkpur Cheetahs or IPL’s own Jumping Japang campaign, we always looked up to what’s new and path-breaking each season. The expectations have only grown over the years. However, this season, apart from the funny series of Dream11 ads nothing else have yet got people talking. With more digital viewers of IPL this year than ever before, the engagement and online conversations that a brand can pull is the biggest success parameter. Sadly I still remember the DLF Maxima from the initial days of IPL more than any brand campaign this season. I am hoping as the game progresses, brands will rise to the occasion and surprise us.” On how ad agencies can buckle up to help their clients reap the best benefits in the upcoming days of IPL, Sameer Makani, Co-Founder and Managing Director Makani Creatives said, “The industry is still coping up with the after-effects of the lockdown which had led to paralyzing the logistics and production involved in making ad films. Although progress in digital advertising is visible, the attention span of the audience is significantly reduced. Today, it’s about opting for a more concentrated approach and creating content that resonates with the audience instead of conventional carpet bombing. For instance – video content has become an excellent medium to touch, feel and engage with the audience in this new normal. It has helped several brands in channelizing the content in a manner that helps in leverage relationship with customers. The quality of ads depends on how well the advertiser is capable of sending the message and how well the audience perceives the message. This is an opportunity for brands to understand and conceptualize ads as per needs.” The story is not over yet Mathias anticipates that things will change as we get deeper into the league. He said, “I would expect a few brands may release fresh creatives as the tournament progresses. Given that viewership of the IPL has been phenomenal in the first phase and the tournament will build up to the festive season – there should be better advertising on the anvil.” Chopra is hoping to see smaller brands shine on Disney+ Hotstar. “I’m rooting for the iconic equivalent of 'Flipkart Kids' from the ed-tech folks who’ve heavily invested in the IPL. It’s really their moment to own. As a footnote, I’d keep an eye on Disney+ Hotstar -- where smaller advertisers can express themselves efficiently with lower media spends,” said he.

Has working remotely led to a dearth of good IPL ads this year?

With less than a day to go for the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand to begin here on Friday, here are some of the key players’ match-ups to look forward to: Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult: Sharma has played only one Test in England and experts say he has a weakness against the moving ball, especially one that comes in from a left-arm seamer. Former Pakistan pace bowler Mohammed Amir exploited it during the 2017 Champions Trophy final and even before too. Former India batsman has asked the India opener to be careful against Boult. <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> vs Kyle Jamieson: The tall New Zealand pace bowler turned down his Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Kohli's request of bowling to him at nets with a Dukes ball that he was carrying with him during the 2020 Indian Premier League (<keyword id="6354312" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>). But Kohli would have faced him in the IPL nets with a white and got some idea. The steep bounce could be hot to handle. <keyword id="12642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ross-Taylor">Ross Taylor</keyword> vs R Ashwin/ R Jadeja: Taylor, who average of 33.83 against India is almost 12 runs below his career average of 45.76, has been dismissed 54 times by a spinner out of 164 times. But his average of 44.55 against the slow bowlers is higher than his average of 33.28 against pace bowlers. Part of the reason is that on wickets outside India, the spinners don't get much purchase. How Ashwin and Jadeja bowl to the New Zealand No. 4 will be key. Taylor, 37, has fallen to right-arm spin 30 times and left-arm spin 24 times. Devon Conway vs Jasprit Bumrah: New Zealand's South African import became only the sixth batsman to score a debut ton at Lord's and the first to score a double on Test debut at Lord's was the Man-of-the-Series in the recent two-Test series against England. He is known to play the ball late. But how he reads pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah's quick-arm action will be interesting. Bumrah's natural delivery goes away from him and he may have to be watchful. <keyword id="269650" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kane-Williamson">Kane Williamson</keyword> vs Ishant Sharma/Mohammed Shami: New Zealand captain Williamson has a poor record in England (an average of 26.1 as against a career average of 53.6) and Ishant Sharma, on his fourth tour of England and having experience of county cricket with Sussex which gave his career a fresh lease, will be targeting his knee roll to get the leg-before wicket decision. The Kiwi, however, has a tight defence and a battle of attrition may ensue. Williamson could also face the challenge of deliveries of landing on seam from <keyword id="967087" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohammed-Shami">Mohammed Shami</keyword>. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-under-sebi-scanner-on-market-manipulation/articleshow/83501698.cms">Gautam Adani loses over $7 billion in net worth after questions over the meteoric rise in group stocks</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-pnb-coal-india-tcs-and-other-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-june-14/slidelist/83499937.cms">Adani group, PNB, Coal India, TCS and other stocks to watch out for on June 14</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/weekly-crypto-roundup-wazirx-under-scrutiny-el-salvador-makes-bitcoin-legal-tender-and-more/slidelist/83478577.cms">Weekly crypto roundup: WazirX under scrutiny, El Salvador makes Bitcoin legal tender and more</a>

India-New Zealand WTC final: Watch out for Virat Kohli vs Kyle Jamieson showdown

<ul><li><keyword id="1734364" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Duff-Phelps">Duff &amp; Phelps</keyword> has undertaken a study to analyze the impact of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> on the value of <keyword id="6354312" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> Ecosystem, which was estimated in their IPL Brand Valuation Report 2019.</li><li>They have considered various scenarios which were addressed by BCCI President, <keyword id="6507" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saurav-Ganguly">Saurav Ganguly</keyword>, during his press conference over the weekend and estimated the impact on IPL Ecosystem value under each of those scenarios in this note by <keyword id="5571816" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Santosh-N">Santosh N</keyword>, Managing Partner D and P Advisory LLP and external advisor, Duff &amp; Phelps. </li></ul> We might just be in the first quarter of 2020, but the year has already seen the unprecedented shutdown of global sports leagues due to COVID19. The last such shut down happened during World War II when all major sporting events across the globe including the Olympics in 1940 &amp; 1944 were cancelled. Major sports leagues across the world including EPL, La Liga, Seria A, NBA, Champions League, bilateral cricket tournaments are suspended at least until the first week of April as governments scramble to contain the spread of the virus which has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. UEFA EURO 2020 and COPA America 2020, the two major football events scheduled to take place this year in June have also been pushed to 2021. Even the Olympics 2020 being held in Japan face the threat of cancellation or postponement if the pandemic does not subside in the next couple of months. More recently, the Indian Super League finals between ATK &amp; Chennaiyin FC had to be played behind closed doors. <keyword id="6354831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL), one of the most keenly awaited events in India has also felt the heat of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>, with Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) deciding to postpone the start of IPL season until April 15th with no clear visibility of its start date and a major threat of cancellation looming around. The Government of India and various state governments have mandatorily banned public gatherings in view of public health and safety concerns. The government has also suspended visas from most countries which might impact the availability of foreign players who are a vital cog in the IPL. Given this background, the options before BCCI are somewhat limited. Duff &amp; Phelps has undertaken a study to analyze the impact of COVID19 on the value of IPL Ecosystem, which was estimated in our IPL Brand Valuation Report 2019. We have considered various scenarios which were addressed by BCCI President, Saurav Ganguly, during his press conference over the weekend and have estimated the impact on IPL Ecosystem value under each of those scenarios. The scenarios considered are: 1) Scenario 1: Truncated IPL with the number of matches reduced to half, a high possibility as per BCCI. 2) Scenario 2: The entire IPL 13 season getting cancelled Our impact analysis has been carried out on the IPL ecosystem value calculated by Duff &amp; Phelps last year which was US$6.8 billion in 2019. The analysis doesn’t reflect the current value of the IPL ecosystem which would have been estimated after considering the factors available post completion of IPL 2020. Scenario 1: According to BCCI officials, in case the IPL season commences on April 15th, it will be truncated as more than 15 days would have been lost by that time. In our analysis we have assumed that in a truncated season, each team will play against the other only once, instead of the home &amp; away format, thus reducing the number of league matches by half. We have also factored in two situations - one where the spectators are allowed inside the stadium and another where the matches are played behind closed doors, effectively impacting the in-stadia revenues including gate receipts and food and beverages. The impact of revenue loss on account of lack of gate receipts is negligible on the IPL value. It might in fact benefit the broadcasters if the shutdown persists and more people are forced to spend time at home thus increasing the television audience for IPL, though none of the stakeholders including the broadcasters prefer this option. Further, we have factored in the loss of revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship, as broadcast partners and sponsors will renegotiate the contracts based on the number of matches being played. We have also considered the impact of a truncated tournament on the sale of official merchandising and associated revenues. Overall, under Scenario I, the IPL ecosystem value estimated by us last year is expected to reduce by USD 200 Million to USD 350 Million range (3.0% to 5.0%). Scenario 2: Under this scenario we have assumed the possibility of the entire IPL 13 getting cancelled, a high possibility if the current situation persists. This scenario will have a massive impact on the IPL Ecosystem value as it will also consider larger economic and financial consequences. In this scenario, we have considered two sub scenarios. First there is no impact on the next year’s edition and the second, a complete one year set back from revenue perspective for all the stakeholders. In sub scenario 1, we have considered nil cash inflow from the broadcaster or title &amp; associate sponsors for the 2020 season as the same is assumed cancelled. Likewise, franchisees will not receive their share of revenue from central pool nor will they be required to share profits with BCCI as part of their franchise fees. However, we have considered the expenses incurred by BCCI, IPL franchisees and other stakeholders with respect to advertising, promotional events and other general administrative costs including salaries to their non-cricket playing staff, etc. In sub scenario 2, apart from the cashflow impact considered for the 2020 season, we have also considered economic impact due to the one year set back, where we have anticipated that the sponsorship revenues might not grow at desired levels next year due to the current disruption. Under Scenario 2, we estimate the IPL Ecosystem value to reduce by USD 700 Million to USD 1,000 Million range (approx. 10.0% to 15.0%). Our analysis under this scenario does not capture a financial recession like event which would further impact the IPL Ecosystem value. - This note has been written by Santosh N, Managing Partner D and P Advisory LLP and External Advisor, Duff &amp; Phelps

COVID-19's impact on IPL 2020: Duff & Phelps

<ul><li>Edtech platform <keyword id="6559242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="great-learning">Great Learning</keyword> has been in existence since 2013 and it launched its first high decibel campaign featuring <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> during this year's Indian Premier League.</li><li>Till now, most of its growth has been organic but now, with the launch of its campaign, the platform wants to build awareness and take its offering to more and more people across the country.</li><li>We talk to the platform's newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer, <keyword id="4858670" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="aparna-mahesh">Aparna Mahesh</keyword> who talks to us about the brand's journey so far and what role marketing and advertising will play in growing the platform further.</li></ul>The last few years has brought about a boom in India’s Edtech sector. While the sector had been witnessing growth even before the Covid-19 lockdown hit us, those few months when the country was under a complete shutdown turned out to be a game-changer for the sector. With schools and colleges being closed for months, and people being stuck at home, not only did the K-12 segment see a massive jump, the higher education and lifelong learning segment witnessed a massive spike too. According to a recent report by Redseer titled Edtech in India, the Post-K12 EdTech industry is divided into 4 segments: higher education, technical skilling, test preparation for government jobs and test preparation for other jobs. This industry is expected to grow threefold by 2022, swelling to $1.7 billion in sales. The report states that a lot of this growth will come from EdTech offerings focusing on higher education, as it does today. One platform that has been in existence for the past 7 years and has found a loyal user base, primarily through word-of-mouth is Great Learning. The platform also came up with its first high-decibel campaign recently, during <keyword id="6354312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>. It made people take notice when it roped in Virat Kohli as the face of its first campaign. The brand also recently announced the appointment of Aparna Mahesh as its Chief Marketing Officer. We thought this would be a good time to catch up with her and ask her about the plans she has for the brand, from a marketing perspective. Excerpt: Q) Great Learning has been around since 2013 but it's only now that you have started to advertise, at least on traditional mediums. Why did you think this was a good time to start your advertising journey? Since our inception, we have catered to over 500,000 professionals and students across 140 countries. While we’ve been witnessing significant growth over the last few years, 2020 seems to be the inflection point where we are witnessing a major shift towards digitisation leading to massive uptick in demand for programs in areas like AI, Management, Digital Marketing, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing and Analytics. As the frontrunners in the space, we believe this is the right time for us to communicate and consolidate our leadership position through impactful brand communication. Q) Till now, did you get most of your users through word-of-mouth? Most of our growth over the last few years has been organic as we built a solid reputation for the quality of our programs and the successful career transitions of our learners. Majority of our learners have witnessed their friends and colleagues undergo a transformation achieve success in their respective fields, which in turn made them try our programs. We have also been using social media and digital marketing campaigns considering most of our audience is internet savvy. Our digital brand communications have always focused on authentically engaging with the audience and adding a human element to draw their attention. For instance, a few months back, amidst the lockdown, we launched the #AgainstAllOdds campaign that narrated the exceptional career journeys of learners who have defied all odds to upskill and achieve a successful career transition. It resonated with thousands of learners and created a measurable impact for the brand. Q) Edtech is a buzzing segment right now. Especially during this year's IPL, we have seen so many platforms go all out with their communications. How do you hope to differentiate yourself in the clutter? While a host of ed-tech players are advertising, the target audience for everyone is not the same. Our audience is working professionals and college students and our brand message is ‘Jo seekhta hai wohi aage badhta hai.’ These are powerful words, especially when delivered by our brand ambassador Virat Kohli – who represents the aspirations of young India and has a deep connect with the youth. If we look at his career trajectory, he has constantly worked on his craft and improved tremendously to always stay at the top of his game. We believe he will encourage millions of learners to chase career excellence with the same passion and tenacity that he brings to the game and inspire them to achieve their goals through high-quality education provided by us. Q) Why did you choose IPL to launch your advertising campaigns? What kind of returns are you looking for from this investment? IPL is the biggest sporting event of the year and by associating with Disney+ Hotstar as sponsors, our goal is to build awareness for Great Learning amongst our core target audience – who are digital-first in their behaviour. The pandemic has fuelled the digital and TV viewership and IPL is the first live cricketing event after a very long time. The viewership rates on TV or Hotstar in the early days of the tournament have indeed been very high and we believe that riding this wave will elevate the Great Learning brand to a higher level in terms of awareness as well as a preference when people think of high-quality professional education. Post IPL, we will continue engaging with our audience through social and digital marketing. Apart from this, you will continue to see us on television in months to come. Q) Again, owing to the fact that there are so many players in the segment now, how is your offering different from the other players? We deeply believe in imparting quality education and look to make an impactful contribution to our learners' careers. We believe everyone deserves more than one chance and no one’s career should be determined on the basis of a 3-hour entrance examination. Over the past 7 years, we’ve pioneered a model of assisted learning that enables us to deliver learning outcomes that are as robust as classroom learning. Using technology, we are also able to offer highly personalized learning to our learners, anticipate in advance the areas which they find challenging, and work with them closely to help them improve. Because of this, our program completion rate stands upwards of 91%, among the best in the world, along with exceptional learner satisfaction scores. 2 out of every 3 learners are seeing a career transition within 6 months of program completion with salary hikes as high as 100%. Q) Can you give me a sense of your user demographics? Have you seen any interesting trends in terms of geographies, gender or age? We have been attracting a wide spectrum of learners. We have seen massive interest from college students and fresh graduates who are preparing for their placements. At the same time, many early and mid-level professionals between 0-5 years of experience from sectors like IT/ITeS, BFSI, consulting and automobile have been using Great Learning Academy and <keyword id="9420215" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="great-learning-corporate-academy">Great Learning Corporate Academy</keyword> to upskill themselves. Our programs in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, <keyword id="6361948" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cybersecurity">Cybersecurity</keyword>, and Cloud Computing are most sought after on the platform. On an average, learners are spending approx 2 hrs/day learning these skills on the platform. With the launch of Great Learning Academy, we’ve seen a major surge from metro cities with Bangalore being the leading city followed by Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi. We are also seeing increased inquiries from cities such as Noida, Kolkata and Pune. Q) The pandemic and lockdown saw people left with more time. Did you see a surge in people coming onto your platform? What kind of growth have you witnessed since you started in 2013 and where have you reached now? The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a watershed moment for the Edtech sector. We concluded the financial year FY20 with a booked revenue of Rs 325 crore, 150% over FY19. Over the last six months, we have seen 5x growth in the learner base on our platform with the launch of the Great Learning Academy and Great Learning Corporate Academy. This growth has been achieved on the back of increasing demand for programs in digital competencies like Data Science, Analytics, AI, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity and Digital Business. Over 5 lakh learners have been benefited through our programs including employees from 700 leading global MNCs and PSUs as well as students from over 1,000 universities and colleges including IITs, IIMs, and NITs. We expect the surge to be even bigger over the next few years. Q) As a marketer, what will your key focus areas be at Great Learning, and going ahead, what will be your broad marketing strategy? Our broad focus is to continue to drive home the broader brand message of ‘Jo Seekhta Hai Woh Aage Badta Hai’. We will be working towards exploring different story angles, associations with different mediums, highlighting our success stories and breaking down the message for different audiences to make it relatable to each individual.

Over the last 6 months, we’ve seen 5X growth in the learner base on our platform: Aparna Mahesh, CMO, Great Learning

<ul><li>Tejashwi Yadav clocked over 1.24 million engagements in October overshadowing incumbent Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who managed only 133,879 engagements. </li><li>The IPL was the flavour of the season for cricketers where expectedly India captain and expectant father Virat Kohli topped Twitter engagement with 2.4 million engagements. </li></ul>Twitteet, a social media analytics firm released its October analytics report today. This is the first time social media analytics for Twitter engagement by 20 categories have been done on a daily and monthly basis. The categories whose Twitter engagement have been analysed include Politicians (party-wise), Journalists, Business Leaders Founders &amp; Investors), Sportspersons (cricket and other sports), Movies stars (Bollywood and regional), Authors, Chefs, and Comedians. Here are the winners from some key categories: <ol><li>Politicians – Narendra Modi - 72,15,913 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Bollywood – Sonu Sood - 24,36,601 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Business Head – Anand Mahindra - 4,08,882 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Cricketer – Virat Kohli - 24,65,918 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Sports Star (non-cricket) – Vijender Singh - 4,27,006 Twitter Engagements</li><li>TV Star – Sidharth Shukla - 3,90,901 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Journalist – Deepak Chaurasia - 18,88,720 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Founders – Kunal Shah - 60,093 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Comedians – Kunal Kamra - 11,46,111 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Regional Cinema Star – Mahesh Babu - 7,32,964 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Authors – Anand Ranganathan - 5,36,874 Twitter Engagements</li><li>Investor – Mohandas Pai - 99,741 Twitter Engagements</li></ol>Key highlights of the first report include the remarkable rise of Tejashwi Yadav who clocked over a 1.24 million engagements in October overshadowing incumbent Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who managed only 133,879 engagements. Expectedly, Prime Minster Narendra Modi topped the overall Indian Twitter engagement rankings with over 7.2 million engagements. Among Indian Politicians Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is at #2 with 3.5 million engagements, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were 3rd and 4th in the Indian Politicians engagement rankings. Surprising inclusions in the top 10 among politicians were BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra at #8 who clocked a 1.1 million engagements; Dr Kumar Vishwas at #5 who got 1.2 million engagements. Sonu Sood’s humanitarian work during the pandemic saw huge resonance on Twitter where even at a Twitter following of a tenth of super star Shah Rukh Khan (Sonu Sood’s 4.6 million followers to SRK’s 41.3 million followers) he topped Twitter engagement among Bollywood Stars with a phenomenal 2.4 million engagements. The Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan was at #2 with 7.3 lakh engagements. Akshay Kumar with 6.72 lakh engagements was at #3, and Anupam Kher with 4.74 lakh engagements was at #4. Former Maharashtra CM, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh’s actor-son Riteish Deshmukh was at #5 with 4.2 lakh engagements. Pooja Hegde was the surprise entrant into the top 10 with 2.51 lakh engagements. In the Business Leaders category, Anand Mahindra towers over others with over 4 lakh engagements. RPG Group’s Chief Harsh Goenka is at #2 with 2.2 lakh engagements. Chinese mobile phone brands India CEO’s Manu Kumar Jain of XiaoMi and RealMe’s Madhav Sheth are at #3 and #4 respectively with 1.5 lakh and 1.1 lakh engagements respectively. Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji with 49K engagements is at #5, Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with 41K engagements at #6, Marico’s Harsh Mariwala with 24K engagements is at #7, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma with 19K engagements at #8 and Chairman of JSPL and former MP, Naveen Jindal with 16K engagements is at #9. Google’s Global CEO Sundar Pichai with 15K engagements is at #10. The IPL was the flavour of the season for cricketers where expectedly India captain and expectant father Virat Kohli topped Twitter engagement with 2.4 million engagements. Suresh Raina was at #2 with 1.9 million engagements. Former stars Sachin Tendulkar at #3, Harbhajan Singh at #5, and Virendra Sehwag at #6, actively engage with fans and followers on Twitter with 1.5 million; 6.8 lakh and 6.3 lakh engagements. Aakash Chopra, now a commentator is also hugely popular and ranks #4 with over 9.65 lakh engagements on Twitter in October. Perennial favourite Mahendra Singh Dhoni was completely inactive on Twitter in October despite more than 8.1 million followers. Among Indian sports persons, outside of cricket, Olympic medallist and pro-boxer Vijendra Singh tops with 4.27 lakh engagements. Perhaps the India’s best kept secret in sports is veteran pistol shooter, coach and sports enthusiast 88-year old Dadi Chandro Tomar, better known as ‘Shooter Dadi’ from Baghpat, UP. Since learning to shoot when she was well into her sixties she has attained national fame as an accomplished shooter having won more than 30 national championships. She was at #2 in the non-cricket sports category with a phenomenal 2.84 lakh engagements leaving superstars like Saina Nehwal, Babita Phogat and Jwala Gutta behind! In the intensively competitive Journalists category, News Nation’s Deepak Chaurasia topped Twitter engagement with a whopping 1.88 million engagements. Aaj Tak’s Rohit Sardana was at #2 with 1.1 million engagement followed by Sushant Sinha with 1.05 million engagements. Veteran journalist and India Today’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai was at # 8 wit6 6.6 lakh engagements and Rana Ayyub was at #6 with 7.6 lakh engagements. In other categories, Comedians and Start-up founders made their mark. Among comedians, Kunal Kamra topped impressively with 1.1 million engagements, followed by Ashish Chanchlani at #2 with 4.92 lakh engagements, Vir Das at #3 with 3.2 lakh engagements, Atul Khatri at #4 with 2.21 lakh engagements and Amit Bhadana with 1.1 lakh engagements at #5. Cred Founder Kunal Shah lead the Business Founders category with 60K engagements and Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma was next with 23K engagements. Said Twitteet co-founder Sandeep Amar: “Our core objective is to provide social business intelligence, social monitoring and actionable insights to the leaders across various domains and also to businesses and marketers. We run daily analysis of all engagements – which are the total of likes and retweets, collate these every month, across categories; and then slice and dice them to mine actionable insights. At some level a leaders Twitter engagement gives one sense of his connect with his constituents and what are the key issues that matter. We hope to sharpen this data over time and broad base our offerings to other social platforms and geographies.”

Narendra Modi, Sonu Sood and Anand Mahindra top Indian Twitter engagement in October 2020, shows report

<ul><li><keyword id="4511745" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="too-yumm">Too Yumm</keyword>! that was launched its journey in 2017 roped in cricketer <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> as its face pretty early in its journey.</li><li>Having Kohli as its face, along with various partnerships like <keyword id="6354312" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> and Inside Edge 2 have helped the brand stay visible. </li><li>Too Yumm! has expanded to many international markets and now is on its way to enter the kid’s category.</li></ul> The <keyword id="724092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="RP-Sanjiv-Goenka-Group">RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group</keyword> (RPSG) ventured into the food and snacking category in 2017 with the launch of its low-calorie snacks brand, Too Yumm. The step was aimed at helping the group further its foray into the FMCG segment, which it considers to be a major growth driver. Since then, the brand has done its bit to make itself heard. It roped in Virat Kohli as a face of the brand, advertised heavily during IPL and recently partnered with Amazon Prime Video for the second season of its popular web series, Inside Edge. It has also recently came out with a high decibel campaign around four of its new flavors. Since its launch, the brand and done enough and more to stay in the public eye. Moreover, within 2 years of its launch, the brand has been able to scale its operations to reach a Rs 200 crore sales run rate in April 2019, becoming the country’s fastest growing healthy snacking brand in India. Following the reception it got in the country, it also spread to international markets including Singapore, Australia, Dubai, Oman, Bangladesh and Nepal. In a recent conversation with <keyword id="5831697" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anupam-Bokey">Anupam Bokey</keyword>, CMO, RPSG, FMCG (<keyword id="4326807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Guiltfree-Industries">Guiltfree Industries</keyword>), we talk about all the brand has done so far in terms of marketing, and how it further plans to establish itself in a market that is still only opening up to the idea of healthy snacking. Edited excerpts: Q) Healthy snacking as an idea is slowly picking pace in India. Have you been able to convince consumers that healthy really means healthy and doesn’t really mean it won’t taste good? For over two years now, we have built our product around its core of healthy snacking. We waited to first successfully establish ourselves as a dominant player in the healthy snacking category before we could shift our focus to taste. By rolling out our recent flavors campaign, we have done just that. We have identified India’s favorite flavors and incorporated them into our snacks to provide an offering that ranks high on both taste and health benefits. I believe that through the flavors campaign, we will be able to convince our customers that leading a healthy lifestyle won’t mean compromising on taste. Q) Tell us a bit about the recently launched campaign and the thought behind it? Over the years, we have built our brand proposition around the health benefits of Too Yumm! Having established ourselves as a strong player in the category, we now wanted to shift our focus to what consumers tend to take into consideration, more often than not, when deciding between snacks. With our flavors campaign rolling out this year, we have identified India’s favorite flavors and incorporated them into our snacks. What makes our products stand out here is the fact that these flavors have been made specifically to cater to the Indian palete. Our new campaign ‘Har Craving ka Jawaab’ aims to position Too Yumm! as the perfect guilt-free solution to all cravings, irrespective of where or when they arise. The ad campaign reveals India’s favorite flavors according to Virat Kohli – Noodle Masaala, Dahi Pappdi Chaat, Chilli Chataka and Chilli Achaari. The TVCs deliver a strong message that no matter where or when a craving arises, it can be aptly satisfied by opening a pack of your favorite Too Yumm! flavor. Q) How has roping in Virat pretty early in your brand journey helped you build your brand image? We realized rather early on in our journey that to succeed in the healthy snacking category, we would need an influencer. With influencers picking only brands and causes that they support and can get behind, consumers take their opinions into consideration before making a purchase. For us, making Virat our health ambassador helped us successfully reach our target audience and convey the right message. Virat’s personality matches that of our brand and hence our consumers get the right idea. We make sure to rope in our health ambassador in most, if not all our communications with our consumers. Additionally, since he is an inspirational personality representing the most-loved sport of our country and falls within the target age bracket, the match seemed ideal. Being an inspiration to the youth of the country, Virat is admired for his fitness regime and healthy lifestyle. Keeping this in mind, when youngsters look at Virat endorsing and enjoying our brand, they immediately associate it to health and wellness. Our latest ad campaign built around the new flavours shows Virat satisfying his cravings by opening a pack of Too Yumm! Hence, making Too Yumm! an aspirational product for the millennial generation by default. Q) Are there any new categories that Too Yumm! is currently looking at entering? Our next aim is to expand our presence among kids. Since we have already established ourselves in the healthy snacking category and have the parents’ trust on our side, we believe now would be the right time to provide a greater variety of offerings to the children. Q) How was 2019 for brand Too Yumm? Can you share some growth figures? What are your targets for 2020, and how do you aim to achieve these numbers? 2019 has been a good year for us overall. We stayed true to the core of ‘Health’ for our brand and entrenched it further with the genres relevant to us – like sports, travel, music, humour, and health; associated with platforms such as Kumbh, IPL, Karare Strikers gaming, Amazon Prime – Inside Edge Season 2, Mughl-e-azam. In 2019, we also became the first and only FMCG brand to set a Guinness World Record at the Kumbh Mela 2019 by lighting the world’s largest diya as a symbol of good health. Within just 2 years of operation, we have managed to scale operations to reach a Rs 200 crore sales run rate by April 2019 – becoming the country’s fastest growing healthy snacking brand in India. Based on our success in India, we have also expanded distribution to International markets with Singapore, Australia, Dubai, Oman, Bangladesh and Nepal being some of the latest additions. From 5 variants and 15 flavours in the market, we aim to continue growing the healthy snacking market with the launch of newer variants and expansion to new markets. Our latest campaign focuses on the 4 hero flavors of Too Yumm! that are made to suit the India palate. Having established ourselves as a healthy snacking option, we want to introduce Too Yumm! in the kids market as well. So in totality, we have a lot of work and great plans in the pipeline for the brand. Q) How critical a role will your FMCG offerings play in RP <keyword id="6355523" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanjiv-goenka">Sanjiv Goenka</keyword> Group’s overall growth? FMCG is just in its third year from a start-up; and in the very large RPSG group it’s a rather late entrant and small contributor currently. However it’s one of the most disruptive initiatives within the group that has a large vision and ambition for FMCG play with a very strong focus for the future. Q) What’s your primary media mix? We have a healthy media mix but a larger share of our communication is through TV and digital platforms as that provides us with requisite width to reach and engage our consumers. Q) Going ahead, what will be your broad marketing strategy to grow the brand further and capture a bigger market share? Our marketing strategy is more or less the same to reach our target audience – to provide our consumers with healthy yet tasty options for guilt free bingeing.

Having established itself in the healthy snacking category, Too Yumm! to foray into kid’s category soon

With golf, kabaddi, rugby and hockey emerging as popular sports in India, cricket still dominated the space. Indian Premier League is one of the biggest Sports League in the World. The brand value of <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> was estimated to be US$3.2 billion in 2014 and again US$3.54 billion in 2015. According to <keyword id="6354756" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BCCI">BCCI</keyword>, the 2015 IPL season contributed ₹0.5 billion (US$7.4 million) to the <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword> of Indian economy. And without any doubt, it is the richest league in the country with the top cricketers being paid the highest amongst all sportspersons in terms of volume. 
 The report also tells you who the world is crazy about and his net worth. Is it <keyword id="351" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yuvraj-Singh">Yuvraj Singh</keyword>, <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> or <keyword id="32426" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="M-S-Dhoni">M S Dhoni</keyword> or somebody else? 
 
(Image credits: superinsight)

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