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<ul><li>Global sports brand Puma has signed a strategic 3-year partnership with <keyword id="6354506" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword>.</li><li>Puma will have exclusive retailing rights to RCB’s take down and replica jerseys.</li><li>We speak to Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia to find out more about brand’s objective behind choosing RCB and growth of merchandising in India.</li></ul>IPL has broken many viewership records in the past two years and cricket is considered a religion in India. However, the <keyword id="11013376" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sports-merchandising-market">sports merchandising market</keyword> is still at a nascent stage here. As per Duff &amp; Phelps 2021 report, on an average, the IPL franchisees’ earnings from matchday revenues (including ticket prices, merchandising, and food and beverages) account for less than 20% of their overall revenues. Indian sports leagues are still young and haven’t created as much of a fan following as their Western counterparts. For example, European and American sports leagues last for eight to nine months in a year and IPL lasts for two to three months. Most of the global football teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid’s merchandising revenue contribution is in the range of 15% to 20% of their total revenue, whereas in case of IPL, this may be less than 5% (as per Duff &amp; Phelps). So this year, Puma has entered into a 3-year merchandising partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The global sportswear brand aims to accelerate the merchandising market’s growth in our country. Puma will have exclusive retailing rights to RCB’s take down and replica jerseys, adding pan-India merchandise reach for the franchise across retail and e-commerce channels. The collection will also include a fanwear range of polo tees, shorts, pants, flip flops and caps. Telling us more what the brand intends to achieve from their partnership with RCB, Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia said, “We want to achieve three things. One, there is a commercial opportunity around merchandising, which we feel is still a bit under indexed in India. The sports culture is still work-in-progress, unlike football teams in more established sports countries. In India’s sports market, the merchandising is at a very nascent stage and we would like to substantially grow that with our RCB Association. We believe that with a global sportswear brand, RCB can really do a lot more on merchandising. And merchandising is very important as a part of fan engagement as well as building the culture of sport because if you follow a team or a player, you'd like to cherish and share merchandise. It's probably the most emotional connect that a fan has with the team. So, we see this as a big opportunity of growth for future. And third, we believe that the RCB fan base is substantial. And we would like to connect with that audience and engage with them.” According to Licensing International, in 2019, the global licensed sports merchandise market was valued at approximately $292.8 billion, and was forecast to reach a value of 33.99 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. In India, sports merchandising makes revenue of barely $18 million. Now that most fans would be watching the game from home, it would be an additional challenge for the merchandising industry. Sharing why it is important to boost merchandising for the growth of sports marketing, Ganguly said, “The team merchandise market in India is pretty restricted. Today, it's a Rs 50-60 crore market and we believe that our association can substantially add to this even in the first year. And for sports culture, it is very important that this market grows because this has a trickle-down effect in the overall growth of sports in India, because the more people follow their heroes and their teams, there will be kids who take to sport more seriously, because it creates that emotional connect with their favorite team and their favorite player. So, we believe that this is something that has to grow in India to become a more established sports market.” Puma’s RCB merchandise will be promoted through its social media platforms, website, exclusive stores, multi-brand channels, large format stores like Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop and even in RCB Bar and Café. This year also marks Puma's entry in the IPL again. Puma was around for the first few seasons and had exited the league for a while. According to media <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/after-puma-adidas-to-bid-for-kit-sponsorship-rights-of-india-cricket-team/articleshow/77415609.cms">reports</a>, Nike, Adidas and Puma were keen to pick up RCB’s kit sponsorship last year as BCCI had decreased the base price to Rs 61 lakh per game, down around 30% from the Rs 88 lakh which Nike was shelling out earlier. With the pandemic, RCB’s value also dropped from Rs 595 crore in 2019 to Rs 536 crore in 2020. However, in 2020, RCB’s Title Sponsor was Muthoot Fincorp and the other brands associated with the franchise were Myntra, Jio, Exide, Nuvoco, Astral Pipes and Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT). Telling us why Puma chose to partner with RCB, Ganguly said, “We decided to come back to IPL and when we were considering which team to associate with, RCB landed on our table as a very natural choice. First and foremost, we tracked the popularity of the brand. RCB team is popular not just in Bangalore and Karnataka, but across India. And we found it to be one of the most popular and most followed teams. We also saw that it has got some huge social media following, and high engagement rates. So that gave us an idea that the fans really have a strong point of view and association with the club.” Puma also has a 9-year brand endorsement deal with RCB’s captain Virat Kohli signed in 2017.

Puma aims to fuel growth of the Rs 60 crore merchandise market in India through its partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore

<ul><li>This year, Indian Premier League will be held in closed stadiums and in UAE. However, that hasn't led in any decrease in excitement for both the audiences and brands.</li><li>With many brands coming on board as sponsors for this edition of the sporting extravaganza, we will talk to some of the prominent sponsors to understand how they want to use the platform to strengthen their presence.</li><li>In today's interview, <keyword id="9937067" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="trupthi-shetty">Trupthi Shetty</keyword>, Lead- Growth and Engagement, <keyword id="1763236" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="CRED">CRED</keyword> tells us all that the Credit Card payment company is planning for its first stint as the official partner this year.</li></ul> As we come closer to this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League, things are slowly getting heated up. More and more excitement is building with each passing day and new sponsors are coming on board to make the most out of one of the most-watched sporting events in the country. It is obvious that things will be different in the league this year. With no audiences in the stadiums, the entire experience will be different. However, this hasn’t led to any decrease in the advertiser’s excitement around the tournament. So we thought of reaching out to some of the prominent sponsors this year and understand how they are going to use this platform to strengthen their relationships with their consumers. In the first interview in this series, we bring to you a conversation with Trupthi Shetty, Lead- Growth and Engagement at CRED. Board of Control for Cricket in India (<keyword id="6354756" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bcci">BCCI</keyword>) has roped in CRED as the official partner for <keyword id="7463791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-2020">IPL 2020</keyword>. The brand, that has struck a three-year deal is a first-time sponsor and has quite a few innovative plans in place to make the most out of this association. Excerpts: Q) This is your first year as a sponsor for IPL. What do your marketing plans look like? We are excited to partner with one of the country’s most popular sporting events. This year, unlike others before, the pandemic has led to more of a focus on digital with events and activations being moved to virtual. This is exciting for us since CRED has focused on creating rewarding digital experiences for the community for quite a few months. Our community of affluent, high-trust members has a fan base in cricket and we want to use marketing to reach out to them and establish the narrative that credit cards are better with CRED. There are two focus areas that all our marketing plans would be centered around. The first is to use IPL’s reach to drive messages surrounding financial and credit literacy- an integral part of our mission at CRED. The second is to leverage our position as a brand discovery platform amongst the mass affluent to partner with brands and create rewarding experiences centered around matches that are high on engagement. The digital experiences we are creating for members include exciting cashbacks, partnerships with brands and even the opportunity for members to contribute to a relevant cause. There are plenty more activations planned and we will be able to share details about these once they are finalized. Some of the experiences planned include: • Members who pay their credit card bills on CRED during CRED Power Play - the Most Rewarding Overs will win assured cash-back with individuals standing a chance to get 100% of their credit card bill paid by CRED. • We have partnered with GiveIndia to have CRED members raise funds for an NGO- Sports Coaching Foundation. Through CRED Causes, members will be able to use their CRED coins to sponsor cricket training of the underprivileged youth across the country. • We have also partnered with leading premium brands such as OnePlus, Myntra, Ajio, Puma, Lalit Hotels, CROSS, Tata Cliq, JioSaavn, Audible, CureFit, Dineout, Syska, Samsung, Motorola, RBL (Reliance Brands), Hugo Boss, JioSaavn and WROGN to create and offer rewarding products, services and experiences to members. Q) The format is different this year. So how do you think things will be different for you as a sponsor? While the format of the IPL is slightly different this year, we don’t believe that things will be drastically different. It’s important to remember that in-stadium audiences and on-ground activations are just one part of what the IPL has to offer brands. What’s more important are the millions of Indians who tune in to watch the IPL at home from their screens. The IPL is a celebration that isn’t limited to stadiums but happens in everyone's homes. We are focused on creating rewarding experiences intertwined with each game that viewing audiences can enjoy from the comfort of their homes. Considering the fact that we have been creating these types of digital experiences for our members long before the IPL, we believe that the newfound focus on digital is an advantage that we can stand to gain from. Q) As a sponsor, what are your expectations from IPL 2020? With millions of Indians slated to watch the IPL this season, our partnership goes beyond the need to create awareness for the brand. Part of our mission at CRED is to educate the masses about managing their finances, more specifically, managing credit better. The association with the IPL will bring us closer to this goal, helping create widespread awareness about the importance of paying your credit card bills on time. Our target audience is primarily the first-generation wealthy, those who might be the first in their families to use products such as credit cards. Through the unique constructs and rewarding experiences we create for members, we will be able to build excitement and awareness about a product that helps people use their credit cards better. We are also looking forward to leveraging the sporting event’s reach to educate people about the plethora of products, services, and experiences they can avail as rewards on CRED for doing something as simple as paying their bills on time. Q) How do you plan to engage more closely with consumers, considering activations won’t be allowed this year and there won't be a live audience? Will Digital and TV be your biggest bets? At CRED, we specialize in creating unique and rewarding digital experiences for our members. During the IPL season, we will continue our focus on digital, creating engagements that audiences can access while watching the matches on their screens. These will be unique and rewarding experiences centered around the game, creating memorable experiences for members for each match that they watch. The experiences and constructs planned do not take away from the game and are rewards that members can avail while they are watching the game from their homes.

IPL 2020: How first-time sponsor CRED plans to make the most of its IPL association

<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>Brands in India are desperate to associate with budding sports stars and ready to jump onto any opportunity that helps them stay relevant.</li><li>However, when it comes to celebrating our athlete’s wins, brands often take the focus away from the champion and make it all about themselves.</li><li>The issue of brands dominating social media moments and making it about themselves isn’t new and the answer is in the question itself -- simply avoid making moments about yourself but a lot of brands don't seem to get it right. </li><li>Advertising folks tell us how to get your moment marketing right without taking away the focus from the trend.</li></ul>It is day 6 of <keyword id="395647" type="SPORT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tokyo-Olympics">Tokyo Olympics</keyword> 2020 and the Indian contingent has bagged one silver medal in weightlifting so far. A month before the Tokyo Olympics began, from Mia to Omega, brands in India launched an array of campaigns to cheer our champions. Afterall, we have one of the largest contingents this time with 120 athletes from 85 disciplines and brands have followed suit by ensuring that they leave no stone unturned to support their athletes. The once-in-a-four-year summer tournament has attracted sponsorships from across categories. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has signed Edelweiss, INOX Group, Nippon Paint, Amul, Raymond, JSW Group, MPL Sports Foundation and Raymond as sponsors. Oakley, Mia by Tanishq, Visa India, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Puma India and sponsors JSW, Omega, BridgeStone and Rin have launched ads to celebrate the journeys of different athletes. After Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, according to her management company IOS Sports &amp; Entertainment, quite a few brands rushed to get her onboard. She created history by becoming the first Indian weightlifter to win the silver medal at the Olympic Games. Chanu also became the first Indian to win an Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the Women's 49 kg category. As per media reports, brands across categories like nutrition, sports brands, personal care, beverage and regional brands wanted to onboard the 26-year-old weightlifter as their brand ambassador for campaigns and long-term digital associations. So far, Chanu has partnered with Adidas and Mobil oil. After another silver feather in her cap, her endorsement fee is also expected to double. Shortly after her win, she was also offered free pizza for life by Domino's and the brand garnered a lot of attention from the press and the internet for this gesture. <div type="twitter" handle="dominos_india" handlename="dominos_india" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1074660192883621888/XRjWNq8A_normal.jpg" favoritecount="544" retweetcount="82" status="@gitartha_k Aapne kaha, aur humne sunn liya 🙏 We never want @mirabai_chanu to wait to eat 🍕 again so we’re treatin… https://t.co/PMvPfCa9NP" createdat="1627135343000" id="1418934590950027269"></div> This reflects how brands in India are desperate to associate with budding sports stars and are ready to jump on any opportunity that helps them stay relevant. However, the situation was a little different on social media. Brands of all kinds and sizes did celebrate her win but the focus was on their products and services and not on Chanu’s feat. A few internet users called out the brands that made Chanu’s win all about themselves. <div type="twitter" handle="hoopdoge" handlename="sluggy⁷ˎˊ˗ ᴮᴱ" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1411314545159643138/LdQljHq3_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="In other words, here’s about a bunch of brands made the occasion all about themselves 🤙 https://t.co/1QkRxDpM45" createdat="1627207615000" id="1419237720539295751"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="manishkalghatgi" handlename="Manish Kalghatgi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134699965853437952/QChverfJ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Do any of these capture your imagination? Are the brands inserting themselves into the moment with any impact? https://t.co/Vz7SXEvrq3" createdat="1627207149000" id="1419235766954123272"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="narayananh" handlename="Narayanan Hariharan" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/755719421860065281/a6WLbNYx_normal.jpg" favoritecount="8" retweetcount="1" status="Did they really celebrate #MirabaiChanu's victory? Doesn't appear so.It was all about their respective brands. https://t.co/HWzyti1v0D" createdat="1627206944000" id="1419234908057194496"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="aniketchitnawis" handlename="Aniket" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1253988807331901445/Dx-Hh7Yf_normal.jpg" favoritecount="67" retweetcount="11" status="aka they totally made it about themselves https://t.co/w0ZjrBNXCw" createdat="1627204097000" id="1419222966215213061"></div> Comedian Varun Nair also uploaded an Instagram Reel showcasing how some brands leveraged Mirabai Chanu's win with poor moment-marketing skills. His caption read, “It seems that Athlete ka achievement celebrate karna aur khudka dhandha should go hand in hand.” <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Albeit, there were a few brands like Dunzo and Amul, who have mastered the art of moment marketing, that kept champion Chanu’s victory first and gained a lot of appreciation from their consumers. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> When it comes to moment marketing, the most important factor is time. It is crucial for brands to churn out their creative before the trend dies. However, in order to meet deadlines and be a part of a trend, if they somehow forget to include the subject of the trend, they might as well stay mum. When it comes to Indian Premier League, the focus in brand campaigns and social media creatives is on Virat Kohli’s sixers or Mumbai Indian’s win. So, why are we not following the same rules for Tokyo Olympics? Advertising folks shared their thoughts on how to find the right balance between being a part of a social media moment and not making it all about yourself. Here’s what they had to say: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Suveer Bajaj, Co-founder of Zoo Media &amp; FoxyMoron:" text="Suveer Bajaj, Co-founder of Zoo Media &amp; FoxyMoron:">Suveer Bajaj, Co-founder of Zoo Media &amp; FoxyMoron:</cmsannotation> It is great to see that brands are recognizing and appreciating sports beyond cricket. However, the focus needs to be on celebrating the athlete and the sport in question, as opposed to exploring yet another window of opportunity for product placement. Integrating a product into generic occasions such as Mother’s Day or Diwali is expected since the objective is to showcase how a particular brand of sweet or confectionery item can further uplift personal celebration. But in the case of special and specific events such as the Olympics, the larger narrative leans towards commemorating a shared national success, bringing the country together. Brands who are looking to capitalize on these fluid moments, are aiming to be a part of a trending conversation in the country. In addition to solidifying their support for the athletes, they want to gain visibility, build relevance with the audience, and create top of mind recall for themselves. It is a mark of upstanding creativity on the part of the brand when they can seamlessly integrate themselves into these conversations. Certain brands like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtRwQ9J9iN/" target="_blank">OBL Tiles</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRt0ADFisa-/" target="_blank">Real Juices</a> have paid homage to Mirabai Chanu in an admirable way, by leveraging moment marketing smartly instead of simply looking at ways to superimpose the product in the post. Collectively, brands and creative agencies need to focus on celebrating the spirit of India and what it means for us as a country as opposed to the brand. When the association is slightly more refined and thoughtful, it will resonate with the audience and build engagement. In India, cricket is a religion. Thus automatically, the awareness about the sport, and its subsequent reach and engagement is very high. When brands associate themselves with Cricket and its players, they are hoping to piggy-back not only on the credibility of the players but also on the prestige that the sport enjoys in our country. While other sports such as weightlifting, badminton, archery are gaining momentum and popularity, it is still a far cry from Cricket. Thus, if brands want to adopt this narrative, they will have to create heroes in order to do so. For Olympic sports, the objective then transforms to uplifting the athletes and the sport. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Dentsu Webchutney's P.G Aditya, Pragya Sarin, Stuti Sudha, Benedict Gershom and Kushal Lalvani:" text="Dentsu Webchutney's P.G Aditya, Pragya Sarin, Stuti Sudha, Benedict Gershom and Kushal Lalvani:">Dentsu Webchutney's P.G Aditya, Pragya Sarin, Stuti Sudha, Benedict Gershom and Kushal Lalvani:</cmsannotation> The issue of ‘brands making moments about themselves’ isn’t new. In fact, when done tastefully and consistently, it’s even become part of culture (looking at you, Amul!). But it’s not scaled well on the internet. In the early 2010s, commenting on real-time events was novel, so even doing the bare minimum felt enough as long as you were capturing the moment. But latching onto trends, just to catch that inevitable spike in engagement, is still one of the most common false positives which brands that don’t have social/digital as a focus area tend to fall for. So, how do you not make it about yourself? By not making it about yourself. Simple. When you don’t use the athlete to talk about your brand, and instead, use the power and reach of your brand to hype the athlete/sport, the creative opportunities are endless: maybe change your DP to the athlete’s for a day, slide into their DM and congratulate them personally, or even more, remove the ‘end’ from the ‘trend’ and help sustain the conversation by supporting the sport altogether. One brand that’s led by example for this is OYO (their print ad that syncs your calendar to the games is only the latest in a series of campaigns where they’ve prioritized being a fan, before being a brand). But if you’re thinking “I’m not a sports brand. What legitimate value does endorsing/supporting a sport or an athlete add to my brand?”, there’s nothing criminal about that line of thinking too. Just don’t do the bare minimum creatively and congratulate yourself over false positives. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rajeesh Rajagopalan, National Business Head- Grapes Digital:" text="Rajeesh Rajagopalan, National Business Head- Grapes Digital:">Rajeesh Rajagopalan, National Business Head- Grapes Digital: </cmsannotation> Some of the ads are interesting, and some seem to be riding the wave. When brands do moment marketing, the intent is to celebrate these athletes. Some of the brands get this right, but some got lost in the crowd. The key to any moment marketing campaign, be it sports or some other topic- is weaving a story with the brand values and not being in your face or doing a sales push. The brand that has been acting moment marketing is Amul, way before social media even existed. When we talk about an IPL team or a player from the cricket team acknowledged, we get to know a lot about the player, their personalities, their image, which becomes easier to draw a reference from their personality and weave it into a moment marketing post. Imagine doing that with an athlete about whom brands know nothing? The struggle in front of brands remains in what form the personality must represent in their brand value. So, most brands end up doing generic posts, which merely look like it is all about them and not about the athlete. I think brands need to do a lot more homework when they congratulate an athlete. Otherwise, a simple congratulations post would look better. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Akshara Vasavda, Creative Lead, Schbang:" text="Akshara Vasavda, Creative Lead, Schbang:">Akshara Vasavda, Creative Lead, Schbang:</cmsannotation> This is the lowest hanging fruit and a pick your battles situation. Brands do topicals for every single thing, and Olympics as a whole are considered moment marketing - whatever happens within Olympics, especially with Indian players, becomes a moment to capitalise. ‘Capitalise’ is the operating word. Very few brands actually manage to come up with something creative, seamless, and impactful enough to actually mean something when it comes to ‘topicals’. Just scroll past it, unless you see something that strikes you visually or creatively. As far as I know, IPL is treated the same way, except there’s way more audience awareness so there’s more opportunity to do layered communication and bank on the audience to ‘get it’. That’s just my personal understanding! <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="84678943" title="With rising COVID-19 cases associated with the Olympic Games, will brands get the most bang for their buck?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

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