BENGALURU: A little over four years after PUMA laced up with Team India captain Virat Kohli on an eight-year endorsement deal worth a record-busting Rs 1.1 billion, the global sports brand Tuesday signed a strategic long-term partnership with his Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, as official kit partner for the upcoming IPL season and beyond.
While neither the duration of the agreement nor financial terms were disclosed, media reports indicate that a three-year contract has been inked.
While the deal makes PUMA the only global sports brand to currently be associated with an IPL team, it stands to reason that having made the decision to link up in this manner with the world’s richest annual cricket property, RCB was the natural choice for the German sportswear company. As was noted in the official press release, PUMA’s on-going association with the RCB team captain and the success of the Kohli-fronted PUMA one8 “makes this partnership a natural progression for the brand”.
“We are excited to partner with RCB, one of the most popular teams in the Indian Premier League. Our similar brand ethos coupled with the team’s growing fan base and extensive social following makes RCB our ideal partner on the cricket pitch,” Abhishek Ganguly, managing director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia. “Over the last few months, sport has had a positive influence by bringing about a sense of cheer among our consumers. With more people playing and following their favourite game, the culture of sport will definitely strengthen and evolve further. We are committed to fuelling this passion by continuing to invest in the right products, partners and players in the sporting ecosystem.”
Ganguly further told Business Insider India: “The team merchandise market is pretty restricted. Today it’s a Rs 50-60 crore (Rs 500-600 million) market and we believe our association can substantially add to this even in the first year.”
Kohli added: “It’s great to welcome PUMA to the RCB family! A global brand with a strong sporting vision and great quality products, their extensive distribution network through offline and online channels will ensure fans have access to RCB merchandise across the country. Over the years, I’ve had a great experience working with the brand and I’m excited to see PUMA extend its partnership with the team that I play for.”
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. Underlining both brands commitment to elevate the partnership beyond a traditional sports sponsorship model, the collection will also includes a fanwear range of polo tees, shorts, pants, flipflops and caps.
Speaking about RCB’s partnership with PUMA, Rajesh V Menon, vice president & head of RCB said: “RCB’s ethos is to embody the philosophy of #PLAYBOLD and truly embrace the challenger spirit in all that we do as a cricket team, a brand and business. RCB is delighted to associate with Puma, the only global sports brand associated with a T20 franchise, as our official kit partners. Both RCB and PUMA have common sensibilities and have built on a strong lifestyle proposition. We are positive that with PUMA’s marketing capabilities, fans will have access to not only great merchandise but also some very interesting activations and engagements through the IPL season and beyond.”
RCB merchandise will be available at all PUMA stores, on puma.com RCB website, mobile app and the RCB Bar & Café from the first week of April.
