WHILE Venky’s has had a traditionally unorthodox approach to Sponsorship from an Indian perspective, there are other Sponsors who historically have been, and currently are still somewhat involved in cricket, and also remain entrenched in marketing strategies that have an inward-outward sponsorship balance approach. These are instantly recognizable brands that have a significant market share in their respective products, and are also seasoned in evaluating the changing valuations & popularity of sports.
It is these Sponsors who have undertaken an effort to find brand dissemination through sports and properties with a more affordable price floor, and over time, a higher potential ceiling for returns to sponsorship money. From their perspective GBRI parameters are likely more relevant now, and cricket may not feature too prominently in their Sponsorship plans.
From that perspective, there are sports that are likely to improve Sponsors’ GBRI parameters, and on occasion, India is the nucleus/target market for the sports’ promoters. Such sports properties promote the sport in India, have a global footprint through international events & the Olympics, and above all else, fill a void in advertising space without emptying one’s pockets. Increasingly however, they are setting out the blueprint for getting global footprints in Indian properties. A perfect example of an affordable property in a sport that is likely to build a Sponsors’ GBRI is the Hero Hockey India League.
While cricket now has a ways to go before it’s even considered a global sport in the absence of the Olympics participation, there are other sports that not only have a semi-global presence, but they also target countries/continents that potential Sponsors could one day want to have a marketing strategy for. Bharti Airtel and Hero MotoCorp are two of the most respected corporations in India, and when it comes to sports, as Sponsors they have a uniquely expansive brand dissemination quotient.
Airtel has involved itself with global properties such as football and has increased its sponsorship of global properties such as marathons, and the EPL. Recently, it came on board as the associate sponsor for the Hero Hockey India League, a property that is likely to become a mainstay over the years.
Hero MotoCorp has of course been involved with Hockey for a while, but it’s now that its involvement in both club and country Hockey is starting to become its mainstay. As the global sponsor for FIH, and the title sponsor of the Hockey India League, Hero MotoCorp will now have a global footprint in a sport that is clearly India-focused.
Take the example of the Hero World League Round 2 – it isn’t often that a sport that is on its renaissance tour has as diverse a participation band as Japan, Oman, Kazakhstan, Russia, Malaysia, Ireland and China – for a qualifying tournament at that!
And with its deep and age-old involvement in Golf which is now set to become an Olympic sport, these are two sports that are value for money investments. Should it desire at some point to target its core business competency, Hero MotoCorp would be well-placed to tap into a target demographic where F-1 and MotoGP are being ably led by the successful BIC events owned by Jaypee. India has great golfers, and now it has extremely talented racing drivers both at the F-1 level in Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim and Karun Chandhok, as well as at the Karting level in Jehan Daruvala and the Maini brothers. Even Captain Cool (or “Mad Max” as he is known after his whirlwind double century) has his own motorbike team, so the rest of us can’t be far behind in realizing its potential.
The Sponsors’ successful strategies could be because they lend their brand to properties solely as Sponsors, and some of the success could be because they have built credible reputations for leveraging the return to sponsorship in any property that they support. Not surprisingly they at times support the same sports events, and similar sports. They are looking outwards without compromising on the quality of the sports events that they support in India, and in this tightening economy, they are finding a global stamp while reducing the cost implications of supporting pricey properties. Perhaps in the future they might look at football, motor racing, basketball or tennis, but the fact is that the global footprint starts at home, and when it comes to leading from the front in Sponsorships, it’s hard to question the strategies employed by Hero MotoCorp, Airtel, and to a slightly lesser extent, Venky’s. Smart strategies at a cost-effective price and with a sprinkle of good luck: it seems the icing is often the most lucrative part of the symbolic pie.
