editorial

This fortnight...
ccording to a recent report from Nielsen, Olympians dominate the top five most effective male athlete endorsers, while tennis players dominate the top five most effective female athlete endorsers and retired NFL football players constitute three of the top five most effective commentator endorsers in the US. That, unfortunately, is not the case in India if one just goes by the money spent India still does not have a reliable effectiveness index - on brand endorsers who are sportsmen. Its unimaginable to think of endorsement deals in India with sports other than cricket and to a certain extent, tennis. To repeat an oft-repeated lament, cricketers are the only sportspersons who enjoy a high patronage amongst brand marketers in our country. But it is also a fact that marketers are always scanning other sports for that elusive celebrity. There are many reasons for this. First, the non-cricket sports celebrities will come cheaper and will also be a clutter-free option for their brands given the fact that a few cricketers endorse brands in each and every category. The Olympics is one sporting event which is expected to throw up a few new names to the advertising circuit and all marketers are keeping a close watch on the biggest sporting event in the world. In this issue, we have tried to predict a few sports personalities who are expected to make it big both at the Olympics and the brand endorsement circuit. Volume 1, Issue 2
Sreekant Khandekar Prasanna Singh
ExEcUTIVE EDITOR PUBLISHER EDITOR

Prajjal Saha

SENIOR LAYOUT ARTIST

Vinay Dominic Rajesh Kanwal

LOGISTIcS

June 1-15, 2012

Volume 1, Issue 2 ` 100

Neha Arora, (0120) 4077866, 4077837 Noida Khushboo Varadkar, (022) 40429702-5 Mumbai mktg@afaqs.com B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. Tel: (0120) 4077800. 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400050 Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 S-1, New Bridge Corporate Centre, 777 D, 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar, Bengaluru - 560038, India Garima Agnihotri, (0120) 4077837 subscriptions@afaqs.com Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and Printed and published by Prasanna Singh, at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110 063. Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-62/14, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi 110028.
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Look inside for the sportspersons who could become star endorsers after the London Olympics.

26
29 32

34

12 8

22

PLUS
satyameva jayate

Beginners Luck?
sab tv

No Laughing Matter
ipsos survey profile times of india defining moments

Sex and the Cellphone 33

ram

Bates new CEO has his work cut out.

Sanjay Thapar

Jam Sessions

A traffic-stopping commercial for Kerala.

MEC South Asias COO and her winning ways.

Shubha George

Listening Posts

35

We first spoke to the leading sports editors of the country to find out their favourites among the Indian contingent for this years London Olympics. Next, we spoke to marketers, agency heads and celebrity managers asking them to rate the shortlisted sports personalities and their brand endorsement prospects. These players were then judged on parameters like appearance, life story and background. What is interesting is that the quality of metal gold, silver, bronze did not matter. All marketers want is that they should make it to the medals chart. The buzz will follow.

Prajjal Saha prajjal.saha@afaqs.com

contents

40
frOOti

42
All Over the Place
The mission is to make the drink omnipresent this summer.

PLUS
POrtfOliO nights

Building Characters Girl Power A New Newspaper Facing Facts Change the Game Getaway Time
9xm zaPak-PePsi facebOOk firstPOst.cOm micrOmax

10

15

interview

Kent Wertime
POv

14
havells ashOk leyland

10

15

Go faster on digital, urges Ogilvy Asia-Pacifics COO.

16

30 Notoriety and Fame

19

As brands take on controversial Lost Between Fans stars, is the line between fame The brands usage of Rajesh Khanna raises questions. and notoriety blurring?

Truckers Inc.

Going in for a pan-India approach.

43

Brand CirCuit
I

It is time for the Olympics. As the Indian athletes head for London 2012, we try and identify the future stars of the endorsement game. By Ashwini Gangal
with inputs from Anushree Bhattacharyya and Shibani Gharat

f the countrys top sports editors have got their predictions right, the London Olympics could be the best ever for India. It could turn out to be special for the number of medals the athletes are expected to rope in - after all, India is sending its largest contingent ever. When India broke its drought of an individual medal in the Olympics four years ago, a couple of names - apart from the star of the show, Abhinav Bindra - stood out. Names like Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar became household ones. But it was still cricket and tennis stars who got the bulk of the endorsement deals going around. This time, there seem to be quite a few medal hopes in various disciplines that many hope will come out of that shadow. The list includes Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling), Heena Sachdev (shooting), Krishna Punia (discus throw), Vikas Krishan (boxing), Gurmeet Singh (athletics) and Bombayala Devi (archery). However, the big five names (they got the maximum votes from the sports editors) are five-time world boxing champion, Mary Kom; the 17-year old nemesis of Korean archers, Deepika Kumari; CWG shooting hero Gagan Narang; blue-blooded shooter Ronjan Sodhi and the young, aggressive boxer, Shiva Thapa.

Mary KoM

29-year-old Boxer, Manipur

AchievementS: First woman boxer from India to win 5 world titles consecutively. Has more than 3 Asian titles and 11 national titles to her merit.
gogol

Skill SetS: Ability to transcend categories; can tackle bigger opponents with ease.

RA

n d po
ntiAl te
6/10

cAtegoRy fit: Milk based nutrition products, womens health products, feminist brands, radical off beat brands, child nutrition, milk-based beverages, glucose biscuits, energy drinks. for: life story; genre of sports AgAinSt: limited reach (North East); not polished, over exposure in Media

Endorsement Potential: `75-90 lakh

afaqs! Reporter, June 1-15, 2 0 1 2

FotocorP

deepiKa KuMari
Skill SetS: composure, good temperament. AchievementS: two gold medals (individual & team) at commonwealth games, 2010.

17-year-old archer, JharKhand

GaGan naranG

29-year-old Shooter, hyderaBad

ronJan Sodhi

33-year-old Shooter, punJaB

RA

n d po
ntiAl te
6/10

Skill SetS: Precision, is a perfectionist, ability to focus in adverse circumstances AchievementS: Won four gold medals in the 2010 cWg. cAtegoRy fit: Formal wear, insurance brands, telecom brands, SUVs, laptops and computers, premium brands, patriotic brands lIc, home-grown banks, finance companies foR: Mannerism AgAinSt: No regional appeal; genre of sports

Skill SetS: technically correct, great temperament under pressure AchievementS: two silver medals in 2010 cWg and a gold medal at the 2010 Asian games. rank holder in International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) world rankings. cAtegoRy fit: Nutrition brands, educationrelated brands, masculine brands (denim, shaving products, strong deodorants), watches foR: Mannerism, education, glamour quotient, lifestyle/off-field behaviour AgAinSt: genre of sports, age

gold medal at the World cup Stage-II in Antalya, turkey cAtegoRy fit: Youth brands, fairness products, education products, social causes especially girl child-related brands/campaigns foR: life story, appearance AgAinSt: lack of glamour quotient, genre of sports

RA

n d po
ntiAl te
5/10

Endorsement Potential: `40-50 lakh

Endorsement Potential: `45-50 lakh

RA

n d po
ntiAl te

5/10

Endorsement Potential: `30-40 lakh

gEttY IMAgES gEttY IMAgES FotocorP

Brand-owners and celebrity managers would probably do well to keep a close watch on these players. If they get on to the medals board, the former will be waiting at the finishing line to sign them on. afaqs! Reporter analyses each of the contenders and what makes them favourites as future brand endorsers. StoRy of youR life dvertising is all about story-telling and brand marketers look for interesting stories that they can create around these brand endorsers. So the life of these players will make their stories more saleable and convincing. Consider the potential rags-to-riches story that athletes like Deepika Kumari and Narsingh Pancham Yadav bring to the table. The daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver, Deepika comes from a poor family in Ranchi that had to compromise on the family budget in order to support her training. Deepika, who made her bows and arrows with bamboos and had mangoes for targets, stands for resilience, courage and a never-say-die attitude. Similarly, Narsingh Pancham Yadav, a wrestler from UP, is the son of a milk distributor and his mother manages their farm in Varanasi. Any visualiser or brand strategist worth his salt would be able to see the marketing potential in such stories that a brand can successfully leverage. The human-interest angle is something brands can play up in their communication because this can help strike an emotional connect with the consumers. Jitender Dabas, executive vice president (planning), McCann Erickson, explains why consumers buy into the real hero story. Brands want to celebrate that heroism, he explains. They do this by leveraging the plot, which could be one of several things: Being the first to win a particular medal could be one plot, a sensational comeback story could be another (the way Lance Armstrong did after battling cancer

or the way Yuvraj Singh is likely to do soon). Being a hero in the face of adversity is another plot that a brand can use by spelling out how the person made it big against all odds, the small town guy making it big is one more and a very young person winning big at the Olympics could be yet another. Every myth of the hero brings out a certain character and brands associate themselves with these characters, adds Dabas. It is not just the and-theylived-happily-afterward-ending that works in the advertising circuit. For instance, Ronjan Sodhis royal lineage can also make for an interesting story.

The human-interest angle is something brands can play up in their communication because this can help strike an emotional connect with the consumers.

AppeARAnce fee he looks, the glamour quotient and the gender of the sportsperson play a very important role in the brand endorsement circuit. Which is probably why Vijender Singh performed better in the advertising circuit than his fellow Olympians or why tennis star Sania Mirza stayed high on the top charts in spite of her inconsistent performance. Apparently, at one point in time Mirza endorsed five brands at a fee of `1 crore even when her world ranking was lower than No 40. In todays marketing era, presentation and packaging hold an important place and so the physical appearance of the athlete plays a significant role in attracting brands. Says M Darshan, chief executive officer, Machdar Motorsports, Every sportsperson comes with a certain individual image. As against Saina Nehwal who is a more of an urban phenomenon, Mary Kom can synergise with and inspire rural people whove gone through tough times because shes got a similar story. He feels she is an ideal match for mass brands with the kind of wide reach that transcends class categories. These include both feminist brands as well as so-called patriotic brands. From Indian banks, womens health groups, sanitary napkins to home grown insurance brands, she can endorse them all because she stands for resilience,

determination and woman-power. She also has the first mover advantage because this is the first time womens boxing has been included in the Olympics. The glamour quotient is also a function of the off-field behaviour of the athlete - such as their presence and behaviour at social dos, events and shows. For instance, Ronjan Sodhi is known to live life king-size. Though he is not much of a looker, this ought to count in the world of brands - for high end ones at least. Besides appearance and persona, from a brand marketing perspective, a large part of an athletes aura is his or her ability to communicate well in English. Premium brands tend to be skewed towards the polished lot.

Shiva thapa

18-year-old Boxer, aSSaM

Skill SetS: light on feet, good footwork; strong attacking instinct AchievementS: Youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the olympics, silver n d po medal in the Youth olympics. RA cAtegoRy fit: Soft drinks, 5/10 bikes, fashion accessories, energy drinks. foR: Youth, genre of sports, aggressive image AgAinSt: Army background could lead to permission issues; reach limited to North East; not polished
B

a chord. So while the consumers may like Mary Kom the person, they may not relate to the sport she represents. People may be able to reciprocate by relating to her at a psychological level but not with her sport. So from the point of view of impact, her influence wont go to the next level, cautions Habibullah. locAl vS nAtionAl ndearing as it is, the human interest touch is not all a brand ought to look at. One other important factor is the kind of reach or influence the athlete can have. One way of looking at it would be slot them according to the socioeconomic class they represent. Going by that logic, Deepika Kumari and Shiva Thapa look like ideal ambassadors for tier 2 and 3 towns or rural zones, given their roots. But theres more to it than just social strata. Geography plays an equally important role. Athletes like Deepika and Shiva have a strong regional pull, especially in Jharkhand and the North East, respectively. These are the main buckets where their sport (boxing) has developed in India. Says Cajetan Vaz, an independent brand consultant, Sportspersons like these would

ntiAl te

the SpoRt itSelf he glamour quotient of the sportsperson is not solely dependent on individual attributes. Its got a lot to do with the genre of sports as well. Boxing, for instance, is perceived as more glamorous than shooting, says Indranil Das Blah chief operating officer, KWAN Entertainment and Marketing Solutions. Depending on the category that the brand operates in, the genre of the sport becomes important. For instance some brands may gravitate more towards softer sports like swimming or precision sports like shooting over violent games like wrestling or boxing. Ex-Olympian Hakimuddin Habibullah (the former swimmer who is a sports consultant now) says, Sports like rifle shooting, wrestling and boxing may be viewed as having a streak of violence. The genre of the sport also creates a background for the sportsperson. Theres an evident divide between the shooters and the boxers or wrestlers. Shooters invariably hail from affluent families as opposed to boxers or wrestlers who are more often

Endorsement Potential: `30-40 lakh

the darK horSeS

ARcheRy Bombayala Devi, chekrovolu Swuro, Jayanta talukdar

Boxing Devendro Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vikas Krishan

AthleticS gurmeet Singh (Walk), Krishna Punia, Seema Antil and Vikas gowda (Discus throw)

Shooting Heena Sachdev

WReStling Narsingh Yadav, Yogeshwar Dutt

than not from less privileged rural homes. Neerav Tomar, managing director and chief executive officer, IOS (Infinity Optimal Solutions) Sports and Entertainment, says, Shooting is like golf - the equipment is expensive and is almost always imported. Boxers, very often, come from poorer backgrounds. Wealthy urban families normally dont want their children to get into such hard-core, physically demanding games. And it is not true just in India. Globally, too, boxers come from humbler backgrounds compared to the rest of the athletes. Another related factor is the popularity level of the discipline. Athletes belonging to mediafriendly sports like badminton have an obvious edge over other less entertaining games like chess or rifle shooting when it comes to bagging endorsement deals. If the sport is visible in the media only during the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, then the longevity of the athletes brand value tends to drop and they find it hard to sustain their brand potential over time. The sport should have activation potential or windows of opportunity by being visible in the media or on screen. Brands can then monetise these, says an independent brand consultant. One other important aspect that makes an athlete more brand-friendly is the impact-level or inspiration power of his or her sport. This means that the likelihood of audiences taking up that sport after watching it is more. Experts call this the ability of a sport or athlete to inspire mass participation. If the sport itself has a very small consumer or participation base, so will the ambassador from that sport. Niche, low impact sports, may or may not generate consumer participation depending upon the sport itself even though the athlete may strike

The human interest angle is not all that a brand ought to look at. One other important factor is the kind of reach or influence the athlete can have.
not be attractive propositions for large national brands. Regional brands, however, might find them affordable and relevant to their home state and consumers. So though he comes from a well to do family, Ronjan Sodhis brand potential for a national brand may be limited but he may be a very viable ambassador for a brand targeted at hardcore Punjabi households. While rural audiences may find it easy to relate to athletes with similar roots, it is the relevance of the ambassador that counts more than rich versus poor, premium versus popular or mass versus class, says Jagdeep Kapoor, managing director, Samsika Marketing Consultants. It finally boils down to the performance on the day. August could turn out be a busy month for both athletes and brand managers as the dust of the Olympics settles and the winners are announced. Save this issue to see if any of the above predictions come true. n
ashwini.gangal@afaqs.com

gEttY IMAgES

Based on additional interviews with: Akash Goswami, Times Now; Bobilli Vijaykumar, The Times of India; Digvijay Singh Deo, CNNIBN; Harish Bijoor, Harish Bijoor Consults; Manisha Malhotra, Mittal Champions Trust; Mikhail Vaswani, Neo Cricket; Sandeep Dwivedi, Indian Express; Sanjeev Karan Samyal, Hindustan Times Mumbai; Sonali Chander, sports consultant; Suman Srivastava, Marketing Unplugged; Suraja Kishore, Publicis Ambience; Thomas Abraham, sportzpower.com and Vijay Tagore, DNA.