Pinch Hitter

IPL arrives in style

So that promise of sizzling dances, bubble acts, rappling artistes, stilt walkers and sexy cheerleaders was not just a talk! The Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore had more than all this on the ground. Going by what one saw during the opening ceremony on SET MAX and the initial few overs played between Shahrukh Khan’s Knight Riders and Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challngers, one can say with some confidence that it is less likely that BCCI’s experiment with the extension of its core offering will go wrong. Nobody would have missed the cheering crowds that filled the stadium. Whoever said ticket sales were subdued! Whether TV viewership was in accordance or not will soon be known. But it seems unlikely that it will be less than expected. Sponsors and advertisers, specially those who got on board early and managed to get good deals, must be applauding themselves. (am sure nobody would have missed new godrej ad and the logo. So IPL was the reason they delayed the unveiling of the logo. But the wait was worth it, it seems). 

One more thing before I sign off. After seeing the first day’s show, does anybody still have any doubts on whether IPL was a good investment for franchises? If yes, consider the following: DLF has paid IPL Rs200 crore for title sponsorship for the next five years. Vijay Mallya has spent around Rs450 crore in buying his team, over Rs 3 crore on gathering the players and an additional Rs 5 crore on putting the show together. He would have spent some more on getting a coach for the team, and making other arrangements. So let’s assume he’s spent around Rs500 crore on the whole gig. Now compare this with DLF’s Rs200 crore investment for the next five years and Mallya’s Rs500 crore for eternity. What DLF has got from this investment is just a sponsorship. And what does the sponsorship stand for--marketing mileage. Mallya, through his investment, has not only created a property that he can milk through various ways (ticket sales, team sponsorships, merchandise and not to forget the share in BCCI’s earnings), he is also going to get a branding and marketing advantage that will be much bigger than what DLF will get through its Rs200 crore investment. Did you see the number of times Kingfisher logo was seen on the screen today? There were 12 players wearing the logo on their arms, chest and back and they were present on the screen all along. Then, the name of his team itself is Royal Challenger-- another one of his brands. Mallya was in the studios chatting with the host before the game began. And all along his conversation, he must have uttered the name Royal Challenger some 10 times. Isn't that free of cost brand communication through a platform of immense reach.

If there was some agency in the country that could measure the reach and the visibility that franchisee brands will get on ground, the whole debate of good or bad investment settle immediately.