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By Vikram Chopra
According to psychologists like Shirley Wang, there are eight different motivations for people to love sports. Out of which, two stand out – it is a venue for emotional expression and provides a sense of belonging, a connection to a wider world. This explains why, for a fan, their team losing feels like a personal loss. The world of sports fully engages its audience and keeps them coming back for more. For instance, with 2.5 billion followers worldwide, cricket seems to have bewitched its audience. In India, post the introduction of IPL in 2008 to now, the viewership has increased from 100 million to a whopping 450 million. A no-brainer for any marketer, brands have hit the proverbial “nail on the head” by endorsing, sponsoring, or partnering with IPL teams which have gotten them right where they want to be – in the eyes of their audience.
A recent report featured on Business Insider stated that 9 out of 10 Indians watch cricket, and even though cricket has a massive fan base of 124 million, one cannot dismiss the impact of other sports. Since its inception in 2014, the Pro Kabbadi League has quickly emerged as the second most-watched sport in India with 28 million viewers where multiple brands like VIVO, Tata Motors, BYJUs, and more, were able to capture the audience’s attention. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 too proved to be a fruitful journey for Indian athletes such as Neeraj Chopra who won India’s first-ever gold in Javelin, here, brands like TATA AIA Life were quick to jump on the opportunity to rope in Chopra as their brand ambassador.
Currently, countless brands eagerly endorse or partner with sports, athletes, and health & fitness centers. A befitting example of this would be CARS24 becoming the new Principal Sponsor for one of the franchisees of TATA IPL 2022 – Sunrisers Hyderabad, making it the first and only pre-owned car brand to do so. This allows the company to impart its ethos to the audience and establish its brand purpose within viewers. Recently, Guaraná Antarctica, a prominent soda brand in Brazil, won a Cannes Lion – Silver for conceptualizing a high-impact campaign by partnering with the National Women’s Soccer League. Their goal was simple; to pass a bill that fights for equal prize money in sports.
The brand targeted the policymakers and the viewers of the biggest sporting event – the Olympics. The campaign spread like wildfire, creating a massive impact and awareness for female soccer. It earned millions of impressions resulting in ground-breaking impact, raising enough funds to cover the pay gap and managed to bring a revolutionary change by getting Congress to approve the said bill. Guaraná Antarctica left a tremendous impression on the world and brought about a change that fought for a greater cause.
Another great example of how strongly sports can influence a large community, or business can be seen in the popular ‘Coca-Cola & Cristiano Ronaldo’ situation in the Euro 2020 post-match conference. Ronaldo – one of the most decorated footballers in the world; just removing two bottles of Coca-Cola from his table created a monumental change, slashing the company’s market value by $4 billion overnight!
Sports create ample opportunities for brands to spread their message to viewers. Their dedicated fan base has a large potential to shape brand ethos and establish a larger narrative.
Being associated with sports, enables brands to create a larger outreach for its audience and leverage their passion for the game. We have witnessed companies across the Auto, Entertainment, FMCG, and tech industries, among others, using the power of sports and leaving an impact. This leaves us with a brewing question – Have Indian brands truly unlocked the true potential of sports?
The views expressed by the writer are personal
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