The Hindu Business Line : Cricket is still the best platform for advertisers

New Delhi, Dec. 15 India’s recent run of victories in cricket is making the broadcasters smile once again. Neo Sports is hoping to up its rates when the audience ratings come in, says Mr Abhishek Verma, Head (Marketing and Communications), Neo Sports.

Having quoted Rs 80,000 a spot and sold 70 per cent of its inventory, Neo is hoping to do much better selling the Mohali Test to be held on December 19.

For Royal Bank of Scotland cricket was the best platform to announce that it was ready for business in India.

It signed up Sachin Tendulkar as brand endorser.

“Sports came through as a clear winner as a means to target our audience which is predominantly male, and in India there is that compares to cricket in terms of viewer involvement,” said Mr Vasantha Kumar, Head Marketing and Communication, RBS India, sponsors of the India-England Test series. Aviva Life Insurance, too, has Sachin as its mascot and has been cashing in on cricket.

“Cricket cuts across India’s demographics and regions, unlike GEC channels, and will continue to be a great option,” said Mr Vishal Gupta, Director-Marketing, Aviva Life Insurance.

Cricket is also coming to terms with the new economic situation. While negotiations were on for the now-postponed Champions League, the rates came down by nearly 15-20 per cent, according to industry sources.

“People should look at their investment more closely even if rates come down. This is an opportunity for brands to look at associating with the game long term, and make strategic investment for less,” said Mr Mahesh Ranka, GM, Relay Worldwide the sponsorship marketing consultancy. Neo is looking at Rs 285-295 crore in advertising earnings from the October-December cricket season.

Ms Mona Jain, Head, Strategic Investments, India Media Exchange, says cricket hasn’t been as impacted by the fragmentation of the general entertainment channels’ audience.

“Demand isn’t as high, and there is a pressure on rates. But FMCG companies, such as Nestle, for example, would look at cricket strategically, for its sheer viewership numbers.”