The Hindu Business Line : Nike is Indian cricket team's official kit sponsor

THE Indian cricket team's official kit sponsor is the US-based Nike. Its bid was for Rs 196.66 crore. The new contract is for a period of five years beginning January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010, and will be carried through to the next World Cup in 2007.

The others in the fray were Adidas and Reebok who bid Rs 127.5 crore and Rs 119.48 crore respectively.

Winning the official kit sponsorship entitles Nike to get branding on the non-leading arm of the player's outfit.

"Offering unprecedented brand exposure at all matches played by the Indian cricket team, the company will feed off the popularity of the player, the team and the actual sport itself. The same company will also be the official licensee for apparel merchandise for the BCCI. They will also be entitled to retail merchandise at branded outlets and BCCI corners," a press release said.

"BCCI will now be adding value to its portfolio of marketable properties by adding an official kit supplier to the Indian team," the release said, quoting Mr Lalit Modi, Vice-President, BCCI.

As the official licensee for apparel merchandise of Cricket India, Nike will actively market replicas of the Indian team kit through its vast distribution network in India and abroad.

Our New Delhi Bureau adds: On winning the contract as the official kit supplier to the Indian cricket team from BCCI, Mr Peter Bratschi, Nike's Sports Marketing Director for Asia Pacific, said, "This is truly a defining moment for Nike as this is our first step towards demonstrating our commitment to India and the game of cricket."

Adidas, which has Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra as its brand ambassadors, however, does not seem perturbed by the fact that the Nike cricket team endorsement could possibly become an issue of conflict.

Mr Andreas Gellner, Managing Director, Adidas India said, "We see no conflict of interest. Our cricket ambassadors will continue wearing our footwear. We have a strong and clear strategy and will stick to cricket for our brand ambassadors. Adidas would continue being the leading sports brand in India and the cricket brand world over. I don't see any changes in our strategy in the near future."

More Stories on : Promotions & Offers | Sports

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page