The Hindu Business Line : ‘Creating a fan base is crucial’

The road to the Indian Premier League tournament has been a “speedy roller coaster”… a “juggernaut” of sorts, says Charu Sharma, just a few days before all the action began on field. The CEO of the Bangalore team, RoyalChallengers, Sharma says the IPL concept has drawn people to it like a “giant magnet.”

Whether you subscribe to the concept or not, the IPL has definitely managed to create great curiosity and following among cynics and believers alike. Obviously passionate about the concept and his team, Sharma gushes excitedly: “It’s a pioneering new exciting thing. All the world’s eyes are on India.”

Brands in the making?

But will the twenty-20 format and the IPL in particular ever attain iconic status, the kind the one-day international format has reached? Sharma believes it will. He explains: “How did the one-day concept come into existence? Out of necessity. With Test matches getting rained out, people were getting bored. The duration of the Test match did not lend itself well to quick results. This prompted the emergence of the one-day game. And now its popularity is affirmed. The Packer rebel series was a landmark event in cricketing history. But it’s taken one-day games several years to achieve this cult status.” Similarly, the 20-20 format, Sharma says, will gain credence and acceptance.

The priority within the IPL is to make it a branding success. And the creation of the league system, which boasts of names like the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Kings X1 Punjab – backed by big money, Bollywood and all the associated glamour, is obviously an attempt at that.

Whether it is the promo videos, ad campaigns or Shah Rukh Khan’s animated celebration and Preity Zinta’s presence, not to mention cheerleaders in varied hues, all marketing is geared towards making the leagues brands in themselves.

“Why should the average Indian sports fan know of the Dallas Cowboys? Yet, he does. That’s the power of the Cowboys brand,” explains Sharma. So, the day will come when even the international sports fan is aware of say the Royal Challengers for instance, he adds. Not an easy task … May even seem improbable to some, but that’s the strong hope that everyone who put his or her money in the IPL would need to hold!

Sustaining interest

There is great awareness among people who are closely following the IPL, says Sharma. But the key is in “keeping interest around the leagues and the format alive through the year,” so as to take it to the next level of popularity, he says. The thrust should be on whipping up enough spectator frenzy. “Twenty-20 is a spectator sport and connecting with the fans and creating a fan base is crucial,” says Sharma.

So, how long before the IPL achieves worldwide ‘brand’ recognition and status like the English Premier League? Sharma chuckles, before he literally implores: “Brands are not built overnight. It took the Tatas years and years to attain the brand status that they have today. But today’s is a fast food generation which wants quick results … it’s an impatient generation.” Didn’t the 20-20 achieve rapid success in its very first venture itself, the World Cup, reminds Sharma. So, the IPL too will see spectacular success. But people have to give it the time it needs to blossom, he adds.

Too much talk about branding and marketing and Sharma suddenly becomes conscious. He hastens to emphasise that the IPL is still about the game. “We are not ignoring the game amid all the marketing and hype. The IPL is all about the game, performance, winning and leading from the front. The game is still no. 1. Everything else is very welcome and a fabulous add-on,” signs off Sharma.