Advertisers warming up to Indian Super League

Advertisers are gradually warming up to the Indian Super League, which will kick off from October 12.

Team owners say they are in the process of closing sponsorship deals, as brands which were sitting on the fence are now looking to come on board, while others are hoping to bank on regional sponsors.

Each franchise owner has about four to five slots to rope in sponsors, which includes the front and back of the jersey and sleeves worn by the sportspersons. However, the sponsorship revenues that the teams are commanding differ from city to city. Sources said a team from Mumbai could garner sponsorship revenues of ₹12-15 crore in the first year, while others may garner ₹5-6 crore, depending on the city the franchise is representing.

Indranil Das Blah, COO, CAA-Kwan, which is involved with sponsorship deals with Mumbai City FC, said, “Advertisers who were earlier sitting on the fence are now showing interest, after the branding push that has been given to the soccer league. We have closed some sponsorship deals and in are the process of closing the others and will be making the announcements soon. Being from Mumbai gives us a huge advantage.”

Some teams have already closed deals. Atlético de Kolkata, for instance, has roped in Aircel as its principal sponsor, while Muthoot Pappachan Group is the title sponsor for Kerala Blasters FC.

Viren D’Silva, General Managers-Sports PVP, co-owners of Kerala Blasters FC, said, “While some brands are ready to take a leap of faith by investing in the sport right from the beginning, others are in the wait-and-watch mode and will look at the kind of benchmarks set by the first season. We are in talks with several Kerala brands, from spices to jewellery, which traditionally do not invest in sports.”

Vinit Karnik, National Director, Sports and Live Practice at GroupM ESP India, said brands would need to realise that their investments in the league need a long-term vision.

“The league stakeholders will need to focus on creating a loyal follower base for the sport, such as those who not only watch the league on television but also buy tickets to watch the matches in stadiums,” he added.

The glamour and glitz for soccer is building up to a level similar to the Indian Premier League. Franchise owners include cricketers, such as Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly and film actors such as Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan.

Meanwhile, at the league level, while Hero MotoCorp is the title sponsor, other brands that have come on board as sponsors include Maruti Suzuki, Puma Group, Muthoot Group and PepsiCo.

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