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The logo of an Indian SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) will be on the two Vodafone-sponsored McLaren Mercedes (VMM) Formula 1 race cars at the Indian Grand Prix in Noida scheduled for October 28 to 30.
The SME will be chosen through a contest ‘Vodafone Drive into the Big League' announced by the company here today.
SMEs from across India will be invited to participate in the contest by sending in an entry online. Enterprises with a turnover between Rs 10 crore and Rs 250 crore, and a total employee base less than 1,000, are eligible to participate.
According to Mr Naveen Chopra, Director – Enterprise and Carrier Business, Vodafone Essar, 20 applicants will be short-listed based on their growth in the last three years, and more importantly, for use of technology in driving their growth.
Short-listed enterprises will be invited to make a pitch on why their logo deserves to be on the VMM cars before a panel of judges. This segment of the contest will be televised live as an eight part series starting September. Given the nature of the content, this is expected to be on a business channel. Mr Kumar Ramanathan, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Essar, said the channel partner for the promotion was ‘not stitched as yet.'
The value of a similar logo slot on the car for the F1 race which claims to deliver 527 million viewers globally, would be €1,00,000, said Mr Chopra. The contest is part of a slew of promotions planned by the brand to leverage its association with the McLaren Mercedes F1 team. The company also announced a consumer contest ‘Race to Fame,' through which four winners will get to spend the weekend with the VMM team during the Indian Grand Prix.
On Vodafone's association with Formula 1 and how the promotions would help in India, Mr Ramanathan noted that with the youth as a demographic segment becoming significant, it was the right time to sow the seeds for a property like Formula 1.
“From a consumer stand point, when it comes to sport in India, cricket overwhelms everything. Having said that, Formula 1 is an exciting and sticky property which appeals to the youth, and we believe it will become big in India,” he surmised.
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