Big ticket brands get ready to bat in T-20 World Cup

Mumbai, May 28 Big ticket brands that stayed away from IPL-2 are now readying to use the ICC Twenty 20 World Cup platform. With ESPN Star Sports offering relatively cheaper ad rates compared to the recently concluded IPL-2, new advertisers are willing to splurge on the tournament. From automobile majors such as Tata Motors and Maruti to multinationals such as HP and Intel are some of the new advertisers that did not use the IPL platform, but will now be visible on the T-20 World Cup matches beginning June 5 in England.

Speaking to Business Line, Ms Jasmin Sohrabji, Managing Director of media agency OMD, said: “We are looking at the T-20 both in terms of making spot buys and building properties as well. We were not present in the IPL-2 as it was an expensive proposition. The ad rates for T-20 are obviously lower than the IPL and we have made client specific deals.”

While the ad rates being quoted by ESPN Star Sports stand at Rs 3.25 lakh for a 10-second spot, media buyers claim that the negotiated rates are going to be way below it, estimated to start at Rs 2.75 lakh. In fact, in IPL-2 itself the average rates were between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. OMD has already signed deals for its clients such as Parle Agro (Frooti and Appy), Intel, HP and Ambuja, which were absent from IPL-2.

Meanwhile, Lintas Media has also struck ad spot deals for its client Maruti, which did not use the IPL platform. Tata Motors will be using the T-20 platform for its commercial vehicle brands such as the Ace and the Magic. “The entry cost for IPL was high so most of our clients stayed away from the property. We got a good deal for T-20 as we signed the deal almost six months in advance when the rates were relatively low,” said a media planner from Lintas Media.

Advertisers on the verge of launching campaigns have also decided to use the T-20 as a platform. “Having not used the IPL this time, we have decided to take the T-20 platform because we are on the verge of launching a new campaign. We have become the associate sponsors for the matches being telecast on Doordarshan,” said Mr Akshay Mehrotra, Head, Marketing, Bajaj Allianz.

Battery major Eveready Industries also intends using the platform for its newly released campaign for its Ultima range of powerful batteries. “Our company had not been advertising for the past two years due to high costs. But now with our new campaign we will be visible on the T-20 matches,” says Mr Partha Biswas, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Eveready Industries.

Interestingly, the O&M-created Zoozoos for the Vodafone brand will be missing from the tournament as there would a clash with its competitor Reliance Communications which is one of the associate sponsors for the T-20 World Cup matches.