Category: Brands

Godrej moves beyond TVC with soaps integration

MUMBAI: The 30-sec ad has served all of us well and still continues to do so. Today, content is king, and broadcasters are trying newer ways of communication to reach consumers.

One such means is brands’ integration with broadcasters on TV shows. A case in point is the Tata Safari tie up with Colors’ for 24. With the fast changing consumer behaviors, attitudes, lifestyles and beliefs, brands along with broadcasters have realised that integration with the popular shows will help build recall value.

Recently Madison Media Ultra team partnered with national and regional broadcasters on their prime time serials and scripted Godrej product story with ongoing story line of episode. It executed this ‘epistory’ concept where they got lead characters of the show advocating the simplicity and joy of owning and using Godrej products in their day to day life.

Prime time serials, which represent the metro forward audiences, were chosen (like Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali on Life OK, Uyirmei on Zee Tamil, Parvati Parameshwara on Zee Kannada and Raage Anuraage on Zee Bangla) for the eight brand integrations in a single episode.

The eight products were – U-sonic Washing Machine, Godrej Interio Video-door phone, Godrej Interio Kreation Wardrobe, Electronic hydraulic Karbon Bed, Good Knight Fast Card, Yummiez – Mumbai Vada, Godrej Expert rich cr?me hair colour and Godrej Properties.

Godrej Group head – strategic marketing Shireesh Joshi said, “There are two core objectives behind the brand integration. One, it wants people to recognise that Godrej has the most comprehensive range of modern products that takes into account their lifestyle needs. For that we need to ensure that multiple Godrej examples get shown on television.”

Secondly, it wants to drive the revenue traffic to the individual products themselves. “Having an opportunity to tell what the product is about and what it does, it helps both the attraction and the revenue for the individual products,” asserts Joshi.

The campaign revolves around a young modern couple who discover a new idea from Godrej. In this eight series film campaign, Godrej products were interwoven in an episodic way showcasing a slew of innovative products, through the continued story of Sam and Meera, who made their debut in Godrej Masterbrand campaign last year.

Joshi feels that there is an advantage in integrating with TV shows, as it allows them to showcase unlimited products, where a quick 30 sec TVC demands only one or two. Further it also helps the brand to explain the products in a far more detailed manner and also helps them to move beyond a 30 sec TVC. “Because it is embedded in the story and coming from characters that audiences are watching, it also acts as an endorsement.”

So how does it work? Firstly, the brand identifies the channel. Looking at that as a starting point, it tries to identify which program makes sense based on the kind of communication that the brand wants to convey to the audiences. It took between 8-12 weeks right from ideation to scripting and lastly shooting.

On the marketing front, customized promos from the integration episode were created and promoted separately on-air on the respective channels to drive maximum tune-ins for the integration episode. An additional watch and win promo was also created for brand contest to drive maximum call on Godrej Free G number where viewers could participate and answer questions and win prizes.

January 16, 2015
Amul to invest Rs 5000-crore in expansion to achieve 2020 revenue target: RS Sodhi

MUMBAI: A household name in India, Amul, will invest Rs 5,000 crore to set up around 10 milk processing plants in the next financial year including two plants in Delhi, three in Uttar Pradesh, one each in Kolkata and Maharashtra and the rest in Gujarat.

“The endeavour is to achieve its revenue target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2020,” said Amul managing director RS Sodhi.

Speaking at an interactive session on the third and final day at the India Food Forum 2015, Sodhi, in conversation with Future Retail CEO Sadashiv Nayak, said, “Amul will be able to achieve annual revenues of Rs 20,000 crore this year.”

While increasing milk productivity and improved breeds and feeding practices in India is a challenge for Amul, Sodhi emphasised on the need to encourage the next generation of the rural farmer to remain in animal husbandry business.

“It is possible to earn Rs 40,000 per month with 30-40 cows and buffaloes at project cost of Rs 21 lakh including a loan component of Rs 15 lakh,” Sodhi said.

Unperturbed about the new entrants in the dairy segment from the private sector and MNCs, Sodhi, welcoming the competition, said, “India’s organised sector only constitutes 20 per cent of the Rs 4 lakh crore market size for dairy products in the country and there is space and scope for everyone.”

“Our philosophy for the past 60 years have been to ensure remuneration prices for our 3.5 million members and value for money for the consumer, using the best ingredient at a fair price,” Sodhi said.

Stating that butter making was not a rocket technology and every housewife knows how to make butter, Sodhi said, that 100 grams of Amul butter was still be cheaper than 100 grams of premium soap, which was possible only because of Amul’s philosophy of keeping in mind the farmer and consumer.

“Unlike industry practices, where you buy raw material cheaper and realised better in sales, Amul ensures that raw material is at the best price and selling price remains lower compared to peers,” he said.

“Hence, we cannot spend more than one per cent of our revenue on advertising while other food companies spend 8-15 per cent annually,” Sodhi said, indicating that its advertising expenditure last year was 0.8 per cent.

Sharing the secret of Amul remaining a youthful brand, Sodhi said, “Most of the top members of the management are at their first job working for over four decades and hence have neither changed their campaign nor their agency. Hence, continuity and consistency in communication has kept Amul young with the butter girl.”

January 16, 2015
PVR launches three-screen multiplex in Bhopal

MUMBAI: With an aim to strengthen its presence across the country, multiplex chain PVR Cinemas has opened a new property in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

With the opening of this multiplex at Bhopal, the total screen count for the chain has gone up to 457 screens at 103 locations across 44 cities in 14 states and one union territory.

The multiplex, which will be operational from 16 January, is located at the Aura Mall in Arena Colony, Bhopal. PVR’s new three screen multiplex is fitted with latest sound and projection system.

The opening of this cinema is a part of PVR’s organic growth strategy of PAN India expansion.

January 16, 2015
DB Corp Q3-2015 PAT up 54%; Radio segment posts 44% improvement in op results

BENGALURU: DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar, reported a 54.3 per cent increase in PAT at Rs 105.11 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 68.11 crore in the immediate trailing quarter and 11.3 per cent more than the Rs 94.46 crore in Q3-2014. Year-to-date (YTD) for 9M-2015, the company’s PAT at Rs 252.34 crore was 9.4 per cent more than the Rs 230.72 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. The company says that PAT grew in 9M-2015 after factoring forex loss of Rs 4.41 crore and incremental depreciation of Rs 17.25 crore, as per new Companies Act, 2013

DB Corp’s radio segment (MyFM) reported a 43.8 per cent growth in operating result in Q3-2015 at Rs 9.44 crore versus the Rs 6.57 crore in Q2-2015 and 11 per cent more than the Rs 8.51 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2014. For 9M-2015, the radio segment’s operating result improved 59.1 per cent to Rs 21.28 crore from Rs 13.37 crore in 9M-2014.

Advertising Revenues

The company said that advertising revenues grew by 7.8 per cent in 9M-2015 to Rs 1162.3 crore as against Rs 1077.8 crore during corresponding period last year. Revenues from advertising reported a growth of 6.2 per cent y-o-y to Rs 428.3 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 403.5 crore in Q3-2015, which had a high base of the third quarter of last year, benefitting from state election impact in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan.

The company added that radio advertising revenues grew by 7.8 percent to Rs 25.7 crore in Q3 -2015 against Rs 23.9 crore in Q3-2014 on a high base of last year, mixed with state election impact.

Let us look at the other results reported by DB Corp:

DB Corp’s consolidated income from operations in Q3-2015 increased 15.5 percent to Rs 554.57 crore from Rs 480.21 crore in Q2-2015 and was 7 percent more than the Rs 518.20 crore in Q3-2014. For 9M-2015, income from operations at Rs 1523.97 crore was 8.4 percent more than the Rs 1405.56 crore in 9M-2014.

The company’s total expenditure (TE) in Q3-2015 at Rs 392.19 crore was 3.9 percent more than the Rs 377.53 crore in Q2-2015 and 3.4 percent more than the Rs 379.21 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, TE at Rs 1144.71 crore was 8.2 percent more than the Rs 1057.70 crore in 9M-2014.

Raw Material consumption (RMC) in Q3-2015 at Rs 167.90 crore was 3.6 percent more than the Rs 162.09 crore in Q2-2015 and 2.6 percent lower than the Rs 172.41 crore in Q1-2014. RMC in 9M-2015 at Rs 495.87 crore was 6.3 percent more than the Rs 466.36 crore in 9M-2015.

Segment Revenue

Printing segment: Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals’ revenue at Rs 518.9 crore was 15.5 percent more than the Rs 449.32 crore in Q2-2015 and 6.2 percent more than the Rs 488.63 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, printing segment revenue at Rs 1429.29 crore was 7.1 percent more than the Rs 1333.95 crore in 9M-2014.

Printing segment reported operating result of Rs 157.76 crore in Q3-2015, which was 57.7 percent more than the Rs 100.07 crore in Q2-2015 and 11.7 percent more than the Rs 141.23 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, the segment reported operating result of Rs 375.78 crore, 3.4 percent more than the Rs 363.39 crore in 9M-2014.

Radio segment: The company’s radio segment operating results have been mentioned above. The segment’s revenue in Q3-2015 at Rs 25.69 crore was 12.8 percent more q-o-q versus Rs 22.77 crore and 11 percent more y-o-y compared to Rs 23.82 crore in Q3-2014. In 9M-2015, radio segment’s revenue increased 19.1 percent to Rs 69.19 crore from Rs 58.07 crore in 9M-2014.

Digital segment: DB Corps’s digital business revenue grew by 75 per cent to Rs 9.2 crore in Q3-2015 from Rs 5.25 crore in Q3-2014 while incurring EBITDA loss of Rs 2.17 crore.

DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “This quarter we diligently focused on three core areas: product, content and distribution, which demanded all our hard work and efforts. Through an exciting mix of a high quality product led by innovative content, focus on better local news coverage in each region, various ground activation initiatives to intensify reader engagement, events to welcome greater corporate partnerships, have all contributed to improving our reach to readers across our legacy and emerging markets. We continue to progress well through Jharkhand, Bihar and Maharashtra making good headway in the readership profiles of SEC A and B categories, particularly Bihar and Maharashtra, even on the back of a higher cover price. In Jharkhand, we are working doubly hard to move towards our break-even target in this fiscal. Our focus on stronger internal operating efficiencies has ensured our financial health through better expense management while newsprint costs have also seen a correction, which has contributed to the strong bottom line.”

“Our non-print business continues to make steady strides. The environment within the digital, mobile and radio world in Tier 2 and 3 cities is exciting and there’s much to explore and study in consumption behaviour and trends in regional language in these areas, which we have already undertaken very actively. Our digital properties have been gaining larger viewership numbers due to real time region specific coverage, our mobile app has been developed with best-in-class engineering to serve audiences struggling with slow connectivity issues in 2 and 3 Tier cities and we expect good response from it. Several initiatives are in progress to enable us to take advantage of future growth opportunities,” he added.

“The government has been working towards speeding up the needed reform implementations required to boost industrial and economic growth and we expect to observe some visible impact on better GDP numbers over the next two years. We are confident of our operating strengths and continue to execute to plan while maintaining stability in our profitability outlook,” Agarwal concluded.

January 15, 2015
Now just walk-in to an Airtel storeto buy a Redmi Note 4G

MUMBAI: Continuing the New Year bonanza that started on January 1 with the opening of bookings for the Redmi Note 4G, India’s largest telecom services provider Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), today announced that coming Friday, January 16, 2015 will be celebrated as ‘Mi Day’ across its 133 stores in 6 cities – Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Kolkata. Starting 3:00PM on Friday Mi India fans will be able to simply walk-in to the nearest Airtel store and walk-out with a Redmi Note 4G without any pre-booking. The devices will be sold on first-come-first-serve basis till stocks last. The Mi Day will be held every week subject to stocks being available.

This is in addition to the ongoing booking process where customers can get a confirmed appointment at a store of their choice to purchase the Redmi Note 4G by visiting www.airtel.in/mi.

Airtel prepaid customers can purchase the Redmi Note 4G at the store on recharging their connection with at least 1 GB 3G data pack. The sale is also open to Mi India fans using other telecom operators’ services provided they purchase an Airtel prepaid (with at least 1GB 3G data) or postpaid connection. Such customers will therefore have to carry a copy each of their ID proof and address proof along with a passport size photograph for submission as KYC (know-your-customer) documents. Airtel stores will accept various payment modes including Credit Card, Debit Card or Cash.

Customers purchasing the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G will also be provided a 4G SIM and will be able experience amazing 4G speeds on their device in cities where Airtel offers 4G services. Existing Airtel 3G users can enjoy 4G speeds on their new Redmi Note 4G at the same tariff as their existing 3G plan, without activating any special 4G plan. In cities where Airtel 4G services are not yet available, customers will be automatically upgraded to 4G at the same tariff as their existing 3G data packs once 4G services are launched in their city.

January 14, 2015
Himalaya rolls out unique ‘My Lakshya’ campaign to fulfil dreams

MUMBAI: A quick walk down a mall or supermarket is enough to know that the grooming industry for men has grown and how.

Over the past couple of months, the booming sector has seen a number of established brands joining the segment along with some new entrants. In April last year, The Himalaya Drug Company, entered the men’s grooming segment with an aim to be the market leader, as it is in the women’s face wash segment.

As a brand, it has shied away from celebrity associations. The campaigns, especially the TVCs, are rooted in the lives of everyday people. Hence, to promote Himalaya For Him face washes, the company took a step further to explore a campaign that ties into the essence of brand Himalaya – a problem-solver and an enabler. This gave birth to ‘My Lakshya’, a unique campaign that redefines the value of living your dream.

Launched with a video that captures the value of fulfilling one’s dream and aims to bridge the gap between passion and career, the response has been fairly impressive. In less-than-a month since its launch, it has received about 300 entries. The official Facebook page for ‘My Lakshya’ has got over 15000 likes and the video has received more than 25,500 views on YouTube.

Talking about why the company chose to take a different route from mainstream category communication, The Himalaya Drug Company consumer product division marketing GM Vineet Jain said, “We wanted to help young men get ahead in their life and felt that choosing the right career and doing something you truly enjoy is so important to living a fulfilling life.”

The film, created by Web Chutney and directed by Sharad Kalawar took about six months from conception to execution and the core insight came from research interviews. “We did a qualitative study across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, to understand the choices people made when it came to their careers and if these were aligned with their dreams and passions. We spoke to college goers and first jobbers and found that quite a few were dissatisfied with their present jobs. Most of them had different dreams but were unable to pursue them for various reasons – from financial constraints, or societal, family and peer pressure to lack of proper guidance or mentors,” elaborates Jain.

In India particularly, children still seek parental approval and support in making career choices. Given that one spends nearly half his/her live in the workplace, it’s important to love what one does.

‘My Lakshya’ gives young adults an opportunity to pursue a career of their choice. In this first phase, it has selected areas like fashion designing, graphic design, photography, music etc and as the campaign matures a lot more career options will be added.

The winners receive a cash price of Rs 1 lakh and mentorship with an expert in their respective field.

“We believe that this campaign is aligned with the philosophy of the brand and our products. Consumers see us as a problem-solution brand – even with our men’s face washes – Oil Control and Power Glow, we address specific skin problems. In ‘My Lakshya’, we’ve built on this equity to become an enabler – offering young adults a platform to showcase their talent and realise their dreams. We expect this campaign to help consumers connect emotionally with brand Himalaya thereby increasing brand love,” highlights Jain.

As part of the marketing plan, a 360 degree campaign was created on various digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and an official website where the participants could submit their entries. The herbal health and personal care company also took the campaign on-ground to IIT-B’s annual fest Mood Indigo, where it connected directly with consumers.

From 10 per cent share in its turnover in 2002, the personal care segment had grown to seize a 38 per cent share in revenue, which is at par with the company’s pharma segment, by 2014. Keeping this in mind, the company’s men’s portfolio will remain its key focus areas in the coming months. “The initial consumer feedback for our Men’s face washes has been very encouraging but we still have a long way to go to reach a sizeable market share. The thrust will be on increasing coverage and depth of distribution and rolling out exciting new campaigns. We are also exploring new products for men’s face care with higher order benefits,” concludes Jain.

January 13, 2015
ChocOn the top brand on movie screens: CAM report

MUMBAI: Integrated entertainment and retail marketing company Interactive Television, in collaboration with IPSOS-MEDIA CT released its CAM report for November 2014.

CAM completed 16 rounds of audit with the movie Kill/Dil. With the report one can observe that a total of 270 brands were present in cinema during November 2014 of the audit. Out of these, 38 brands were screened in cinemas for the first time.

Further elaborating about the report, Interactive Television CEO Ajay Mehta said, “This is a growing trend as new brands are able to reach consumers with their differentiated offering through cinema advertising. Food and beverage categories continue to be at the top category present in almost all the screens.”

According to the report, chocolate brand ChocOn has maintained its top position consecutively in the last 11 months. It continues to be the top brand with presence in 4/5th of the screens followed closely by Parle Marie and Manyavar. Also, it continues to be the most recalled brand followed by soft drink brand Pepsi. Though ChocOn has the highest recall, Pepsi has the most effective recall.

New brands like Syska Gadget Secure Insurance, Lumia, and All Clean Wipe etc. tested cinema as an advertising medium for the first time with the movie Kill/Dil.

Food and beverage categories remain almost the same with their spending. Due to the brand Lakme, beauty and personal care category has its presence in 9/10th of the screens.

Another key point that the report observes is spending for accessories, electrical equipments and hardware products which are skewed towards south. Entertainment is equally distributed in north and south and almost all brands are skewed towards west.

The objective of the report is to understand the potential of cinema as a medium of advertising and track how is it moving over time. It examines advertising investments in Indian multiplexes or theatres and offers a comprehensive overview of where the money is flowing in cinema advertising.

January 9, 2015
American brewery apologizes for beer bearing Gandhi name but claims it meant no harm

NEW DELHI: A brewery from Connecticut which has brought out a beer with an image of Mahatma Gandhi has apologized for the name of its double India pale ale – Gandhi-Bot – but maintains the drink is meant as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

The New England Brewing Co., located in Woodbridge, describes the beer as “aromatic and fully vegetarian,” adding that Gandhi-Bot is “an ideal aid for self-purification and the seeking of truth and love.” The can in which the beer is sold features an image of the Mahatma who shunned liquor describing it as social evil and led non-violent movements against the British rule in India.

The brewing company has apologized for the label saying their “intent was not to offend anyone but rather pay homage and celebrate a man who we respect greatly.” The company said they apologize to any Indian who finds the label offensive.

“Our intent is not to offend anyone but rather pay homage and celebrate a man who we respect greatly. We take great care in creating a product we hope will not be abused in the manner that Mahatma Gandhi spoke of when referencing alcohol,” it said.

“We also ask our supporters and fans to refrain from arguing on our page with those who may be upset by our label. We want to do our best to be culturally sensitive and respectful,” the company further stated on its Facebook page.

The apology comes after a lawyer filed a petition in Hyderabad saying that Gandhi’s image on alcohol cans was “condemnable” and punishable under Indian laws. The petition states that the beer can amounts to offenses under the Indian Prevention of Insults to the National Honour Act of 1971, a local newspaper reported.

“So many Indian people here in America love our tribute to him. Gandhi’s granddaughter and grandson have seen the label and have expressed their admiration of the label. We hope that you understand our true intent and learn to respect our method and the freedom we have to show our reverence for Gandhi,” the apology read.

According to a BBC report, it was unclear which relatives of Gandhi the company was referring to.

However another newspaper reported from New Delhi that several of Gandhi’s relatives are critical of the American company’s product. Tushar Gandhi, a great-grandson, reportedly said the family was not consulted in advance about the use of Gandhi’s name or image and that family members are considering legal action over what he described as an insult to Indians. “How can anyone think of using Mahatma Gandhi’s picture on a bottle of alcoholic product? All his life he abhorred alcohol drinking and spoke against it,” he said.

A grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, said the use of his image was “crass and silly” and expressed concern about the commodification of his grandfather’s image.

Meanwhile, many Indian-American liquor store owners in the state are torn between the strong demand for the beer and their reaction to its name. Bhaskar Sureja, owner of Essex Wine & Spirits, told the Hartford Courant that though he finds the name insulting, he will continue to sell the beer, which is very popular. “A lot of customers ask for it. I have to do my business according to what my customers need,” Sureja told the Hartford Courant. “My personal feeling is not how I do business,” he added.

However, Ashok Patel of the Liquor Outlet in Southington told the paper that he would not sell the beer “out of respect.” “It’s about the image of the country,” he said.

But beyond its apology, the company has not said whether it would withdraw the beer or change its name, but has said on its Facebook page that it has doubled its production of Gandhi-Bot every year since it was released several years ago, and that customers still struggle to find cans of it on shelves or wait in long lines at the brewery to fill large glass of the beer.

But this isn’t the first time that New England Brewing has felt friction over one of its beer labels. Its Imperial Stout Trooper label featured a Star Wars storm trooper helmet, which resulted in a cease-and-desist letter from Lucas Films. In response, the brewery disguised the storm trooper helmet with Groucho Marx glasses, the Hartford Courant reported.

Names of other New England Brewing beers include: Fuzzy Baby Ducks, Sea Hag, Elm City Lager, 668 The Neighbor of the Beast and Wet Willie. The brewery also makes a brew called Zapata-Bot, named after Emiliano Zapata, a leader of the Mexican revolution

January 7, 2015
Tommy Hilfiger announces Rafael Nadal as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Tommy Hilfiger has announced that tennis star Rafael Nadal will be its brand ambassador for its fall 2015 underwear and tailored collections.

The fall 2015 Tommy Hilfiger underwear collection refreshes classic styles with updated fits, revamped fabrics and elevated details whereas the tailored collection features sharp silhouettes, modern tailoring and rich textures.

“Rafael Nadal has been a longtime personal friend and supporter of our brand, and I’m continuously inspired by his dedication and passion for his sport,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “This exclusive partnership brings one of the greatest athletes of this generation into our Tommy family. Rafael embodies an effortless sense of style that exemplifies and reflects our brand spirit – he’s confident, fun and cool.”

The campaign imagery will be photographed in early 2015 in Spain and it will break globally in fall 2015. To further support the global initiative and collaboration, Nadal will attend exclusive Tommy Hilfiger launch events in North America, Europe and Asia.

“I’ve always admired Tommy Hilfiger’s cool, all-American designs which are sophisticated and easy to wear, and I’m excited to be partnering with the brand,” said Nadal, the 14-time Grand Slam winner.

December 24, 2014
Brands eye live sports events for promotions: Procam International

KOLKATA: With improved sentiments in the economy and companies exploring alternative ways to generate brand recognition, the concept of sponsoring sports events, though at nascent stage, has become popular in Kolkata too. And an example of this is Tata Steel becoming the title sponsor for India’s premiere 25K run event to be held in Kolkata.

Joining the steel maker, are brands like Oberoi Grand as hospitality partner, Reebok as sportswear and training partner, Himalayan as water partner, Nestle as food and beverage partner and Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM as radio partner among others.

Procam International, a sports management company involved in the promotion of national and international sporting events, sports consultancy and live television programming, which is also organising the first edition of the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K on 28 December 2014, feels that the company has good sponsorship from both sports and non-sports companies.

The city will run as one under the following race categories – the 25K (elite and amateurs), Open 10K (amateurs), Ananda Run (6 km), Sr. Citizens’ Run (4 km), and Champions with Disability (4 km).

“Sports events have become an important element for some businesses to promote their campaigns in other regions of India. It is common to see non-sport brands taking strategic decisions to sponsor sporting events,” said Procam International CEO Dilip Jayaram.

In 1988, with a vision to provide a more holistic spend to the advertising rupee and a burning desire to ameliorate the prevailing professional standards for sportsmen, Anil and Vivek B. Singh created Procam International. The organisation has based its corporate philosophy on an open culture, with an emphasis on values and integrity. Procam International has promoted and conducted over 45 world events, which have elicited player participation of the highest caliber, as well as huge public interest.

The Tata Steel Kolkata 25K event will give thousands of individuals a new opportunity to celebrate the birth of a sporting event that salutes perseverance and self-belief and makes lives brighter and better. “Kolkata’s runners can now lace up and join the running revolution that is not just engulfing India’s towns and cities but attracting the attention of the world’s finest runners,” said Jayaram.

“We aim to ink a number of new sponsorship deals with other brands also. We are looking for a medical partner,” he said adding that for this event, Radio Mirchi will run 18-20 promos every day.

Talking about below-the-line (BTL) activities, he said that Procam International has put up 37 hoardings and 30 bus shelters.

About 15,000 people are expected to participate in the five events to be organised through the day. The route for TSK 25K is in the process of being finalised under the guidelines set by the West Bengal Athletic Association and Kolkata Traffic Police.

Film actor, producer and television presenter Jeet, well known for his passion for fitness, will be TSK 25K’s ‘Face of the Event’.

In its first edition, the event will recognise the efforts of participants by offering total prize money of Rs 21,54,000. The top ten Elite athletes (men and women) in the 25K category stand to win attractive prizes. While the winner will receive Rs 2,50,000, Rs 1,75,000 is up for grabs for second place while third place finishers will receive Rs 1,00,000. Dividing amateur runners into six segments based on their age – 18 to under 30, 30 to under 40, 40 to under 50, 50 to under 60, 60 to under 70, and 70 and above – TSK Kolkata 25K will also award the top three amateur runners (men and women) in each of the above segments with prizes of Rs 12,000, 10,000 and 5,000 respectively.

“We urge people of Kolkata and beyond to come and experience the joy of running this December,” Jayaram said.

According to a city based marketing expert, sports as a property will attract major interest from corporates looking at increasing their marketing spends in Kolkata. “The value of these sponsorship deals is generally high,” the expert concluded.

December 23, 2014