KOLKATA: The trend of companies looking at sponsoring sports events to generate brand recognition, though at a nascent stage yet, is catching on in the east like it has in other parts of the country. A case in point is Just Sportz Management, a motor sports events organizer which saw participation from the likes of Indian Oil, Ambuja Neotia, JK Tyres and Coca Cola in 12 events organized by it.
What’s more, the Himalayan Drive organized in January saw the state governments of West Bengal, Sikkim and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) come forward, even if for the sake of giving a push to tourism in these states.
From July this year till the beginning of 2015, there are plans to organize three sports car rallies i.e. Car Rally for the Blind, TSD Rally and Himalayan Drive 3 to get sponsorships from state governments and sports and non-sports companies.
Just Sportz Management believes that sports motor events make a great platform for some businesses to market campaigns in other regions of India, and it is common to see non-sports companies sponsor such events.
“Though it is nascent in the eastern region, it will catch up here with improved sentiments in the economy and companies looking at alternative ways to generate brand recognition,” Just Sportz Management director Tamal Ghosal told indiantelevision.com. “We aim to ink a number of new sponsorship deals with various brands for our forthcoming events.”
Ghosal said that the company’s Facebook page had got over 1,200 likes till date and apart from undertaking various above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) activities, they would also focus on online marketing activities.
Just Sportz Management director Siddharth S. Bose said that they intended to promote motor rallies of various types, motor cross, drag races and motor gymkhanas and making motor sports more acceptable and popular was their passionate objective.
A city-based marketing expert said that sports as a property would be one of the major interests among corporates looking at increasing their marketing spends here. “The value of these sponsorship deals is generally high,” he added.
Just Sportz is not only into motor sports, the company also espouses noble causes like celebrating the inevitable certification of India as a polio free country.
