Mumbai: The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou comes close to a thrilling finish after 14 days of exciting performances by the Indian contingent. The aspiration which started with one of the grandest campaigns in the history of Asian Games in India, Sony Sports Network’s campaign – ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ has truly become a reality with ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Ho Gaya’ after India breached the 100 medals mark for the first time in the history of the games.
‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ was launched by Sony Sports Network with the clear objective of bringing the nation together and recognising the power of collective ambition, urging the heroes of Indian sports to cross the 100-medal mark, a milestone which has never been achieved by India at the Asian Games. At the beginning of the Asian Games, what seemed to be a rather aspirational target of crossing the 100-medal mark has finally turned into a reality owing to the Indian contingent’s unwavering determination to excel at the prestigious multi-sport event. Sony Sports Network’s war-cry ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ aimed to galvanise the whole nation for a singular purpose – a united India, cheering in unison, and inspiring its athletes to unprecedented heights to enable them to transcend past records and push boundaries. And the Indian contingent has gone on to hmake history with their outstanding performance across various disciplines and crossed the dream number at the 19th Asian Games.
Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer – distribution & international business and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul:
“With ‘Iss Baar, Sau Par’, our aim was singular: to inspire our athletes at the year’s biggest sporting event, the Asian Games. The campaign’s resonance, both nationally and internationally, is a testament to their prowess. Filled with pride, we watched our athletes surpass expectations, shattering records and crossing a historic centenary medal haul. This landmark achievement not only underscores their dedication and capabilities but also positions our nation on the path to becoming a sporting powerhouse.”
This visionary campaign ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ brought together influential personalities from various genres of life who echoed the broadcaster’s mission and shared their messages for the participating athletes to reach higher echelons in this edition of the quadrennial extravaganza. In addition, it was the first time in the history of any campaign that alongside Union Minister of Sports, Anurag Thakur, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan along with chiefs of tri-services Gen Manoj Pandey, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari were seen putting their might behind the Indian athletes vying for glory at the multi-sport event.
Apart from them, some of the prominent influencers of the country who lent their support included the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sudha Murty, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapoor, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Kapil Sharma Mirabai Chanu, Zaheer Khan, Anju Bobby George, Raja Randhir Singh and many more.
Mumbai: Ahead of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, official broadcasters, Sony Sports Network, launched the grandest campaign in the history of the Asian Games in India. In order to ensure that the message ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ resonates across every corner of India, Sony Sports Network has garnered support from an impressive line-up of influential and iconic figures such as the Union Minister of Sports, Anurag Thakur, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt General Anil Chauhan along with Chiefs of Tri-Services General Manoj Pande, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who have put their might behind the Indian athletes vying for top honours at the prestigious multi-sporting event.
Recognising the power of collective ambition, the campaign shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes of Indian sports – those who have relentlessly dedicated themselves to their respective disciplines and are on the precipice of donning the national colours at this esteemed multi-sport event.
This vast consortium unites with a singular purpose: to challenge Indian athletes to transcend past records, push boundaries, and ignite a nationwide fervour for sports. The strategy stands clear: a united India, cheering in unison, can inspire its athletes to unprecedented heights.
Indiantelevision.com in a telephonic conversation with Sony Sports Network, SPN, head, marketing & on-air promotions, Neville Bastawalla, on the thought behind the campaign, the strategy to rope in our armed forces to motivate our athletes and much more……
Edited excerpts
On the Asian Games campaign by Sony Sports Network
I worked on a large multi-sporting campaign for the first time during the 2020 Olympics. Our mission was to galvanise the nation. The questions we asked ourselves were: Who are the heroes of the nation and how do you galvanise the nation? The heroes of the nation go beyond Bollywood stars. Starting with the late General Bipin Rawat who was then the Chief of Defence Staff at that time, Sudha Murty, Parth, and Sajjan Jindal of JSW who do a lot for sports in India and so many more who came on board for the campaign. That’s how we built a massive campaign for the Tokyo Olympics, and that expanded our all-data points. Whether it was revenue, ratings, viewership or digital interaction, we went to the next level. Our campaign for the Olympic Games taught us, that we should not give up “hum honge kamyab” however we would make it relevant to the Asian Games.
India has won 69 medals in 2018, the maximum tally so far in a single edition of this marquee event. We decided that we would give out a war cry “This time we will cross 100 medals’ and galvanise the athletes as well as the nation. When the Indian contingent returned from Tokyo, we met a few of them. And they told us that our campaign and the whole nation really made them feel very supported. Our Honourable Sports Minister, Shri Anurag Thakur along with a couple of parliamentarians with him went outside the parliament during the Olympics, and he gave out the war cry of “hum honge kamyab” with the victory punch. The campaign actually resonated, and the athletes said this was the first time ever they felt the nation was backing them.
Cricket has always been an appointment viewing while multi sports events were never appointment viewing. Now that is no longer the case; people are actually tuning in to watch multi-sporting events like the Olympics and Asian Games. This makes it destination viewing and this is very important for multi-sporting events, which we are doing this time for the Asian Games. Our line is “Iss baar, sau paar, hum phir se honge kamyab” .
We went to the Srinagar forward base and filmed Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, taking a sortie in one of our latest aircrafts. We filmed General Pande, Chief of Army Staff in Delhi, General Anil Chauhan in the South Block and Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff on INS Vishakapatnam. The Navy in fact got us access to shoot with a submarine commander. I personally went inside the submarine and was in the helicopter base. The helicopters were dancing in front of us for the camera crew. That kind of show of support from our armed forces for our athletes is unheard of. Then Aamir Khan came on board as a big supporter of the athletes, especially the women athletes. We now have Amitabh Bachchan, Sudha Murthy, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Kapil Sharma, Sunny Deol, Madhuri Dikshit, Hema Malini and so many more all on board to support our athletes.
On how the campaign was handled
This is serious perseverance by my team. We also reached out to the Chief Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, The President of India. We reached out to our Honourable President and even got an approval from her office that she is on board. However due to the paucity of time, they could not manage to schedule a shoot with her. Each marketeer should have a mission and the belief to do new things or to do things differently or just do something big, If there is that fire in your chest or in your heart, big things will happen.
With regard to Chief of Defence Staff, Lt General Anil Chauhan along with Chiefs of Tri-Services General Manoj Pande, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari: It took us two or three months to contact them and schedule meetings in Delhi followed by multiple conference calls with multiple officers from each of the Armed Forces, explaining to them the concept & storyboard and how we would execute it. Each of the divisions is extremely professional and the knowledge they have of filmmaking is outstanding.
On what makes Sony Sports Network different
We do some outstanding storytelling and we want to do things differently. Tent poles are tent poles but how you market them is in the hands of the team. “We exist to boldly challenge the status quo” – that has been Sony Pictures Network’s philosophy. This is what makes Sony Sports Network different.
Our ideas require a lot of belief, and it’s not easy. Otherwise, most networks will engage a brand ambassador, pay him or her, and film the campaign. However it doesn’t work like that for our Asian Games campaign: this is a campaign that money can’t buy. Also, we cannot pay the Armed Forces for the campaign.
On the marketing plan for the campaign
The digital numbers are astounding in terms of reach, engagement, and the kind of patriotism we have. Our campaign that has been plastered across our network channels and social media platforms, features the armed forces, Indian film industry icons as well as our CEO, Mr NP Singh and more, has evoked a strong emotional response. Even the sports journalists of India joined our mission. And for the first time in the history of the Asian Games, the Indian cricket teams, both men and women
Once you have such a huge digital presence, all the Armed Forces are putting these creatives on their platforms, and it’s automatically multiplied, and a multiplier effect happens when you have these nations’ influencers on board.
On building a national consensus
I am so excited because this is a campaign that every CMO would dream about, and there are no budgets involved. This is an idea-driven campaign. It’s very easy for someone to go and get a celebrity, pay for that contract, and do it. This is money that can’t buy experience, which is moving the nation. In the Navy Chief’s film, he mentions that the athletes have the prayers of 140 crore Indians. My entire team had tears in their eyes, especially when we were on INS Shikra and the helicopter base in Mumbai.We all thought – We are from a sports network so what are we doing here? We all are very humbled by the support that we received from the Armed Forces, the sports journalists of India, Indian Film Icons, sports heroes and the many more for their support for the Indian Contingent.
Mumbai: Ahead of the 19 Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, official broadcasters, Sony Sports Network, have launched the grandest campaign in the history of the Asian Games in India. In order to ensure that the message ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ resonates across every corner of India, Sony Sports Network has garnered support from an impressive line-up of influential and iconic figures such as the union minister of sports, Anurag Thakur, chief of defence staff, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan along with chiefs of tri-services Gen Manoj Pandey, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and air chief marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who have put their might behind the Indian athletes vying for top honours at the prestigious multi-sporting event.
Recognising the power of collective ambition, the campaign shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes of Indian sports – those who have relentlessly dedicated themselves to their respective disciplines and are on the precipice of donning the national colours at this esteemed multi-sport event. Among the prominent influencers of the country who have joined the broadcaster’s mission and shared their messages for the participating athletes to reach higher echelons in this edition of the quadrennial extravaganza are Amitabh Bachchan, Sudha Murty, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapoor, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Kapil Sharma Mirabai Chanu, Zaheer Khan, Anju Bobby George, Raja Randhir Singh and many more. Also joining the broadcaster, was an all-star lineup of Indian sports journalists who have been covering the journeys of our sporting heroes from Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, The Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle, Dinakaran, Lokmat, Eenadu, Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh, Asomya Pratidin, Sportskeeda along with RJs from Radio City and Radio One and representatives from leading news channels Aaj Tak and NDTV 24X7.
This vast consortium unites with a singular purpose: to challenge Indian athletes to transcend past records, push boundaries, and ignite a nationwide fervour for sports. The strategy stands clear: a united India, cheering in unison, can inspire its athletes to unprecedented heights.
The hon’ble Anurag Singh Thakur shares a special message for our athletes | Asian Games –
A special message from Gen. Anil Chauhan, chief of defence staff, Indian Armed Forces | Asian Games –
Indian Army chief’s passionate call: Rally behind our athletes at Asian Games 2023 –
Best wishes from the IAF chief marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari | 19 Asian Games | Sony Sports Network –
India’s biggest stars unite for team India at the 19 Asian Games –
Amitabh Bachchan shares a special message for Indian Athletes | Asian Games | Sony Sports Network –
Aamir Khan joins the #GrandestAsianGamesCampaign | Sony Sports Network –
Mirabai Chanu Hai Zidd Par Sawar | 19 Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 | Sony Sports Network –
Journalists across India come together to wish Indian Athletes | 19 Asian Games –
Sony Sports Network’s ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ campaign is the grandest campaign ever made in the history of the Asian Games in India. The campaign has attracted a host of sponsors such as Hyundai, JSW, Limca Sportz, Paisabazaar, LIC of India, Ultratech Cement, State Bank of India, and Panasonic amongst others and more brands are expected to be announced by the time the Asian Games begin on 23 September 2023.
Comments:
Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer – distribution & international business and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul:
“The Asian Games is one of the grandest stages in the sporting world of Asia and the Indian contingent is training hard to add to our medal count. It’s a moment of national pride as we have stalwarts from every walk of life joining us for the campaign to rally behind our Indian athletes making this the grandest campaign ever for the Asian Games. Adding to that, we have also received great support from our sponsors who will surely benefit from the strategic partnership with Sony Sports Network for the Asian Games.”
Sony Pictures Networks India head Ad sales, network channels, Sandeep Mehrotra:
“Over the years, multi-sporting events have attracted significant viewer interest and we have done well to tap into the immense potential of non-cricket sports in India. Brands want to associate with content that is not only culturally relevant but also inspirational and evokes national pride. The 19 Asian Games on Sony Sports Network will provide advertisers with the ideal platform to communicate their message to a wide demographic of receptive viewers from across the country through innovative advertising solutions. We are thrilled to witness a tremendous response for the upcoming 19th Asian Games with advertiser interest from across categories like Automobiles, BFSI, Beverage, consumer durables and others.”
Hyundai Motor India Ltd AVP & head of marketingVirat Khullar:
“Hyundai’s partnership with Sony Sports Network for the Asian Games signifies a strategic commitment that extends beyond the world of sports in India. Sport serves as a formidable catalyst, fostering performance, personal growth, teamwork, and discipline among our youth. By investing in events like the Asian Games, Hyundai not only promotes youth participation but also ignites their aspirations, encouraging them to dream big and realize their full potential. This initiative is one of many in Hyundai’s sports portfolio, aligned with our overarching mission of enriching vibrant and healthy communities.
Our strategic alliance with sports nurtures talent and resonates with Hyundai’s global vision of ‘Progress for Humanity.’ In this endeavour, Hyundai goes beyond manufacturing cars; we actively contribute to the construction and promotion of a brighter future for youth through the transformative power of sports.”
We are delighted to associate with Sony Sports Network for the 19th Asian Games, the biggest stage for sports in the continent. At Paisabazaar, we have always believed in leveraging the power of sports to take our brand to each and every household across towns and cities in India. Our association with the Asian Games is also in line with our commitment towards promoting sports and encouraging athletes across the country. This year’s Asian Games promises to be bigger and better with a record participation by the Indian contingent. We are firm believers in a long-term partnership with our media partners and with Sony Sports Network, Once again, we aim to leverage the power of the broadcaster’s customised solutions for this marquee event. Paisabazaar wishes the entire Indian contingent all the best for the Games.”
The 19 Asian Games will also see a first-ever appearance for the Indian cricket teams at the Asian Games with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Smriti Mandhana headlining the teams. Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will be one of India’s top medal hopefuls in the Javelin throw followed by PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, and the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty who have been in excellent form in recent months and are strong contenders for medals in badminton. In addition to these athletes, the runners, archers, Indian rugby, hockey and football teams, swimmers, bridge, and chess teams, amongst others, will also be competing to add to the medal tally. All these athletes will be giving their best to help India achieve its goal of the 100 medal tally for the 19 edition of the quadrennial event.
Sony Sports Network has launched the grandest campaign ever for the 19th Asian Games which features eminent personalities such as Union Minister of Sports, Shri Anurag Thakur, Chiefs of the tri-services and Defence Staff from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force along with Bollywood Icons Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, John Abraham along with Sports Icons Mirabai Chanu, Zaheer Khan, Anju Bobby George, Raja Randhir Singh and so many more. Sony Sports Network also announces the great advertiser interest and the brands onboarded for the prestigious multi-sporting event that starts next week.
Watch the 19 Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 – LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 & Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 5 HD channels from 5:30 pm IST, 23rd September, 2023.
