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Tag: MRF

  • Play Jenga in a moving car says MRF

    Play Jenga in a moving car says MRF

    MUMBAI: Indian tyre manufacturer MRF has launched a new campaign. The campaign promotes MRF ZLX, the latest range of tyres specifically designed for sedans and hatchbacks. From uniquely designed lateral grooves for improved ride comfort, edge-to-edge comfy stabiliser liner and wide tread polymer blend for an improved life, according to the company, this tyre is specially designed to offer superior grip and optimised cushioned ride. 

    For a low involvement category like tyres, it is important that the narrative be especially robust and convincing. In this campaign, the brand intends to communicate their proposition of ‘comfort made more comfortable’. The film involves a delicate game of Jenga in action in a sedan which is moving over challenging roads through bumps and potholes riding on top of MRF ZLX tyres.  This eventually hits home the message that a journey becomes more enjoyable when the ride is more comfortable.

    MRF executive vice president marketing Koshy K Varghese says, “MRF ZLX tyres are engineered to deliver a comfortable drive, on Indian roads. This new campaign is meant to consolidate the proposition of ‘Comfort Made More Comfortable’.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer mentions, “It’s always a challenging task to come up with a sequel. By using the game Jenga as a visual mnemonic, we have tried to dramatise the benefit of comfort, delivered by MRF ZLX. The contrast between the road conditions and the game that goes on unaffected inside is punctuated by music that heightens the tension.”

  • ‘Perfectionist’ AB de Villiers drives on MRF Perfinza

    ‘Perfectionist’ AB de Villiers drives on MRF Perfinza

    MUMBAI: Tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres has unveiled an integrated campaign for its recently launched brand Perfinza. Targeted specifically towards users of luxury cars, the campaign will have brand ambassador & ace cricketer AB de Villiers promote Perfinza’s core message of being a ‘perfectionist’ on the roads.

    A perfectionist always strives for details and has a burning desire to outperform. This also means that he/she has an acute eye for precision. Perfinza by MRF brings all these attributes together so that riders can feel the perfection as they drive their cars.

    MRF Ltd. EVP – marketing Koshy K Varghese said: “Our R&D engineers had one word in mind when they engineered this tyre – Perfection. Perfinza by MRF is a tyre that delivers the perfect drive every time. The communication uses AB de’ Villiers, another outstanding example of perfection on the field and off it, to showcase how perfection in a tyre results in an exceptional driving experience.”

    The campaign by Lowe Lintas Chennai works to seamlessly facilitate MRF’s first-time foray into the luxury car tyre segment. With an approach that goes beyond communicating just the product, the attempt is to make the brand relatable to the TG, for whom perfection in everything they do is a way of life.

    Lowe Lintas president Hari Krishnan says, “Perfinza targets the luxury car segment. There is significant technology & research that has gone into the making of the product. The communication effort has been to establish the idea of perfection – which is the core expectation of the user and the core attribute of the brand Perfinza.”

    Along with the film, the campaign will explore other online and offline mediums including print, outdoor and digital.

  • MRF Tyres launches Biking community for passionate bikers

    MRF Tyres launches Biking community for passionate bikers

    MUMBAI: Leading Indian Tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres on Friday announced the launch of a one of a kind riding community ‘Ride Along with MRF.’

    During the ICC Cricket World T20, MRF launched an initiative to add Thrill to the lives of two-wheeler owners across India. With over three lakh riders participating, it was a highly successful campaign. It also gave MRF an insight into the latent needs of bikers across India. So MRF decided to cater to these needs and fuel the passion of the riders.

    This fan run portal launched by MRF aims at making group riding a more accepted phenomenon. Two-wheeler owners across India have the passion for riding, but most feel that it is a very daunting task. MRF aims at not only catering to the rising need but also making ‘going on rides’ a safe, enjoyable activity that any two wheeler owner can set out to do. The idea is to create a place where a rider, with any bike or biking experience, can come and fuel his/her passion for riding.

    Additionally, MRF will also galvanise fellow riders to join the monthly ‘Ride for a Cause’ promoting a social cause or celebrating an occasion. These will be special rides which aim to raise awareness about cause across India.

    Commenting on the eve of the launch of this unique initiative, MRF Tyres marketing- EVP Koshy Varghese said, “Most biking communities in India are for hard-core bikers. They are either started by Bike Brands or a set of enthusiastic riders of a particular kind of bike. Our vision is to get every bike owner in India to explore India on two-wheels. All they need is a passion for riding. So we have created a platform that helps organise and plan weekend trips that anyone can do. We want 3 or 4 friends with bikes to set simply out on rides, armed with information, support and fun ideas while being fully prepared and safe. And above all, we want to create ride stories for everyone to remember and share with their friends and family.“

    While the community will start off with MRF Ride Ambassadors in 9 cities across India namely – Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Dharmashala.

    Some of the key features of the community are – find exclusive Ride ideas, curate ride stories across the country for the larger public, meet and network with fellow bikers, etc.

  • MRF Tyres launches Biking community for passionate bikers

    MRF Tyres launches Biking community for passionate bikers

    MUMBAI: Leading Indian Tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres on Friday announced the launch of a one of a kind riding community ‘Ride Along with MRF.’

    During the ICC Cricket World T20, MRF launched an initiative to add Thrill to the lives of two-wheeler owners across India. With over three lakh riders participating, it was a highly successful campaign. It also gave MRF an insight into the latent needs of bikers across India. So MRF decided to cater to these needs and fuel the passion of the riders.

    This fan run portal launched by MRF aims at making group riding a more accepted phenomenon. Two-wheeler owners across India have the passion for riding, but most feel that it is a very daunting task. MRF aims at not only catering to the rising need but also making ‘going on rides’ a safe, enjoyable activity that any two wheeler owner can set out to do. The idea is to create a place where a rider, with any bike or biking experience, can come and fuel his/her passion for riding.

    Additionally, MRF will also galvanise fellow riders to join the monthly ‘Ride for a Cause’ promoting a social cause or celebrating an occasion. These will be special rides which aim to raise awareness about cause across India.

    Commenting on the eve of the launch of this unique initiative, MRF Tyres marketing- EVP Koshy Varghese said, “Most biking communities in India are for hard-core bikers. They are either started by Bike Brands or a set of enthusiastic riders of a particular kind of bike. Our vision is to get every bike owner in India to explore India on two-wheels. All they need is a passion for riding. So we have created a platform that helps organise and plan weekend trips that anyone can do. We want 3 or 4 friends with bikes to set simply out on rides, armed with information, support and fun ideas while being fully prepared and safe. And above all, we want to create ride stories for everyone to remember and share with their friends and family.“

    While the community will start off with MRF Ride Ambassadors in 9 cities across India namely – Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Dharmashala.

    Some of the key features of the community are – find exclusive Ride ideas, curate ride stories across the country for the larger public, meet and network with fellow bikers, etc.

  • Hari Krishnan is new Lowe Lintas president – South

    Hari Krishnan is new Lowe Lintas president – South

    MUMBAI: Lowe Lintas has announced that Hari Krishnan is the new president of its South operations. This appointment comes on the back of GV Krishnan’s recent exit.

    To be based out of Bengaluru, his remit includes the agency’s offices in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. As the largest creative agency in South region, the portfolio includes over a 100 clients and brands such as Arvind, Britannia, Fastrack, Flipkart, Gold Drop, Hike, ITC Foods, MRF, Mobizz, Paperboat, Sonata, Tanishq, TI Cycles, TVS Motors and many other companies and brands.

    Krishnan, currently CEO of MullenLowe’s operations in Sri Lanka is in the process of transitioning into his new role.

    He had joined MullenLowe early 2015 from Grey India where he was heading their South operations.

    Hari has about 20 years of experience in the advertising and media industry; having spent most of it between Lowe Lintas, JWT, Star TV and Grey.

    Commenting on his move, MullenLowe Lintas Group, India Group CEO Joseph George said:“Hari has done an incredible job in Sri Lanka almost transforming our operations there overnight. Going by his track record across the agencies he has worked in, he is just the right person we need to build on the fantastic momentum that the South operations of Lowe Lintas have achieved over the past 3-4 years in terms of creative product and new business acquisition. Both of which, Hari is rabidly passionate about.”

    Hari Krishnan too added, “This is a homecoming of sorts for me since my association with Lowe Lintas almost 18 years ago started in the Bengaluru office. The India operations of Lowe Lintas has been on an unbelievable roll the past few years and my mandate is clear. The talent in our 3 offices in the South, especially the creative fire-power under Rajesh Ramaswamy’s leadership is just reassuringly and intimidatingly brilliant. Can’t wait to get started!”

    Speaking of succession for MullenLowe Sri Lanka, Joseph George said, “Our Sri Lanka operations are in a sweet spot thanks to all the efforts made in the past 18 months under Hari’s leadership and some fantastic clients. And we are perfectly poised to build on from here; which is why Hari’s replacement for the Sri Lanka CEO’s role is crucial; and so I am very pleased with whom we have found. The announcement will take place in a few days.”

  • Hari Krishnan is new Lowe Lintas president – South

    Hari Krishnan is new Lowe Lintas president – South

    MUMBAI: Lowe Lintas has announced that Hari Krishnan is the new president of its South operations. This appointment comes on the back of GV Krishnan’s recent exit.

    To be based out of Bengaluru, his remit includes the agency’s offices in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. As the largest creative agency in South region, the portfolio includes over a 100 clients and brands such as Arvind, Britannia, Fastrack, Flipkart, Gold Drop, Hike, ITC Foods, MRF, Mobizz, Paperboat, Sonata, Tanishq, TI Cycles, TVS Motors and many other companies and brands.

    Krishnan, currently CEO of MullenLowe’s operations in Sri Lanka is in the process of transitioning into his new role.

    He had joined MullenLowe early 2015 from Grey India where he was heading their South operations.

    Hari has about 20 years of experience in the advertising and media industry; having spent most of it between Lowe Lintas, JWT, Star TV and Grey.

    Commenting on his move, MullenLowe Lintas Group, India Group CEO Joseph George said:“Hari has done an incredible job in Sri Lanka almost transforming our operations there overnight. Going by his track record across the agencies he has worked in, he is just the right person we need to build on the fantastic momentum that the South operations of Lowe Lintas have achieved over the past 3-4 years in terms of creative product and new business acquisition. Both of which, Hari is rabidly passionate about.”

    Hari Krishnan too added, “This is a homecoming of sorts for me since my association with Lowe Lintas almost 18 years ago started in the Bengaluru office. The India operations of Lowe Lintas has been on an unbelievable roll the past few years and my mandate is clear. The talent in our 3 offices in the South, especially the creative fire-power under Rajesh Ramaswamy’s leadership is just reassuringly and intimidatingly brilliant. Can’t wait to get started!”

    Speaking of succession for MullenLowe Sri Lanka, Joseph George said, “Our Sri Lanka operations are in a sweet spot thanks to all the efforts made in the past 18 months under Hari’s leadership and some fantastic clients. And we are perfectly poised to build on from here; which is why Hari’s replacement for the Sri Lanka CEO’s role is crucial; and so I am very pleased with whom we have found. The announcement will take place in a few days.”

  • India’s sports sponsorship grew to Rs 51,854 million in 2015; PayTM, Hero, CEAT and MRF emerge as big spenders

    India’s sports sponsorship grew to Rs 51,854 million in 2015; PayTM, Hero, CEAT and MRF emerge as big spenders

    MUMBAI: For those you are into sports, be it for the love of the game or love of the business that revolves around it, the welcome news is that  India has set itself to become a sporting nation that thrives not only on cricket but number of other sports as well. India with a thriving culture around sports is not a distant mirage but a near reality. The figures in the  3rd edition of Sporting Nation In The Making – III is a testament to this growth.

    This comprehensive report compiled by GroupM’s entertainment and sports arm ESP Properties and SportzPower shows that sports sponsorship in India has grown from Rs 46,165 million (Rs 4,616.50 crore) in 2014 to Rs 51,854 million (Rs 5,185.40 crore) in 2015 accounting for 10.4 per cent of the total Indian advertising expenditure. That is a  whooping 12.3 per cent growth.

    ESP Properties business head Vinit Karnik emphasised how sports can be harnessed as a successful communication medium by brands. He said, “There is definitely a cultivated sense of understanding between corporate sponsors, sports teams and federations. A symbiotic marketing relationship has emerged within the sporting ecosystem in India. 2016 will be fantastic for not only players and federations, but also for brands and spectators, with a deeper engagement with sporting properties.”

    Despite the challenges, ICC World Cup managed to garner Rs 5000 million (Rs 500 crore) in advertising revenues in 2015. On air sponsorships over all increased by 6.8 per cent YoY from Rs 25,180 million (Rs 2,518 crore) to Rs 26,900 million (Rs 2,690 crore). Out of which, 30 to 35 per cent was contributed by the emerging sports in India, while cricket took the bulk of the share.

    Interestingly, only  30 percent of the growth came from On Air deals, while the rest of the 70 percent came from  on ground sponsorships, team sponsorships, franchise fee and athlete’s brand endorsement deals, with on ground seeing  most of the action. It grew by 30 per cent from Rs 7948 million (Rs 794.80 crore) to Rs 10,305 million (Rs 1,030.50 crore).

    Though cricket bit the biggest chunk off this sponsorship pie, emerging sports leagues were the real growth drivers. Going by the figures roughly 51.38 per cent of the on ground sponsorship share was cricket’s contribution while the rest was all emerging sports.

    “Sports other than cricket have successfully established themselves in terms of revenue and fandom within the Indian sporting firmament,” SportzPower co founder Thomas Abraham shared. “Sports like kabaddi andfFootball have massively increased sponsorship revenues in 2015 and we saw return editions of sports like tennis and hockey as well. The successful launch of the Pro Wrestling League bodes well for 2016, which will see the advent of more franchise based leagues. We expect 2016 to be a good year for cricket as well as other sports, generating ad spends and clocking in corporate investments at an exponential pace,” he added.

    Infact, football saw an amazing 91.6 per cent sponsorship growth from the previous year valuing it at Rs 1140 million (Rs 114 crore) in 2015.  The biggest success story is perhaps Pro Kabaddi League, which grew by 300 per cent YoY and clocked at Rs 480 million (Rs 48 crore) in on ground sponsorship deals without a title sponsor. As per Karnik, it was a clever strategy by the broadcaster to not lock down their title sponsor and raise the bar for the next season.

    eCommerce brands took the lead as top spenders in the total ad spends on sports in 2015, followed closely by automobile brands. PayTM, CEAT Tyres and MRF Tyres together contributed Rs 1078 million (Rs 107.8 crore) per year, increasing cricket’s on ground ad spends by 14 per cent.

    Endorsements played a huge role in upping the sponsorship ante in 2015 with the sector seeing 27 per cent growth. The biggest endorsement deal was undoubtedly Tata Motors’ bringing Lionel Messi onboard on a two year deal of worth Rs 600 million (Rs 60 crore) per year. 2015 also saw Virat Kohli entering the Rs 1,000 million (Rs 100 crore) endorsement club that God Of Cricket Tendulkar and MS Dhoni earlier ruled.

    “Women are ruling the endorsement game when it comes to non-cricketing sports,” said Karnik. “Between Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza and MC Mary Kom, the ladies share almost 40 per cent of the endorsement spends in the market with over 10 brands in each player’s kitty.” Abraham credited their sophisticated and enthusiastic engagement of fans over social media to be the driving factor apart from their continued  good performance throughout the year.

    The stress on digital, and social engagement is reiterated by both Abraham and Karnik as critical to players and teams as stats show that 70 percent of fans bring mobile phones to the stadium to share their experience, while 46 percent of mobile internet users search for sports related news and content online.

    Karnik calls 2016 to be the year of the fans and points out two key trends that will drive growth in the sector. “Now that we have sowed the seeds of a sporting nation in India, 2016 will see a great synergy between broadcasters, association’s, franchise owners, players and all other stakeholders to come together to build a culture around sports and build the fanbase. Secondly longer seasons or play for they sport will give more opportunities for brands to engage with the fans,” shared Karnik, adding that Pro Kabaddi League will see two seasons this year. Abraham on the other hand names volleyball to be the next big entrant in emerging sports league scene, which will launch with three separate sub-leagues to its name — beach volleyball, men’s volleyball and women’s volleyball league.

  • India’s sports sponsorship grew to Rs 51,854 million in 2015; PayTM, Hero, CEAT and MRF emerge as big spenders

    India’s sports sponsorship grew to Rs 51,854 million in 2015; PayTM, Hero, CEAT and MRF emerge as big spenders

    MUMBAI: For those you are into sports, be it for the love of the game or love of the business that revolves around it, the welcome news is that  India has set itself to become a sporting nation that thrives not only on cricket but number of other sports as well. India with a thriving culture around sports is not a distant mirage but a near reality. The figures in the  3rd edition of Sporting Nation In The Making – III is a testament to this growth.

    This comprehensive report compiled by GroupM’s entertainment and sports arm ESP Properties and SportzPower shows that sports sponsorship in India has grown from Rs 46,165 million (Rs 4,616.50 crore) in 2014 to Rs 51,854 million (Rs 5,185.40 crore) in 2015 accounting for 10.4 per cent of the total Indian advertising expenditure. That is a  whooping 12.3 per cent growth.

    ESP Properties business head Vinit Karnik emphasised how sports can be harnessed as a successful communication medium by brands. He said, “There is definitely a cultivated sense of understanding between corporate sponsors, sports teams and federations. A symbiotic marketing relationship has emerged within the sporting ecosystem in India. 2016 will be fantastic for not only players and federations, but also for brands and spectators, with a deeper engagement with sporting properties.”

    Despite the challenges, ICC World Cup managed to garner Rs 5000 million (Rs 500 crore) in advertising revenues in 2015. On air sponsorships over all increased by 6.8 per cent YoY from Rs 25,180 million (Rs 2,518 crore) to Rs 26,900 million (Rs 2,690 crore). Out of which, 30 to 35 per cent was contributed by the emerging sports in India, while cricket took the bulk of the share.

    Interestingly, only  30 percent of the growth came from On Air deals, while the rest of the 70 percent came from  on ground sponsorships, team sponsorships, franchise fee and athlete’s brand endorsement deals, with on ground seeing  most of the action. It grew by 30 per cent from Rs 7948 million (Rs 794.80 crore) to Rs 10,305 million (Rs 1,030.50 crore).

    Though cricket bit the biggest chunk off this sponsorship pie, emerging sports leagues were the real growth drivers. Going by the figures roughly 51.38 per cent of the on ground sponsorship share was cricket’s contribution while the rest was all emerging sports.

    “Sports other than cricket have successfully established themselves in terms of revenue and fandom within the Indian sporting firmament,” SportzPower co founder Thomas Abraham shared. “Sports like kabaddi andfFootball have massively increased sponsorship revenues in 2015 and we saw return editions of sports like tennis and hockey as well. The successful launch of the Pro Wrestling League bodes well for 2016, which will see the advent of more franchise based leagues. We expect 2016 to be a good year for cricket as well as other sports, generating ad spends and clocking in corporate investments at an exponential pace,” he added.

    Infact, football saw an amazing 91.6 per cent sponsorship growth from the previous year valuing it at Rs 1140 million (Rs 114 crore) in 2015.  The biggest success story is perhaps Pro Kabaddi League, which grew by 300 per cent YoY and clocked at Rs 480 million (Rs 48 crore) in on ground sponsorship deals without a title sponsor. As per Karnik, it was a clever strategy by the broadcaster to not lock down their title sponsor and raise the bar for the next season.

    eCommerce brands took the lead as top spenders in the total ad spends on sports in 2015, followed closely by automobile brands. PayTM, CEAT Tyres and MRF Tyres together contributed Rs 1078 million (Rs 107.8 crore) per year, increasing cricket’s on ground ad spends by 14 per cent.

    Endorsements played a huge role in upping the sponsorship ante in 2015 with the sector seeing 27 per cent growth. The biggest endorsement deal was undoubtedly Tata Motors’ bringing Lionel Messi onboard on a two year deal of worth Rs 600 million (Rs 60 crore) per year. 2015 also saw Virat Kohli entering the Rs 1,000 million (Rs 100 crore) endorsement club that God Of Cricket Tendulkar and MS Dhoni earlier ruled.

    “Women are ruling the endorsement game when it comes to non-cricketing sports,” said Karnik. “Between Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza and MC Mary Kom, the ladies share almost 40 per cent of the endorsement spends in the market with over 10 brands in each player’s kitty.” Abraham credited their sophisticated and enthusiastic engagement of fans over social media to be the driving factor apart from their continued  good performance throughout the year.

    The stress on digital, and social engagement is reiterated by both Abraham and Karnik as critical to players and teams as stats show that 70 percent of fans bring mobile phones to the stadium to share their experience, while 46 percent of mobile internet users search for sports related news and content online.

    Karnik calls 2016 to be the year of the fans and points out two key trends that will drive growth in the sector. “Now that we have sowed the seeds of a sporting nation in India, 2016 will see a great synergy between broadcasters, association’s, franchise owners, players and all other stakeholders to come together to build a culture around sports and build the fanbase. Secondly longer seasons or play for they sport will give more opportunities for brands to engage with the fans,” shared Karnik, adding that Pro Kabaddi League will see two seasons this year. Abraham on the other hand names volleyball to be the next big entrant in emerging sports league scene, which will launch with three separate sub-leagues to its name — beach volleyball, men’s volleyball and women’s volleyball league.

  • Nike emerges as ‘Social Star’ during ICC World Cup: TO THE NEW

    Nike emerges as ‘Social Star’ during ICC World Cup: TO THE NEW

    MUMBAI: Events like the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2015 are becoming opportunities for brands to leverage the euphoria generated by cricket crazy fans.  A lot of these brands have launched innovative campaigns on social media channels, by spending oodles of money and engaging social users especially the millennials. 

    Digital analytics company TO THE NEW Digital has come up with an innovative framework that helps brand measure their “Social Impact Index” to gauge the effectiveness of their digital media campaigns. The report also mentions the social media strategies they can use to reinvent and recalibrate their campaigns to ensure a visceral brand connect with their target groups.

    The Social Impact Index of Brands has been calculated by plotting a bubble chart of social media mentions and social sentiment score of various campaigns run by 14 brands* across four categories namely FMCG, Consumer Electronics, Auto and Sports. It has considered only B2C brands in its sample study to facilitate a like to like comparison. (*If a brand is running more than one campaign then the consolidated numbers of those campaigns have been considered for the analysis.)

    For example, if Pepsico has a total of 33,024 social media mentions and **Net Sentiment of 18 per cent, then the Social Sentiment Score is 59,44,32. 

    **Net Sentiment = Positive Segment – Negative Segment

    -Some of the insights from the framework are as follows:

    Nike is a “Social Star” as it enjoys a huge number of social media mentions as well as a high net sentiment in those mentions. It recommends that Nike has everything going in the right direction for its campaign but it can work on further optimising its ROI from social media spends to maintain its status quo of a “Social Star.” 

    It further says that Star Sports and Pepsico are “Social Question Marks” as they have done fairly well on the social mentions front but their net sentiment is low. The recommendation for these two brands in this category is that they have done well but can invest in online reputation management exercise to converge from Social Question Marks to Social Stars. 

    A large number of brands like Cadbury, Castrol, Hyundai, Sony, Intel and MRF have been categorized as “Social Laggards” category as they enjoy a high net sentiment. It is recommended that these brands have done well but can invest in online reputation management exercise too, so that they converge from Social Laggards to Social Stars.

    Meanwhile a few players like LG, Reebok, Nestle and Dominoz have fizzled out in their social media campaigns and have been put into the category of “Social Duds” as they have low number of social media mentions as well as a low net sentiment.

    TO THE NEW CEO Deepak Mittal stated that brands in this category need to invest heavily in improving their outreach in the form of mentions by investing in paid campaigns and also engage in online reputation management exercise to improve their net sentiment. “They can also think about evaluating their campaign further and move to a new positioning for their brand on social media front,” he added.

    Category Scorecard

    Evaluation Framework- The Social Impact Index of all the 14 brands were plotted on a X-Y axis Bubble Chart. The average of Social Media Mentions of all the 14 brands has been used as a demarcation for High-Low social media mention score. Similarly the average of Social Media Sentiment of all the 14 brands has been used as a demarcation for High-Low social media sentiment score. Therefore a bubble chart is divided into four quadrants to evaluate the success of the campaigns run by these brands.

  • ICC announces MRF Tyres as global partner

    ICC announces MRF Tyres as global partner

    MUMBAI:  As fans are gearing up for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, slated to begin in February, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new partnership with MRF Tyres of India. The announcement comes a day after the tyre and rubber manufacturing company completed 25 years of its association with the gentlemen’s game.

     

    Commenting on the new partnership, ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan said, “MRF is an active promoter of sport and by deciding to be associated with the ICC in challenging economic times, it has shown its faith and support in the ICC as well as its flagship event.”

     

    In September, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) signed a five year agreement with the MRF Pace Foundation to train an elite group of 20 bowlers in three camps overseen by cricketer Glenn McGrath each year. “Through its foundation, which has seen it work alongside some of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, MRF also shares the ICC’s commitment to continuous quality improvement,” added Srinivasan.

     

    Speaking on the new development, MRF chairman and managing director K M Mammen commented, “It is a historic moment for MRF. It is a matter of pride for MRF to be associated with the ICC World Cup Cricket 2015, which is considered by many to be the pinnacle of one-day cricket.”

     

    Adding to this MRF executive vice president Koshy K Varghese said, “We intend leveraging this partnership to bring further awareness of MRF as a global brand.”

     

    As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tyres and allied rubber products, MRF has a long-standing association with the game. It’s Pace foundation has earned itself the reputation of being a leading institution for developing fast bowling skills across test playing countries.