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Tag: MS Dhoni

  • Mastercard acquires title sponsorship rights for all BCCI international & domestic home matches

    Mastercard acquires title sponsorship rights for all BCCI international & domestic home matches

    Mumbai: Mastercard has announced its collaboration with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to broaden its strategic outreach to Indian audiences. During this association, Mastercard will be the title sponsor for all international (both men’s and women’s) matches played on home soil, domestic cricket matches such as the Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Ranji Trophy organised by the BCCI, and all junior cricket (Under 19 and Under 23) matches played in India.

    This sponsorship and the activities around it are aimed at enhancing Mastercard’s connection with cricket lovers across the country and beyond. For a brand that is invested in sponsorships worldwide with marquee properties like the UEFA Champions League, the Grammys, the Cannes Film Festival and the Australian and French Open tennis tournaments, Mastercard’s tie-up with the BCCI further enhances its portfolio of partnerships.

    BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said, “The BCCI welcomes Mastercard as the title sponsor for home cricket matches for the 2022–23 season. Along with the international home series, the BCCI’s domestic tournaments are crucial as they are a stepping stone towards making India a strong international side. The BCCI truly values Mastercard’s support in building Indian cricket.”

    “This sport is more than a passion point, it’s a way of life and we look forward to some innovative experiences for the fans via this partnership and delivering value to Mastercard through this collaboration,” he added.

    BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah said, “The BCCI is pleased to be associated with a global marquee brand-Mastercard.”We are in for an exciting period in Indian cricket as we have Australia and South Africa coming over for white-ball series before the T20 World Cup and Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year, while domestic cricket has a packed calendar with the return of the Duleep Trophy and a full-fledged Ranji Trophy season. The 2022-23 season will witness a lot of action across age groups, and I am confident that this will be an enriching partnership.”

    Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer Raja Rajamannar said, “Cricket is a perfect amalgamation of sports and entertainment with immense potential to deliver priceless moments. Our globally recognised “priceless” platform offers us the unique opportunity to delight our cardholders, customers and partners worldwide. Cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity not just in India where it is a singular unifying force for the nation, but also in several countries around the world. It is therefore particularly relevant and opportune for us to have acquired the title sponsor rights for all home international and domestic cricket matches organised by the BCCI.”

    Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, who has been Mastercard’s ambassador for over four years, added, “Cricket has been my life and given me everything I have. I am thrilled that Mastercard is sponsoring all the home cricket matches of the BCCI, especially the domestic, junior, and women’s cricket. The Ranji and junior players of today will play for the country tomorrow and continue to embody the pride of 1.3 billion Indians.”

    According to the brand, Mastercard endeavours to enhance its strong international base of sponsorship assets across passion points with uniquely Indian ones. Mastercard has worked to amplify this passion area with the signing on of MS Dhoni, the former Indian cricket captain, as its brand ambassador over four years ago.

  • Amitabh Bachchan is the most recognised celebrity in the country: Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report

    Amitabh Bachchan is the most recognised celebrity in the country: Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report

    Mumbai: Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report has ranked Amitabh Bachchan as the most recognised celebrity in the country with a very high all India rank. Bachchan leads among the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and other favourites who are younger than him and who are also perhaps more active in their respective fields.

    The Brand Endorser is a report of research conducted across 36 Indian cities. As per the syndicated study, Amitabh Bachchan is the most recognised celebrity in the country with the highest-ever recognition score of 92 per cent. He is perceived to be a global personality: self-made, relatable, influential, fit, energetic, sophisticated, and trustworthy. These factors make him a compelling brand ambassador for a range of products.

    Hansa Research CEO Praveen Nijhara said, “Our study Brand Endorser is a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the value that an endorser brings to a brand. The study aids marketers to take informed decisions and improve the overall return of investment (ROI) in celebrity engagement.”

    The celebrities are ranked as per the Brand Endorser (BE) Score results. They are tracked on various metrics like likability, social media influence, perception, marketing potential, recognition, etc., which make up their final BE score. While Bachchan has scored really high in the all India rank BE score, he ranks third in the west and north zone, ninth in the south zone, and eleventh in the east zone. The ‘Shahenshah of Bollywood,’ as he is fondly called, has a strong presence and mark in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

    At the age of 79, Bachchan is one of the most ubiquitous personalities, endorsing various brands, providing voiceovers with his trademark baritone, acting in Indian films and Hollywood, and hosting one of the longest running game shows on Indian television, Kaun Banega Crorepati.

    Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser Report covered more than 550 celebrities across domains in the country. For this study, the research was conducted amongst 5,100 respondents across 36 cities in the country. To measure the results, structured interviews were conducted across India through online and offline methodologies to understand the standings and performances of shortlisted celebrities.

  • Star Sports celebrates Tata IPL’s return to summer window in new campaign

    Star Sports celebrates Tata IPL’s return to summer window in new campaign

    Mumbai: Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL has launched #YehAbNormalHai campaign featuring MS Dhoni to celebrate the return of the League to its original summer window. With a brand-new title sponsor and the addition of two new teams, the Tata IPL 2022 is all set to hit the Indian shores on 26 March.

    Directed by Vasan Bala, the campaign features MS Dhoni as a bus driver who has parked the bus in the middle of a busy road. The traffic policeman arrives at the scene and questions Dhoni’s actions, to which he responds by saying that he is watching an intense IPL game. The cop treats this as a usual occurrence, and drives away reinstating the fact that such fandom is normal for IPL matches. 

    Star Sports will release the campaign film in seven languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Gujarati.

    Disney Star head – sports Sanjog Gupta said, “The Tata IPL 2022 campaign seeks to recruit millions of TV viewers and digital users across the country. Structured in four phases, the campaign turns the spotlight on fan frenzy and unique situations typically associated with the tournament as well as the distinct proposition of this year’s edition. #YeAbNormalHai adequately represents this, tying it with the social context of people discovering a “new normal” in their lives. The launch phase of the campaign strives to create a sense of excitement for the start of the 15th season, which promises to be the biggest ever.”

    Tata IPL 2022 will begin on 26 March, 2022.The 10 teams have been divided into two groups and will play a total of 14 league matches (seven home matches and seven away matches) totaling 70 league matches, followed by the playoffs and finals.

  • Cars24’s new campaign reveals MS Dhoni-proven formula to buy best cars

    Cars24’s new campaign reveals MS Dhoni-proven formula to buy best cars

    Mumbai: Cars24, the homegrown e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles has launched its latest campaign ‘MRL Pass Toh Gaadi First Class’ featuring Indian cricketer MS Dhoni. The campaign brings focus to Cars24’s recently launched Mega Refurbishment Labs (MRLs) in India and highlights the brand’s commitment and leadership to provide quality cars to its customers. 

    Based on the recently conducted Cars24-IPSOS study, quality is the most important factor in a buyer’s purchasing journey. In line, the campaign brings focus to the solutions by Cars24 that make the buying process seamless while ensuring top notch quality cars, said the statement. The campaign will go live on television and across all the social media handles of Cars24, it added.

    Conceptualised by Ogilvy (North), MS Dhoni alongwith the massive MRLs emerge as the heroes in the film. MS Dhoni is seen in this unique avatar of a rapper for the first time. Dhoni raps to explain the MRL throughout the film with visuals of various checks done on a car at the MRLs. Themed around ‘quality,’ the film is for the young buyers, with Dhoni making this point in a light hearted and fun manner. The rap-like treatment to the film and the continuous use of the word ‘check’ makes one want to play the film on loop- it has the potential to become an earworm. 

    “Through this campaign, we want to reinforce the messaging of our consistent efforts to bring a whole new world of quality cars to even more consumers,” said Cars24 India CMO Sudhir Shukla. “At Cars24 we have invested in India’s largest refurbishment facilities, the MRLs, which use the best-in-class systems, processes and technology to deliver quality cars that, together with our warranty and customer friendly return policies, will ensure an outstanding customer experience. And it was only fitting to use the best of cricket and a known car fanatic – MS Dhoni- to endorse the best in the pre-owned car industry; as he is definitely one of India’s most celebrated icons of performance, trust and dependability.” 

    “Since its early days, Cars24 has envisioned transforming the used-car industry. It has been a pioneer in shaping the industry while enabling customers to make the transition to buy cars online,” said MS Dhoni. “The company is revolutionising the category beyond Indian waters and has showcased its merit globally as they continue to expand further. I am delighted to be associated with a company that is here to make a difference with a consumer centric approach, ensuring they offer the best to their customers.” 

    Cars24 has recently launched seven company-owned MRLs in key metro markets of Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. These MRLs, India’s largest vehicle refurbishment facilities, have been set up across 35 acres of land with the aim of providing buyers with access to high quality used cars coupled with warranty through a trusted channel, said the brand.

    “When we first saw the new Cars24 facility The MRLs we knew that this had to be the centerpiece of our communication. We needed to show the rigour and the know-how that goes behind making each car top-notch. And who better than MS Dhoni to help us tell that story,” stated Ogilvy (North) chief creative officer Ritu Sharda. “We have presented MRL in all its glory and as a futuristic refurbishment facility synonymous with trust and quality.” 

  • MS Dhoni & daughter Ziva double up the fun in Oreo’s latest film

    MS Dhoni & daughter Ziva double up the fun in Oreo’s latest film

    Mumbai: Cookie brand Oreo has brought back to screen the adorable twosome of former team India cricket captain MS Dhoni and his daughter Ziva for its all-new #SayItWithOreo campaign.  

    With the latest campaign, the brand once again encourages family playtime with the introduction of alphabet embossed, scannable cookies, nudging them to ‘Scan, Play, Repeat,’ thus elevating the ‘Stay Playful’ narrative. 

    The campaign by creative agency Leo Burnett has the father-daughter duo taking them by now familiar Oreo ritual to the next level. As the two discover a playful escapade through the newly alphabet embossed cookies they bring the concept to life through their playful banter. The digital ad film has been produced by Media Monks.

    The cookie brand first brought the twosome together last year in January for its #OreoPlayPledge in what was Ziva’s debut as a brand ambassador. The adorable film had the father and daughter taking turns to take a pledge with the Oreo cookie, promising to have more fun times with family.

    Sharing his experience MS Dhoni said, ‘’Shooting with Ziva is a lot of fun; we love Oreos and it was about capturing our genuine playful moments on screen. This innovative campaign help parents engage with kids in a fun manner, promising new moments of play leading them to enjoy and cherish the bond they have.”                                                         

    This time around Oreo has further reinforced playtime by a novel tech module that enables children to play unique games curated by experts on a specially designed microsite. The process is activated by simply scanning any four-lettered cookie combination to reveal a one-time play code that unlocks varied 60 second games.

    “Oreo has always aimed to inspire playful moments and bring people together. The #SayItWithOreo campaign really shows how Oreo is more than just a cookie – a conduit to spark connection amongst families,” said Mondelez India head – biscuits marketing Sunainika Singh. “This sentiment is taken to the next level with the launch of our alphabet-embossed cookies, encouraging consumers to take time out and indulge their children in some quality, playful time. This experience is invigorated with the gaming module, unlocked by scanning these unique cookies. Also, our favourites, MS Dhoni and Ziva, have truly kept the Oreo spirit alive and yet again brought to life the campaign brilliantly.” 

    “Oreo has always inspired people to incorporate more playtime in their daily routine,” stated Leo Burnett CEO & chief creative officer – South Asia Rajdeepak Das. “With the #SayItWithOreo launch, the brand introduces a first-of-its-kind, embossed cookie, inspiring a completely new way to play by integrating technology and creativity with fun. Our campaign reflects this and elevates the scan, play, repeat mantra for Oreo lovers wherein you can scan the alphabets on the cookie to unlock access to curated games.”

    Media Monks India managing director Robert Godinho added, “This was an interesting tech challenge to work with. The idea was to be able to point a mobile camera at an Oreo Cookie- which had a letter of the alphabet embossed on it. We had to be able to tell each cookie apart with a high degree of confidence with the lowest latency. When technology supports art to create meaningful interactions for consumers, something truly wonderful happens.” 

  • Star Sports launches campaign for PKL 8 with MS Dhoni

    Star Sports launches campaign for PKL 8 with MS Dhoni

    Mumbai: Star India, the official broadcaster of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8, has unveiled its campaign #JoBhidegaWohBadhega, starring Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.

    After a two-year hiatus, Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 will start airing from 22 December onwards on Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar.

    The ad spot cinematically envisages diverse stories featuring the youth of today, who will not bow down to any sort of pain, pressure or bullying and overcome such staunch challenges with equal aplomb. An injured player braving the pain for his team, a young girl fighting against harassment from a group of boys or junior resisting from being ragged by his seniors at a hostel are some of the stories featured in the brand film.

    Moving away from its previous caravan format, Vivo PKL Season 8 will be held at a single venue in Bengaluru. The tournament will feature Triple Panga (Triple Headers) on the first four days in the opening week. Bengaluru Bulls will square off with U Mumba in the opening match. The highly anticipated ‘Southern Derby’ between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans will be the second match followed by UP Yoddha squaring off with defending champions Bengal Warriors in the final match of the day.

    “We are thrilled to bring back Vivo Pro Kabaddi League after a two-year hiatus,” said Star and Disney India head – sports Sanjog Gupta. “Kabaddi has a strong following among millions of fans who missed the sport during the pandemic and can now re-engage with #LePanga. The campaign celebrates the indomitable human spirit which has to overcome all kinds of challenges, big and small. We believe Kabaddi exemplifies this very spirit in its gameplay as the raider dares to enter the opposition team’s half of the mat and takes on many defenders to triumph. Winning in life as in Kabaddi needs us to press forward with belief and take challenges head-on. ‘Jo Bhidega Toh Badhega’ stands for this common truth.”

    “The action-packed sport requires quick thinking, situational awareness, swift moves and a daring attitude, which combined with Disney-Star’s unrivalled and innovative coverage makes it a compelling watch,” he added.

  • Dhoni & Ranveer Singh most recalled celebs in IPL 2021 ads: Report

    Dhoni & Ranveer Singh most recalled celebs in IPL 2021 ads: Report

    MUMBAI: That Bollywood & Cricket reign supreme over Indians’ hearts and minds has never been doubted – in fact it’s a tie between both! In the annual IPL ad recall research of the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) conducted ten days after the start of the League this year both- Captain Cool Dhoni and the effervescent Ranveer Singh have come up tops with both seeming to have done equally well. This is the second consecutive year that the cricketer was at No. 1, in 2019 Shah Rukh Khan had topped the report.

    The research polled 879 respondents in the age-group of 18-35 years (M=481, F=398) across India with the survey being conducted telephonically.  

    Dream 11 was the most spontaneously recalled brand in this year’s survey, which possibly also helped enhance both the brand equity and recall of MS Dhoni who anchored the 12-ad series for the brand as its ambassador and protagonist.

    Jio Fiber, with multiple IPL teams featuring an ever-enthusiastic Ranveer Singh gyrating to a sing-song brand message came in second on recall in the research. This also helped the celebrity endorser to considerably strengthen his personal recall. This was in sync with the ultra-high recall of the brands they respectively endorse. It may be noted however, that on the IPL last year Byju’s being the most spontaneously recalled brand did not help the cause of its celebrity endorser. Shah Rukh Khan trailed behind other celebrities.  

    The study bases the celeb score on Celebrity Brand Association & Recognition to assign a metric score to each celebrity and associated brand. While Dhoni scored a high CELEBAR of 87, Ranveer achieved a score of 86, empirically almost equal to the former’s.

    Virat Kohli, expectedly did well on recall too and came third in the recall rankings. Salman Khan did surprisingly well in this year’s survey coming in at No. 4, ahead of Rishabh Pant, Rahul Dravid, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Saurav Ganguly who followed in that sequence.

    Despite featuring heavy media weights, Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan the Vimal elaichi ad had only an eight per cent recall.  

    Interestingly, brands without celebrities like Phone Pe, Byju’s and several others performed far better, establishing that sans celebrities good advertising still works,  especially wherever media investments are heavy.

     On the ads without celebrities, the most remembered were Phone Pe, Byju’s, Vivo, One Plus, Groww, Upstox, Kia and MPL.

    Seventeen per cent of respondents spontaneously recalled Rahul Dravid’s association with CRED ad, but only two per cent could recollect that Jackie Shroff and Kumar Sanu were also a part of the campaign.  

  • IPL 2021: Short video app Roposo & Glance partner with CSK

    IPL 2021: Short video app Roposo & Glance partner with CSK

    MUMBAI: InMobi-owned short video app Roposo and lock screen content platform Glance have partnered with Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as its official lock screen partner and official short video app partner, respectively. The team will be live-streaming special shows on Glance, and post original short videos on Roposo, throughout the ongoing IPL 2021 tournament that kickstarted on 9 April.

    As part of the deal, cricket enthusiasts can also share uploaded short videos by their favourite players from CSK, on Glance and Roposo apps.

    “With the CSK team all set to livestream their exclusive and original content, we are primed to offer the users of Glance and Roposo an unmatched experience throughout this year’s tournament," said Glance vice president – marketing Bikash Chowdhury.

    “CSK has been among the tournament’s top contenders, year after year, just as Glance and Roposo have been going from strength to strength with each passing year. We are proud to bring 120 million Indians closer to a dream team like CSK, both on Glance’s lock screen and through their short videos on Roposo." Chowdhury added.

    The MS Dhoni-led team has already set up its official profile on Roposo. The company said that fans will get a chance to engage with players and take part in challenges to show their support for CSK.

    “Being a team built on loving fans, we always look for new ways to reach out to our supporters. This partnership with Glance and Roposo provides an exciting opportunity to engage with our fans on different digital platforms," said Chennai Super Kings chief executive K S Viswanathan.

  • MS Dhoni returns as Bijness Bhai to empower small businesses in India

    MS Dhoni returns as Bijness Bhai to empower small businesses in India

    NEW DELHI: Web hosting company GoDaddy has launched a new integrated marketing campaign encouraging small local businesses in the country to create an online presence for their business. Aligned with the government’s ‘Vocal for Local’ mission, through this campaign GoDaddy aims to support local businesses in India by helping them build their own website easily.

    Conceptualised by Tilt Brand Solutions, the television commercial sees MS Dhoni, GoDaddy’s India brand ambassador, make a comeback as Bijness Bhai to encourage small local businesses to ‘make in India and sell in full India’ by building a website with GoDaddy’s online tools and solutions.

    The campaign will be available in seven Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu. This will help spread the message to Indian small business owners and entrepreneurs across multiple geographies in the country.

    Dhoni said, “As an aspiring and home-grown entrepreneur myself, I understand how important it is now, more than ever, to have an online presence for your business. Many local small businesses have struggled to survive and grow amidst these difficult times due to lack of digital existence. In this challenging pitch of business, one needs to have the right online tools and solutions to deliver a match-winning performance.”

    GoDaddy India MD & vice president Nikhil Arora said, “We are thrilled to have MS Dhoni on board, yet again, for phase 3 of our famous Bijness Bhai marketing campaign. He represents a trusted voice of India with a successful professional journey, as a cricketer and as an Indian entrepreneur. With a strong connection to his local roots; he is the perfect influence for Indian small businesses to dream big. By working with Dhoni, we aim to continue to inspire all local businesses in the country to grow their business with an online presence.”