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Tag: PV Sindhu

  • PNB MetLife unveils seventh edition of Junior Badminton Championship

    PNB MetLife unveils seventh edition of Junior Badminton Championship

    Mumbai: PNB MetLife, one of India’s leading life insurance companies, is excited to announce the much-awaited seventh edition of the Junior Badminton Championship (JBC), a premier junior badminton tournament dedicated to nurturing young talent and cultivating a new generation of champions in the sport.

    The PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship has captivated audiences as a thrilling spectacle and competitive platform that hones the skills of junior badminton players. Since its inception in 2015, the league has successfully conducted six editions, with the impressive participation of over 40,000 aspiring players in more than 30,000 action-packed matches.

    This year, the championship will span ten cities across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Kochi, Jalandhar, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Ranchi, and Lucknow. All badminton players and aspirants in these ten cities between the ages of seven and 17 are eligible to compete in PNB MetLife JBC 2023. The different categories include Under nine, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15, and Under 17. The match format will be singles and each participant can play in a maximum of two categories, as long as the maximum age limit is upheld. The State Winners will be invited to New Delhi for the grand finale and awards ceremony.

    PNB MetLife MD & CEO Ashish Srivastava expressed his excitement for the upcoming championship. “Over the course of six extraordinary editions, the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship has brought together top young sporting talent from across the country, seamlessly crossing geographical borders and cultures. More than just a sports tournament, JBC is an arena for personal transformation – nurturing aspirations for the future, instilling sportsmanship, and sculpting the potential champions of tomorrow. JBC embodies the true essence of sports as a unifying force.”

    JBC is globally recognised as the world’s largest junior badminton tournament played across multiple venues, a remarkable achievement acknowledged by the esteemed World Record Certification Agency (WRCA). This recognition solidifies the league’s status as a trailblazer in promoting junior badminton excellence in India.

    Top players and coaches in India including PV Sindhu, Prakash Padukone, Ashwini Poannapa, Vimal Kumar and Chetan Anand support this initiative through the JBC Boot Camp. The JBC Boot Camp is an innovative online badminton academy that offers valuable insights and techniques, enabling young players to refine their skills and reach their full potential.

    The grand launch event of the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship 2023 is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad on 15 September. This event will mark the commencement of an exciting journey across the ten states, where talented young players will compete for glory on the badminton court.

  • Centuary Mattresses onboards badminton star PV Sindhu as brand ambassador

    Centuary Mattresses onboards badminton star PV Sindhu as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Centuary Mattress, India’s fastest-growing mattress brand, has announced the onboarding of the acclaimed badminton sensation PV Sindhu as its brand ambassador. The partnership marks the union of two champions of Hyderabad – one renowned for her prowess on the badminton court and the other for its specialization in sleep & comfort.

    In Sindhu’s new role off the court, she will be championing the importance of the right mattress for fitness & well-being by using Centuary’s innovative products. Sindhu’s national popularity as Padma Bhushan awardee & most decorated badminton player would enable the brand to reach different geographies across the country. 

    Centuary recently introduced Gel Latex, A-Rise & Viscopedic mattresses to transform how people sleep. With this, the mattress brand has emerged as an industry leader in switching from conventional gel technology to copper gel technology. Comprising natural anti-inflammatory properties that provide pressure relief to the body, the new copper gel technology minimizes the body heat against the surface of the mattress. These unique features promise a good night’s sleep to customers.

    Centuary Mattress executive director Uttam Malani said, “We are elated to welcome PV Sindhu to the Centuary family as our new brand ambassador. Sindhu is a perfect fit for Centuary through shared values of excellence and dedication. While Centuary is India’s Sleep Specialist, Sindhu is surely India’s Sports Specialist and her achievements speak for themselves. We are proud to be associated with a champion such as Sindhu; and look forward to reaching out to all individuals with our innovative products and informative campaigns through this collaboration.”

    Padma Bhushan PV Sindhu, one of India’s most successful sportspeople, said, “Joining hands with Centuary Mattress is an exciting step for me. Their dedication to innovative sleep solutions aligns perfectly with my belief in the importance of rest. Just as rigorous training is vital for success, so is the restorative power of a good night’s sleep  on the right mattress. I’m thrilled to be a part of Centuary’s journey, advocating for healthier sleep solutions for holistic well-being.”

    Centuary Mattresses has established a strong presence in the country across 18 states with 4500+ dealers and 450+ exclusive brand stores. It has manufacturing plants located in Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar, company-operated sales depots in Pune, Bangalore, Warangal, Vizag, Vijayawada, Kurnool, Sambalpur and sales offices across South, East, and West India.

  • Biryani by Kilo launches web-series ‘Dum Laga ke India’ with Ranveer Brar

    Biryani by Kilo launches web-series ‘Dum Laga ke India’ with Ranveer Brar

    Mumbai: Biryani by Kilo has launched a web series, Dum Laga ke India, streaming on Disney+Hotstar and honouring the food, heritage, and culture of four different prominent Indian cities: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Bengaluru.

    In this season of Dum Laga Ke India, celebrity chef Ranveer Brar hosts each episode, which features eminent star casts PV Sindhu, Vaani Kapoor, Arman Mallik, and Pranitha Subhash in four episodes shot in four different cities: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Bengaluru.

    India’s popular and largest biryani and kebab delivery chain, Biryani By Kilo, has produced the show. The show is an attempt to celebrate and showcase India’s rich culinary heritage and diversity. Biryani by Kilo and Rusk Studios have conceptualised and produced the show.

    With the growing demand for OTT content in the advanced digital world, Biryani By Kilo identified one of the most engaging platforms to connect with its target audience in an innovative way. Biryani By Kilo intends to showcase the amalgamation of long-held legacies across culture, heritage, and food through this web series, Dum Laga Ke India, which has been well crafted with Ranveer Brar’s more than two decades of culinary experience and innovation. It is a watershed moment for the BBK brand, as it has established itself as one of the first biryani players to launch a one-of-a-kind web series on India’s leading streaming platform, Disney+Hotstar.

    Chef Ranveer Brar visits various cities to explore the diversity and appreciate what makes each city unique and buzzing. And what better way to do so than with celebrities who embody the true spirit of that city? Ranveer Singh Brar is joined by some of India’s biggest celebrities on his journey to discover hidden flavours, cultures, and nuances of life in some of the country’s busiest cities.

    In a candid conversation with Brar, Vaani Kapoor from Mumbai, Armaan Malik from Kolkata, Pranitha Subash from Bengaluru, and PV Sindhu from Hyderabad share what these places mean to them and their personal life stories. Each episode has captured the Dum of the respective city, what keeps it ticking, and the soul of the city in terms of people, food, heritage, and culture.

    Commenting on the launch, Biryani By Kilo Founder & Co-CEO Vishal Jindal said, “Dum Laga Ke India in association with D+H is our honest attempt to entertain and engage the audience, through the prism of food, culture, & entertainment. India is the land of diversity; each city has its own unique flavour, and when this uniqueness in food, culture, and beliefs comes together, it gives dum to that city’s soul. And what better brand to own than Biryani By Kilo, which is the pioneer of dum-cooked Handi Biryani in India. We have an eminent star cast on board for this travel, food, and entertainment show who are highly successful in their respective fields to talk about the authenticity of the place and their love for food. We are pleased to be associated with the heartthrob of the culinary world, chef Ranveer Brar, who talks about food heritage and shares his deep knowledge about the legacy of various dishes and places in an entertaining manner.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Brar said, “I am super excited to be part of this non-fiction, innovative digital content streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. I have always been passionate about stories around food; they’ve brought me closer to different cultures and people around me. And that’s what makes Dum Laga ke India a unique series, different from other food & travel shows. It has a fine balance of all three aspects: food, travel, & entertainment. The new web series has not only given me a chance to explore food but also led to candid conversations with different proficient stars who shared their exquisite memories related to food, culture, and cities. Personally, I loved working on this show, as it also made me explore different facets of myself. The series shows the intricacies of the culture and heritage of India. In addition to connecting with celebrities from the entertainment industry and discussing their accomplishments, the series delves deeper into their food, culture, and love for their respective cities. So yes, the viewers will love the complete package that it is.”

  • Sixth season of Premier Badminton League to kick-start from 17 December

    Sixth season of Premier Badminton League to kick-start from 17 December

    Mumbai: Premier Badminton League (PBL) is set for a comeback with the sixth season, scheduled from 17 December – 14 January. PBL is organised by SportzLive—the official licence holder of the league under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

    The upcoming edition of the league will once again bring badminton action to the fans after a break of two years owing to the pandemic.

    “We are thrilled with the return of PBL. It’s a crucial part of Indian badminton and has contributed to the growth of the sport in the country. It has provided a much-needed platform for our young players to showcase their talent on such a huge global platform, and its return is much awaited by the entire badminton fraternity,” said Badminton Association of India president Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

    “Indian shuttlers have hugely benefitted from PBL while playing alongside the world’s greatest players. The budding players have grown in confidence and experiences while interacting and I firmly believe the league will give a strong platform to BAI to create a lot more bench strength in the coming times,” said BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra.

    The league has witnessed the participation of Indian stars Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, as well as the Olympic champion Carolina Marin, Viktor Axelsen, Tai Tzu-Ying and Lee Chong Wei, among others.

    “It was a tough period for all of us. We are fortunate enough to have been loved by the people, and their love makes this league one of the biggest events in the badminton world. Since the start of the league to today’s date, the level of the game has gone up immensely in India. We are committed to developing badminton in India and, thus, are delighted to announce the return of the Premier Badminton League. We promise the same level of breathtaking action for the fans through this season,” said SportzLive MD Prasad Mangipudi.

  • PNB Metlife says ‘Karo Bade Sapno Ki Tayyari’ in new ad campaign

    PNB Metlife says ‘Karo Bade Sapno Ki Tayyari’ in new ad campaign

    Mumbai: Insurance company PNB MetLife has collaborated with agency partner L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to launch its latest integrated ad campaign titled ‘Karo Bade Sapno Ki Tayyari.’ Featuring the brand’s ambassador PV Sindhu, the campaign comprises a series of three films that focus on three distinct offerings from PNB Metlife – savings, education, and retirement plans. 

    In the ad film on education goals, a mother and daughter are seen engaging in a fun banter over her future education goals, while in the ad film on long-term savings, a couple indulge in their dream of a bigger abode. And in the ad film on retirement, a senior citizen justifies his rowing practice saying he’s preparing for their international holiday in the future.

    “If ever there was a time to live big and not postpone the things we want to do, it’s in today’s VUCA world. And consumers today are looking for financial partners that not only enable them to achieve their personal goals but also allow them to take bolder decisions,”  commented L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi executive director Charles Victor, emphasising the brand idea and thought process behind the new campaign. “PNB MetLife decided to answer that need, urging consumers to dream bigger and work towards those dreams today. On the execution, this campaign is a continuation of a series of films we’ve been doing for a couple of years now that are a humorous respite in an otherwise serious category.”

    The pan India campaign will be rolled out across regional GEC channels across North East, leading print publications, digital media across OTT platforms and financial websites, outdoors, and popular radio channels, said the company.

  • 75th I-Day: T-Series, Dalmia Bharat Group come together to launch a song

    75th I-Day: T-Series, Dalmia Bharat Group come together to launch a song

    Mumbai: As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, Dalmia Bharat Group & Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series bring audiences a special song dedicated to the unwavering spirit of 136 crore Indians.

    Titled “Mauka Hai“, the music video features some of the most inspiring icons from different age groups and walks of life who have put India on the map including athletes like Mirabai Chanu, PV Sindhu, Hima Das, along with the world’s youngest painter Advait Kolarkar, Guinness Book of World Record holder- Tiluck Keisam , gymnast Deepa Karmarkar, the world’s fastest piano player – Lydian Nadhaswaram, young paleontologist – Aswatha Biju, IPS officer – Chhaya Sharma, the youngest writer – Abhijeeta Gupta, gold medalist and world record holder – Pooja Bishnoi, Yatharth Murthy who sang the national anthem of 112 countries, Indian mathematician wizard – Anand Kumar, child shooting sensation – Abhinav Shaw and several others.

    The song is sung by B Praak, composed by Rochak Kohli and penned by Manoj Muntashir and celebrates the achievement of unsung heroes of today from different fields, thereby motivating others to aspire, perspire and achieve their dreams and build India of their dreams by 2047. 

    Speaking on the launch, Dalmia Bharat Group managing director, Puneet Dalmia said, “The ‘Mauka Hai‘ music video is a testament to the youth of our country that salutes their achievements in diverse fields and seeks to inspire every Indian to rise to the occasion with unity and pride. As a ‘young’ nation, our resilience and undying fighting spirit in the face of adversity, clearly shows that we have what it takes to become a global superpower. We are delighted to associate with T-Series for this music video as a tribute to our youth’s unwavering dedication. The song also reflects the unflinching commitment and hard work of Dalmia Bharat Group over the decades towards nation-building.”

    T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar said, “Everyone will feel an immense sense of pride after watching ‘Mauka Hai’. It’s an out-and-out tribute to not only those icons that have inspired us and made us proud but to every Indian who perseveres to do better.”

    Lyricist Manoj Muntashir shared, “Mauka Hai is something every Indian will relate to and be inspired by. It’s about pushing the limits and having a never-say-never attitude which defines the spirit of this country.”

    Composer Rochak Kohli added, “It’s wonderful to collaborate with Bhushan ji and B Praak on this track. We’ve tried to do justice to Manoj Muntashir’s hard-hitting lyrics and make ‘Mauka Hai’ an Independence Day track which is loved and remembered.”

  • India’s Olympic feat puts spotlight on ‘moment marketing’ violations by brands

    India’s Olympic feat puts spotlight on ‘moment marketing’ violations by brands

    MUMBAI: India recorded its finest performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics catapulting several talented sportspersons on the world-stage. As the country revelled in their stunning achievements, the brands also did not lag behind, and made the most of the moment, launching a series of social media posts to leverage the marketing opportunity.

    A host of brands bolstered their image online with quirky, fun topical posts around the medallists’ feat, which is commonly referred to as ‘moment marketing’ in advertising parlance.

    All was well, until the ace shuttler and bronze-medallist PV Sindhu and her agency Baseline Ventures announced that they are now mulling legal options to take these brands to court, “for using her name and image for their marketing purposes without proper authorisation”. According to media reports, the agency is planning to take as many as 20 brands to court for flouting the rules, and it could be seeking damages of Rs 5 crore from each of the brands.

    So where does one draw the line? When does a ‘harmless’ social media post cross the ethical line, to be construed as “infringing upon and unfairly exploiting the brand value of a celebrity” to gain visibility and traction for a brand?

    “This shows that the moment marketing is coming of age in India,” said Pulp Strategy founder and MD, Ambika Sharma. “This has happened previously with radio and traditional media, where you cannot mimic the voice of a celeb for your brand jingle. The sanctity of Intellectual property (IP)/ copyright needs to be understood. If they are not your brand ambassadors, then do not use their image.”

    According to Clevertize CEO and founder Sagar Nidavani the legal notice was a much-needed wake-up call for the brands and the agencies. “This would not have been an issue if the purpose was only to wish the winners at the Olympics. The issue was that in the name of brand connect we forgot the boundaries. Direct or Indirect usage of image or name of the player suggesting that the personality is endorsing the brand can be considered as crossing the line,” concurs Nidavani.

    ‘Moment marketing’ can be a tricky territory for brands to explore, and needs to be tackled with the right set of regulations to keep a check on a brand’s intent. However, the flip side to this is that without moment marketing, brands and agencies will miss out on a lot of topical posts which provide quality engagement to the brands and make for quality consumption for the audiences as well, highlighted Monk Entertainment VP, Talent Management, Aayush Tiwari.

    Amul is often cited as a successful example, and has also been lauded for its creative take on the ongoing events, which have often gone viral on social media too.

    “When Amul does such campaigns, it does it with panache, but without using any direct images. It goes beyond advertising to deliver a message of greater good,” said Tiger Advertising, partner Pantul Kothari, “however, what most other brands do is use sports winners to weave their brand message, and make it more ‘brand centric’ than just celebrating their victory.”

    Following Sindhu’s move, several agencies have come out in support of the athlete, and underscored the need to take a stand. “We have to understand that wrongful use of imagery is not morally, ethically and legally right and the same should be avoided under any circumstances,” shared White Rivers Media co-founder and CEO Shrenik Gandhi.

    According to agency experts, brands and agencies need to find new, creative ways to bypass the dilemma of using names and images of celebrities during occasions. Some have even used silhouettes or creatively integrated their products to have a relevant connection with the topical moment/occasion.

    “Brands could even add a layer of compliance for their social media updates by involving their legal team and creating a set of guardrails that the brand and their agencies could follow. It’s all about being smart with your communication and making sure all legal compliances are met when it comes to topical updates,” said Chimp&Z Inc chief creative consultant Shreyans Khanna.

    According to Admitad Affiliate, country manager India, Neha Kulwal brands can take the initiative of providing a better opportunity by rewarding/ sponsoring the athletes till next Olympics.

    There is no doubt that moment marketing is a legitimate tool for growth hacking, but only if it does not cross the unethical line. And, with the social media boom underway, it is definitely here to stay. The problem, of course, arises when a brand makes content designed to create a false impression of the celebrity or influencer being their ambassador, without having any commercial deal with them.

    “This places great responsibility on the creative agencies or content teams to not only be updated with every single trend, but also apply their minds to creating such content tastefully and ethically. As a creative agency, we need to advise our clients in terms of what’s acceptable and what’s not,” said Songfest India co-founder and CEO Gaurav Dagaonkar.

    However, the latest incident could definitely make the brands take a re-look at their social media strategies. According to Grapes Digital COO and Strategy head, Shradha Agarwal, the biggest learning is that brands will not prefer taking any celebrity’s name directly, and perhaps be more careful while creating topical moments when a brand personality is associated with it.

    Industry experts highlight that this has also turned the spotlight to the sports celebrities, and more brands will look at alternate sports and sports stars for signing up endorsements. With the Commonwealth games due in Birmingham, 2022 this is a big opportunity for the brands to look beyond the obvious and explore more avenues for partnerships.

  • India leads the spot in highest engagement on Facebook during Tokyo Olympics

    India leads the spot in highest engagement on Facebook during Tokyo Olympics

    Mumbai: Scripting its best-ever Olympic performance, India won seven medals – one gold, two silver, and four bronze – at Tokyo 2020. If there were, however, a ‘loudest country engaging in Olympic-related banter on Facebook’ category, ranked by the number of people talking about it, the country would have won another gold!

    According to data shared by Facebook reflecting trends on Facebook and Instagram between July 23 and August 8, India outshone countries like the United States and Brazil, emerging as the loudest country in the world to engage about the Games on the two websites. 

    Neeraj Chopra – the first track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for India in the ‘Men’s Javelin Throw’ category – was the second-most mentioned athlete on Facebook and led the same spot on Instagram, globally. Interestingly, track and field was also the most mentioned sport over the course of the Games globally. Maximum conversations around the Games happened on 7 August when Chopra and Team USA won gold in the ‘Men’s Javelin Throw’ and ‘Men’s Basketball’ categories.

    On Instagram, Neeraj Chopra (+2870814), PV Sindhu (+702778), and MC Mary Kom (+270104) were the biggest winners gaining the maximum number of followers since the start of the Olympics this year. Registering maximum increase in following by 1900 per cent on a global level, Chopra became the second most followed athlete over the course of the Games. His Instagram following stands at 2.6 million currently.

    Other Interesting Global Trend

    Tai Tzu Ying’s Facebook post thanking everyone for their support generated maximum interactions (1.3 million) during the course of the Games. 

    On Instagram, Brazil’s skateboarding athlete Rayssa Leal drove maximum interactions at 18.44 million. With 11 million views, the video depicting her skateboarding journey became the most-viewed video.

    Overall, athletes gained more than 75 million followers on Instagram, driving over 410 million interactions and posting over 3000,000 stories, globally.

  • Godrej Consumer Products’ Subha Sreenivasan Iyer on her love for badminton and PBL

    Godrej Consumer Products’ Subha Sreenivasan Iyer on her love for badminton and PBL

    MUMBAI: Badminton, today, is the world’s second most popular sport. And some 150 years after the game was invented in India, the humble shuttlecock sport has once again dazzled one and all in the country of its origin.

    A survey by British research firm SMG Insight revealed that badminton ranks just behind cricket in terms of a sport that Indians choose to play regularly. Additionally, another survey revealed that the interest in Badminton among Indians has more than doubled since 2017 and has gone up by 40 per cent in 2019 over 2018.

    Badminton’s rising popularity in India can also be gauged from the fact that the last edition of Premier Badminton League (PBL) was watched by over 133 million Indians. A mind-boggling number when you consider that the opening ceremony of Rio Olympics 2016 was watched by 342 million people globally. Already one of the world’s biggest badminton leagues, PBL has also helped in establishing the sport as a coveted career choice in India. PV Sindhu got auctioned for Rs 77 lakh and Sai Praneeth bagged 32 lakh for PBL Season 5, starting January 2020.

    As you would expect, big brands have also joined the bandwagon. Brands and sporting events have, in fact, always worked very well together and PBL is no exception. Apart from access to an audience that is 150 million strong, PBL is a great opportunity to build reputations and long-term brand image by investing in a growing sport in India. No wonder then that from telecom operator (Vodafone) to energy drink (Red Bull) to cement manufacturer (Dalmia), big brands have associated with the franchise.

    As the count-down begins to PBL season 5, we bring you stories of media executives who have played, loved and followed the sport; what they love about the game and how can brands effectively leverage PBL’s growing popularity.

    Name: Subha Sreenivasan Iyer 

    Company: Godrej Consumer Products Ltd

    Designation: Head – Media Services

    Favourite Players: Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu

    What do brands see as advantage when they partner with sporting events?

    Exclusivity and synergy in a branding opportunity is what brands see as an advantage. After 2008, when IPL started the popular T-20 league there has been a growth of various non-cricket sporting options which is a marketer’s delight. These events provide lot of options  to connect with audiences in a very relevant manner

    FMCG brands have always invested heavily in sporting properties – why do you think FMCG brands consider sporting events a good investment?

    At Godrej, we were one of the first sponsors of the IPL, when it started and we also used the broadcast platform to create a very innovative engagement with our audiences – we actually gave away a Godrej Apartment as a grand prize to IPL viewers! That was a first.

    With multiple domestic leagues coming up now, there’s so much scope for innovative ways to create engagement with multiple audience segments, which otherwise one couldn’t do much about. 

    Now, besides brand awareness and exposure, one can look at multiple areas of building social connect,  engaging with fans of the sport, tailor specific launch events around sporting events, build custom communication relevant to these audiences and even tap into the fact that these events are now making inroads into more number of towns, which were otherwise not easily accessible. I’m talking about both ground connect as well as media partnerships here. 

    In the last few years, brands have invested in sports other than cricket as well like Badminton, Soccer, Hockey and Kabbadi – do you think sponsorships by these brands will help in the development of various sports and in making India a sporting nation?

    There are two aspects here. First, there’s a lot of private investment into non-cricket sports, which is shaping the way investments are done and bringing in collaboration across advertisers, sporting bodies, government bodies and helping take these events to more number of households. Definitely, that spells good news for the sector because now we’ve created far more opportunities than ever before, for talent to come up. Earlier, most of our non-cricketing sports were either too unorganized or didn’t have the right access to funds, training, platforms, learnings from international leagues etc. Now there’s lot of access and information available.

    As per reports, badminton is already the second-most popular sport in India after Cricket – what role has Premier Badminton League (PBL) played in popularising Badminton in India?

    Actually if you go by numbers and data, after cricket, kabaddi is the next big one. Badminton is definitely popular and is growing for sure. Growth of such leagues, create more opportunities for both talent and advertisers. Badminton as a sport has always been popular across the country, but now it’s gaining scale. 

    What do you think brands find most engaging in leagues like PBL?

    Any sporting event, whether it’s IPL, Formula 1, PBL , kabaddi or football – they have their dedicated fan base who eagerly await for the action dates. There’s so much buzz and excitement which begins right at the auction time and keeps building up as the event progresses. That’s the whole opportunity that brands find attractive in terms of creating engagement opportunities with their respective audience segments. What’s important is how well one can identify synergies between the event and one’s core segment that one’s targeting and execute it well. The fandom for a sport is the biggest asset that a brand can leverage.  

    What role can PBL play in making badminton a coveted career option in a cricket-crazy country like India? 

    There’s the government push for sports in India today, which got a good boost with the Khelo India Youth Games in 2018. Besides, in the past couple of years, beyond cricket, we’ve seen the growth of domestic leagues in badminton, kabaddi, football, and I believe we have leagues coming up in polo, table tennis, boxing and even E-Sports very soon in 2020. All of this means, there’s larger number of homes, witnessing sports in multiple formats and accessing it either through television or OTTs. Besides reach of sports from a marketer’s perspective, this also spells very good for the growth of sports at a grass root level across the country.

    As a marketer when a brand associates with a league like PBL, how does it leverage the association to its fullest? Any thoughts?

    I think, the most important question to answer to ask is what’s the best and most relevant manner in which one can engage with a given opportunity. And at the same time, in terms of ROI, it makes sense. Synergy with the specific audience segment and opportunity cost, both are important. Scope for creating engagement could be on-ground, team associations, multiple ways of actively or passively building connections, depending on the requirement of the brand.  

    Your favourite PBL team?

    I am big fan of both Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu, so whichever team they are playing for, I will root for them.  

    The latest India Watch report finds that sporting events are becoming increasingly popular in smaller cities as well as among women. What opportunities do you see for brands as live coverage of sporting events reaches Tier-II, Tier-III cities?

    Increasing the penetration of this format across larger cities gives an opportunity to create engagement on ground as well as brings in eyeballs from more cities for the sport. The sport benefits for sure. Live coverage gives more engagement options for brands on ground as well as bringing in newer audiences into the fold, which is good. 

    Badminton, unlike other sports like soccer, hockey or kabbadi, is one sport which is equally popular with both men and women – does this make PBL more attractive for certain specific products like Fashion brands or FMCG?

    In terms of absolute viewership numbers of all domestic leagues, it’s split between 40/60 for women : men. Right now, for newer leagues like PBL, the numbers are not yet large enough for us to dissect and pass a verdict like that. More importantly, for a brand, the way they see an opportunity is basis the relevance to their own consumer segment and the connect that they can build with this opportunity, that’s more important. 

    PV Sindhu and Tai Tzu Ying bagged Rs 77 lakh each in the auction that happened. International names are now bagging spots in the seven teams. How do you think PBL has helped build stature for Indian and international clients?

    I think PBL has contributed wonderfully in building badminton. It’s growing at a great pace, we have more players, amazing talent that’s coming on board and all this means there’s so much more growth for players and the game and more investments. Of course, it’s a long journey, but it’s a great start for sure.
     

  • Why the Premier Badminton League looks promising

    Why the Premier Badminton League looks promising

    MUMBAI: There was a time not so long ago when India was just a one-trick pony as far as sport is concerned. And we all know what that game is: cricket. Recently a clutch of new sports have been getting a shot in the arm: kabaddi, soccer, basketball and of course badminton.

    The shuttlecock sport – which has its origin in British India Poona and was even called by that name once – has had its Indian champions in the form of Khanna, Nandu Natekar, Prakash Padukone, Syed Modi, and Pulela Gopichand who brought home international titles and got accolades from the government. Most apart from Padukone are but a memory.

    Over the past decade Badminton has been getting a lot of media coverage courtesy the emergence of a new crop of players such as  PV Sindhu,  Srikanth Kidambi, Saina Nahiwal who have gone on to top the world rankings and won some major titles and Olympic silvers and bronzes.

    A survey by British research firm SMG Insight in 2012 revealed that badminton ranks just behind cricket in terms of a sport that Indians choose to play regularly and the fourth most followed after cricket, tennis and football. Additionally, another survey in 2018 revealed that the interest in Badminton among Indians has more than doubled since 2017, and has gone up by 40 per cent in 2019 over 2018. 

    India’s success at the global level and in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) championships since 2010 has no doubt helped in buoying the popularity of the sport even further. And the Star India network (now Disney Star India) has been putting all its might behind badminton by continuously backing the Premier Badminton League (PBL) since 2016. Its creators SportzLive had a stop-start in its first edition which was called the Indian Badminton League in 2013.

    That sports other than cricket are getting popular in India is evidenced by the commercial success of the PKL, and the ISL. Reams have been written about how valuable they have become.

    But, almost silently, the PBL too has been growing. In its second edition in 2016 (under Star’s steerage) it had a reach of 35 million. However, the PBL’s 2019 reach was a staggering 133 million.  That’s an eye-popping increase of 280 per cent between Season 1 and Season 4.

    The second and third editions had 14 days of live telecasts, while the next two had 23 days. The number of teams participating went up from six in 2016 to nine in 2018- 2019. The 2019-20 version will see seven franchises slugging it out on the badminton courts for the Rs six crore prize for the winner and Rs three crore for the runner up  as the PBL gets into its sixth edition in end December.   24 matches are scheduled to be played in toto.

    PBL’s rising popularity can also be gauged from the fact that awareness of the league has gone up from 50 per cent in 2018 to 57 per cent in 2019, as per an industry survey.

    Thanks to the immense popularity of PBL, international Badminton icons like Carolina Marin and Lee Chong Wei have garnered huge fan following in India, at times, even surpassing their fan following in their home countries. Marin, for instance is the brand ambassador to promote Spain’s premier soccer league – La Liga – in India. Brands are also trying to leverage the rising popularity of Badminton players. PNB Metlife, Visa, JBL, Yonex, Stayfree, Flipkart, Bridgestone, Moov, Gatorade, Nokia, and Panasonic have partnered with PV Sindhu. Chinese sports brand Li Ning has partnered with both Sindhu and Srikanth Kidambi. Also, seeking to cash-in on the rising popularity of PBL, new sports brands like Victor have also entered India.

    Fans and the public have recognised that the PBL has successfully achieved what it set out to do. On almost every front: improving its exposure and the standards of the sport, becoming success, improving the financial lot of the players, making it entertaining for non-fans,  as well as providing a bond between family and friends who watch the matches.

    With such positive strides being made by the world’s largest badminton league, the 2019-2020 edition looks set to be a must watch. And indeed it will be thanks to the PBL matches being short, fast paced and with intense drama.