ITV

Tag: Saurav

  • Sunfeast Open 2005 launches its official website

    Mumbai, August 30, 2005: The temperature is rising and the euphoria is at its peek as Sunfeast Open 2005, gives yet another chance to tennis enthusiasts and fans to get up close and personal with some of world’s leading women’s tennis players. Adding to the excitement and fervour around the eagerly anticipated tournament, Sunfeast Open 2005 provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to tennis enthusiasts and fans across India to be a celebrity guest to the tournament in Kolkata. This special ‘Sunfeast Open Contest’ has announced at the launch of the official website www.sunfeastopen.com, which has been launched as a one-stop shop for all information related to the eagerly anticipated WTA tour event in India just at the click of the button.

    To participate in the ‘Sunfeast Open Contest’, contestants are required to log on to www.sunfeastopen.com and answer the following simple question:

    Who will you be cheering for at the Sunfeast Open 2005?
    a. Rahul, Saurav and Zaheer
    b. Sania, Shikha and Neha o
    c. Bunty, Babli and Pappu o

    One randomly picked winner would get an all expense paid trip to watch the Sunfeast Open 2005 live in Kolkata. This is not all. The winner gets to be a celebrity guest at the Sunfeast Open and will experience the taste of tennis highlife, 7 star hotel stay and the opportunity to mingle with the players at the players party.

    Globosport India Pvt Ltd managing director Mahesh Bhupathi says, “Tennis is a fastest growing sport in the country and the whole world is taking notice of the new generation stars from India. The ‘Sunfeast Open Contest’ is a one of its kind initiative for the tennis fans across India to meet their sporting icons. With initiatives such as the ‘Sunfeast Be A Ball Boy/Ball Girl Contest’, ‘the Sunfeast Design a Trophy Contest’ and ‘Tennis on the Streets’ amongst others, the event has really come alive for the sports fan. This is the first time a major sports event in India has reached out to sports fans, tried to capture their imagination, and create an experience that takes the sports fan beyond the TV sets and stadium seats and into the heart of the action”.

    Only residents of India are eligible to participate in the ‘Sunfeast Open Contest’. People are invited to participate in the contest either by logging on to the website by answering the question and filling in their contact details or alternatively, they could SMS their answer via their mobile phones as “Sunfeast a” (or) “Sunfeast b” (or) “Sunfeast c” to 3636 before Sept 12, 2005. The contest is also being promoted across several TV channels throughout the country.

    Specially created for tournament, the official website of the tournament provides a very pleasing look to the eyes with its colourful and vibrant display. The website is an online destination for audiences worldwide providing a single site access to crucial information like schedules, comprehensive profiles of all the participating players in this tournament. Data on the sponsors, information related to the venue and a photo gallery completes the content on the website. A Countdown Clock on the website builds up the excitement and euphoria as Kolkata gears up to host some of the leading stars in the world women’s tennis.

    Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata is a new event in the WTA calendar and every effort has been made to ensure that audiences worldwide get instant access to daily match updates, live scores, players statistics and draws, which will be uploaded at the tournament gets underway on September 17, 2005 with the qualifying rounds. The main draw commences on Monday, September 19, 2005 and the finals will be held on Sunday, September 25, 2005. Once the final draws have been made, daily schedules and match fixtures will also be available on the website. www.sunfeastopen.com will be updated with a ‘live scoreboard’ and daily match results.

    Visitors are also treated to some interesting information on ‘Kolkata –the City of Joy’ as well as some very rare fascinating trivia on tennis, which is soon becoming the fastest growing sport in India, in the ‘Did You Know’ section. The rich multihued website also provides key updates on the availability of tickets. Ten Sports, the host broadcaster for the tournament have their telecast schedule uploaded outlining the dates and timing of the matches for easy reference.

    An exhaustive media corner provides a gateway to all the official communication on Sunfeast Open 2005. Visitors will be treated to an exciting Sunfeast Open 2005 Contest – Win Trip to Kolkata, which will be uploaded in due course of time.

    About the ‘Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata’
    Touted as South Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle, Sunfeast Open 2005 is Tier III WTA (Women Tennis Association) event with prize money of US$ 170,000. It will be played at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata from September 19-25, 2005. The Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata is a new event that is being added for the first time to the WTA Tour championships, and will feature some of the world’s leading players as well the new generation of Indian stars led by Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi. The tournament is being brought to Kolkata by Globosport, the sports management company owned by Mahesh Bhupathi, under the auspices of the Government of West Bengal. With the explosion of talent in women’s tennis in India, the Sunfeast Open 2005 – Kolkata will allow Indians to see a new generation of Indian women take on the best in the world in their own backyard.

    For further information, please contact:

    Suresh Rangarajan/Supriya Sonde/Arushi Agrawal

    Vaishnavi Corporate Communications (P) Ltd

    Tel: 022-56568787

  • World Cup is worth every penny of investment-Dasgupta

    World Cup is worth every penny of investment-Dasgupta

    MUMBAI: SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta has claimed that the World Cup cricket 2003 telecasts on MAX will provide 40 brands with a unique opportunity to make it bigger than the best. 

    Dasgupta was speaking at the Advertising Club debate on “Will your brand perform better than Sachin, Rahul or Saurav at the World Cup?” in Mumbai on Thursday.

    During the course of his presentation, Dasgupta outlined the reasons why World Cup Cricket 2003 (WCC) was a great marketing opportunity. We produce some excerpts:
    Cricket goes beyond the normal realm of sports:
    Cricket is to India what soccer is to Europe; or what the Olympics or Super Bowl is to the US. One of the reasons why cricket scores over other games is that it is a well-run and professional set-up in India.

    The ICC has recognized the power of the Indian audiences and has ensured that the timings of the matches coincide with the prime viewing time slots in India. All the matches are slated for prime time viewing.

    The forthcoming WCC is the longest of its kind with 43 days of unlimited action. During the WCC, film distributors avoid releasing films; but are keen to telecast signals in theatres. In fact, out of home (OOH) is a popular trend that has increased gradually over the past few years. The forthcoming World Cup will ensure that pubs, schools, entertainment centres and multiplexes could telecast matches for avid cricket watchers.

    India will play Pakistan after four years. India’s route to the Super Sixes stage is a favourable one, as it has to beat either England or Zimbabwe in order to reach there.

    Cricket delivers:
    Cricket is a key maker of brands. LG, Hero Honda and Pepsi have attained leadership positions in four years since the 1999 World Cup. Today’s “Aaj Jeethna Hai”; Godrej’s “transparent billboards”; 8 PM’s “time for friends” and Colgate’s “talk to me” were some memorable copies created during the last World Cup.

    Cricket has the shortest and unforced break lasting 30 secs as against the conventional breaks of 2.5 mins.

    Non-India matches will also be lapped up by the Indian viewers as they would like to follow the tournament to its logical conclusion.

    Probable reasons why marketers shy away from cricket:
    The high cost of outlays

    The high cost of marketing support needed for on-ground activities

    Cricket is perceived as a male dominated game

    Should advertisers and agencies cherry pick the matches or should they go in for a sustained presence?

    Should advertisers and agencies choose other media for ‘halo’ effect?

    What kind of innovative ideas could be explored to ensure minimal intrusion but deliver optimum results?

    Opportunities offered by cricket in breaking through:
    The matches are finite and the airtime is limited.

    Making an impact to break through the clutter of ads is a challenge that inspires creative people.

    A special creative message could be developed to ensure that the brand gets a cult following. For instance, the Aamir Khan Coke ad during the Champions Trophy.

    The brand messages register on an immediate basis.

    What will MAX bring to the table:
    MAX will ensure that a customized feed conducive to Indian hearts will be provided specially for wooing the masses and the classes; males and females; adults and young-at-hearts.

    MAX will have 140 spots and 60 spots during the first round and second round respectively as against the terrestrial channels 210 spots and 170 spots. MAX will ensure that viewer satisfaction and client satisfaction is given high priority.

    Advertisers could expect high interactivity; give calls for immediate action by using pull throughs; and ensure sustained interests through involved viewing. MAX will have a daily poll even for non- India matches wherein viewers will be forced to take sides with one team.