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Tag: Suresh Raina

  • India Today Group presents Salaam Sachin – The biggest Farewell to Sachin Tendulkar

    India Today Group presents Salaam Sachin – The biggest Farewell to Sachin Tendulkar

    MUMBAI: As Sachin Tendulkar readies to retire after his 200th test, an extraordinary farewell is getting planned at the India today group- “Salaam Sachin Conclave. The conclave is scheduled to take place in a city hotel in Mumbai on November 12, 2013.

    After 24 years, there are few records the Little Master hasn’t broken. In his journey, there are a few people who’ve seen him grow from the young curly haired promising batsman to the time he became the first man to score 100 international centuries. Salaam Sachin Conclave will witness enthralling, informative & entertaining sessions with noted Sports personalities ranging from people like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar and Anshuman Gaekwad who have seen Sachin grow through the years …. As well as his fierce rival Waqar Younis and close friends – Brian Lara and Saurav Ganguly.

    The high point of the conclave will be Brian Lara sharing his opinion on Lara vs. Sachin in a never before session. Sachin is rated as the best batsman in his generation by many contemporaries, Indian audiences have always been curious on what Lara thinks about this comparison.

    The viewers will get a glimpse of the learnings players like Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir drew from the legend. Sports personalities such as Sania Mirza, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh will also share their views on how Sachin has been an inspiration to them and how he has handled unrivalled pressure for a long 24 years. Apart from the world of sports, the conclave will also have presence of Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan who will talk about Sachin being a Hero for every Indian. Sachin’s brother Ajit Tendulkar will share an account of how he encouraged Sachin to play cricket and how Sachin dealt with his most painful moments in life.

    The conclave will include various sessions on Sachin’s life, his journey, his childhood, his achievements and his family. The first session on Sachin’s formative years will be delivered by his own sporting idol, Sunil Gavaskar, followed by a discussion between Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan together talking on how Sachin Tendulkar is an inspiration for younger generation.

    A special session will also see the prominent names from corporate India talking on how Sachin has been the biggest brand in Indian Sporting history.

    The day will also have predictions from the cricketing greats in the session, “the Sachin era and the future” addressed by former Indian cricketers Ajit Wadekar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Anshuman Gaekwad and Kiran More. “Mumbai versus Bowral: The mantle of the Greatest” will be a subject of debate among cricketing greats Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Brian Lara.
    The conclave will also feature an exhibition of rare Sachin memorabilia by the well known British memorabilia expert Hamilton Bland. 

    Expressing his thoughts on the Salaam Sachin conclave, Aroon Purie, Chairman & Editor in Chief, India Today Group said, “The life of a legend cannot be better captured but by those who’ve shared rare moments with him. India’s imagination has been dominated for over 24 years by the finest batsman the world’s ever seen. From his younger days and to the ultimate match of a brilliant career – he stood for Indian hope and pride. Salaam Sachin should be and will be a fitting salute to the all time greatest ambassador of the game.”

    Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, India Today Group, added “As the Man at the centre of India’s biggest passion signs out, it is important to express our gratitude to the legend. It has been an honour for many like us to watch him play and a few of us have also had the opportunity of interacting with him. With Salaam Sachin, we bring the world of Sachin fans closer to the Sachin they haven’t seen and the Sachin they are going to miss.”

    The high points of the session will be telecast LIVE on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today along with over a 25 hour programming churned out of the conclave over the weeks.

  • Adidas signs-up Mahela Jayawardene as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene, who is also the captain of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Daredevils, is all set to sport the three stripes as German sportswear giant Adidas has signed him up as brand ambassador.

    To kick start this partnership, he will be part of Adidas’ latest digital and retail campaign for the IPL- ‘Loose the heat, keep the fire‘- a campaign based on the apparel technology from Adidas, ClimaCool+.

    He joins Adidas’ athlete portfolio, including the likes of the Master Blaster- Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina and international cricketers such as Keiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Lasith Malinga.

    He said, “I am excited and raring to step on the field in the three stripes. adidas supports some the greatest athletes in the world today and have continued to develop revolutionary products to help cricketers like me outperform. The ClimaCool+ technology in the new Delhi Daredevils team jersey certainly brings the cool, the minute you put it on, and I am all in to face the heat this season.”

    Adidas India brand director Tushar Goculdas said, “Mahela is one of the greatest cricketers of the current era- a natural leader, a fantastic batsman and an outstanding fielder. He has had a tremendous impact on the game, making Sri Lanka a dominant force in world cricket. We are excited to support him with our incredible sportswear innovations and believe this partnership will empower him further to deliver match winning performances.”

  • Aircel launches marketing campaign with CSK for IPL 2013

    MUMBAI: Aircel, the official sponsor of Chennai Super Kings team, has launched the ‘Kaun Dega Man of the Match‘ contest for all its prepaid and postpaid subscribers.

    The contest gives three lucky winners a rare opportunity to hand over the ‘Man of the Match’ award live in front of millions of cricket fans, in any one of the Chennai Super Kings game.

    An all-expenses paid offer, Aircel intends to share this unique opportunity and experience with its new as well as existing subscribers (both prepaid and post-paid).

    All Aircel’s existing and new pre-paid subscribers can buy a connection and recharge it with Rs 100 or above to be eligible for participation to the contest. However, all its existing and new post-paid customers are automatically eligible to participate in this contest.

    Apart from the giving of the ‘Man of the Match’ award, the contest also offers eight lucky winners, an exciting chance to meet the Chennai Super Kings team to their city.

    Other interesting offers by Aircel for its valuable subscribers for IPL include: CSK players R. Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Murali Vijay talk to Aircel subscribers via Celeb Chat, a specially developed CSK app with updated information on the team, and a newly created Video Scorecard for an innovative presentation of scores along with videos of key events.

    Speaking at the occasion, Aircel CMO Anupam Vasudev said, “Aircel is proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious and successful cricket teams of the IPL – Chennai Super Kings. Our partnership with CSK aims to encourage cricket and provide a great platform for the new crop of talent to shape up into champions of future. Through our association with CSK, we offer our customers something ‘Extra’ like tickets, CSK merchandise and innovative consumer engagement programs along with the opportunity to witness and experience the best international cricket with some top ranking Indian and international players.”

    Tapping into the digital world to create buzz around CSK in the social media community, Aircel also launched the “Blogger Hunt” contest. The contest gives one winner a unique opportunity to travel with the Chennai Super Kings team for over 45 days wherein they would publish candid inside stories/content on the Aircel micro blogging site, on the Facebook and the Twitter page.

  • Pepsi launches ad campaign with new brand ambassador Unmukt Chand

    MUMBAI: Pepsi has launched the second leg of ‘Oh Yes Abhi!‘ ad campaign featuring the Under-19 Indian Cricket Team captain Unmukt Chand as its new brand ambassador.

    Chand features in the ad-film that brings alive the ultimate face-off between him and the captain of the Indian cricket team MS Dhoni along with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. The fun and entertaining campaign captures their impatient moments and promises to leave the audiences engaged like never before.

    PepsiCo India senior director – marketing (Colas, Juices and Hydration) Homi Battiwalla said, “Pepsi is known to be the first brand to identify youth icons early in time and tap talent with tremendous potential and credibility. We are proud to associate with Unmukt Chand, who truly reflects Pepsi‘s Oh Yes Abhi! attitude and are confident that he will lead the next-generation of players who personify the same philosophy. He is eager to be a part of the Indian cricket team and is performing consistently to achieve his goals… we wish him all the best and look forward to an exciting journey with him”.

    “Our latest campaign takes forward the ‘Oh Yes Abhi‘ philosophy and brings alive Unmukt‘s impatient moments in his first ever ad-film with MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. The film showcases the young emerging star impatient to be a part of the Indian cricket team which exemplifies our positioning in a fun and exciting manner,” he further added.

    The TVC brings alive Pepsi‘s youthful irreverence and demonstrates the â€?Oh Yes Abhi!‘ moments of these Pepsi brand ambassadors and youth icons.

    Chand is shown waiting impatiently, all anxious to get hold of a Pepsi bottle, while Dhoni, Kohli and Raina are also waiting to get their hands on it. What one sees next is an entertaining war of words between the youth icons and the rising star.

    The campaign has been created by Pepsi‘s creative AoR JWT.
    JWT India ECD Surjo Dutt said, “The young cricket star Unmukt shows his impatient side in a refreshing and cool manner, bringing alive the philosophy of Oh Yes Abhi!.”

    The campaign takes forward Pepsi‘s new journey in India with a refreshed new positioning and belief – “Oh Yes Abhi!”. To bring it alive for consumers, the brand had launched a mega campaign starring Ranbir Kapoor, Dhoni and Priyanka Chopra last month that captured their impatient moments.

  • Suresh Raina is Adidas brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: German sportswear giant Adidas has appointed cricketer Suresh Raina as the brand ambassador.

    Raina will be seen sporting the adidas-ST bat and adidas-ST cricket gear in the warm up match against Pakistan on 17 September.

    Adidas India brand director Tushar Goculdas said in a statement, “We are proud to support a gifted player like Raina who has always managed to create a big impact in the game whether through his batting, bowling or brilliant fielding skills.”

    Raina added, “It‘s been a fantastic journey with adidas and they have been extremely supportive throughout my career. Adidas has consistently enabled me to have an edge on and off the pitch with their revolutionary products. I have also been training harder than ever for this World Cup and the new Adidas training gear has helped me harness untapped strength that I never knew existed.”

  • Pepsi rolls out new ad campaign with Ranbir Kapoor & MS Dhoni

    MUMBAI: Being one of the global sponsors of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka, Pepsi has launched its latest campaign that aims to celebrate the nation‘s zeal for the sport and more so the format.

    The campaign has been created and conceptualised by Pepsi‘s creative agency, JWT.

    The new commercial for Twenty20 cricket brings Ranbir Kapoor and Mahendra Singh Dhoni together on-screen. According to the official statement, the campaign revolves around the “passion” of the cricket fans who enjoy watching the format with the same irrepressible and unorthodox fervour reflected in the cricketers‘ game on-field. A cricket fan himself, Ranbir shows the cricketers, including Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina the ‘Na Tameez‘ the irreverent and zany side of T20 fans.

    The campaign shows that Twenty20 is not played by the rules. It says- Yeh T20 hai boss… na tameez se khela jaata hai… na tameez se dekha jaata hai!

    PepsiCo India senior director – marketing (Colas, Juices and Hydration) Homi Battiwalla said, “Pepsi is strongly associated with cricket in India and we are delighted to be one of the global sponsors of ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka. Our ‘Change the Game‘ campaign last year celebrated everything unorthodox about the way the sport is played; this year, we take forward the same philosophy and extend it to the millions of cricket fans in our country. In true Pepsi style, the campaign is irreverent and the Indian cricket fans, led by Ranbir Kapoor show how they Change the Game off-field”.

    “Our latest commercial for Pepsi focuses on the excitement and thrill with which the sport is viewed by millions of its fans in India and celebrates their passion in a never seen before manner. Just the way the Twenty20 format has bent the traditional rules; Indian cricket fans have bent the rules to watch the sport in their own irreverent style. Ranbir and Dhoni for the first time together is the added bonus and if I may add… their chemistry is sizzling”, JWT India executive creative director Surjo Dutt added.

    The ad film opens with the shot of a bus taking the cricketers breaking down in a busy neighbourhood. Suddenly, Ranbir Kapoor appears from top of the bus and starts interacting with the cricketers. They are taken by surprise when other fans in the area also join Ranbir to demonstrate their fun response to the cricketers‘ playing format and some of their favourite shots. Witnessing the absolute craziness of the fans around, Dhoni finally asks Ranbir – “yaar yeh kya tameez hai?” to which the young actor responds in a quirky manner, ‘Yeh T20 hai boss, na tameez se khela jaata hai and then he‘s joined by the fans who say, ‘na tameez se dekha jaata hai‘.

    Additionally, the brand is launching a contest on Facebook wherein they will be asked to answer two questions to be eligible to win passes for the ICC World Twenty20, scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka from September 18. 39 lucky winners will get opportunity to watch the India matches live.

    Several initiatives on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Mobile are being launched with an aim to change the way the consumers watch, cheer and listen to the sport. In addition, Pepsi had also launched a branded smart phone application in India.

    The media agency working on the account is Mindshare.
     

  • Pepsi launches ‘Change The Game’ WC campaign

    Pepsi launches ‘Change The Game’ WC campaign

    MUMBAI: Soft drink conglomerate Pepsi has announced the launch of a media campaign for the upcoming Cricket World Cup featuring five Indian players – skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli.

    The first of the television commercials featuring Indian cricket players will be launched on 15 January. Pepsi is an ICC partner.

    This ICC Cricket World Cup, Pepsi celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with its high decibel and path-breaking campaign – ‘Change The Game’. Through the metaphor of cricket, it also salutes the Youngistaanis who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition, and pave their own way by not breaking the rules but by changing them.

    Pepsi says that Change the Game is not a notion but reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed world-over and in India today. With this innovative campaign, Pepsi has become the official sponsor of everything that is unorthodox about the sport; whether it is Sehwag’s Upper Cut, Dhoni’s Helicopter shot, Singh’s Doosra, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s Dilscoop, Kevin Pietersen’s Switch Hit or Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina’s aggressive on-field spirit.

    PepsiCo Beverages India marketing director Deepika Warrier said, “Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our Change The Game campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi.”

    Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.

    PepsiCo India executive VP – marketing, Cola Sandeep Singh Arora said, “Change the Game is a big idea in the context of the game of cricket. With this campaign we will inspire the youth to ‘change the game’, be innovative, take risks, and do things differently even if it has not been done before. We are the official sponsors of the ICC World Cup, but with this campaign we also want to be the official sponsors of everything that is unorthodox, exciting, innovative about the game of cricket”.

    Dhoni said, “Change the Game for me is not about what you achieve, but how you achieve it. It is about the confidence to take risks and the courage to take the road less traveled. On field, it is about playing innovative shots or making game changing decisions at critical junctures of the play. Pepsi’s Change the Game campaign captures this thought in an exciting and innovative manner and I am sure Youngistaanis will strongly identify with it”.

    Supporting the on-air initiatives is the campaign with cricketers in a painted body look. The company adds that the new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it which mirrors the athlete’s character.

    Taproot India creative director Agnello Dias said, “Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth. A belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket that is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it‘s not the textbook that matters but the result at the end of the day. Because the game can always change.”

    Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films who directed the TVCs said, “Change The Game is a powerful concept and we have tried to bring alive the same passion and excitement in the films as we would see during the World Cup. The idea was to communicate Pepsi’s celebration of cricketers’ innovative signature moves on the field in a never-seen-before manner. For instance, the first film presents an irreverent back story about Dhoni’s famous Helicopter shot to the thrill of him actually using it during the match.”

    The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.