ITV

Tag: Virat Kohli

  • The rise of brand Rohit Sharma

    The rise of brand Rohit Sharma

    MUMBAI: He is the only batsman in the world to score double century twice in limited overs, the maximum number of individual sixes (16) in an ODI match and the only captain to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title thrice. The vice-captain of the Indian cricket team also leads Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. We’re talking of none other than Rohit ‘Superman’ Sharma.

    Sharma, who lived in a small suburb in Mumbai and didn’t change schools because of financial constraints, today lives in a high-end plush apartment in Worli that costs a whopping Rs 30 crore. But this is not the story about how he became a household name or a prominent player in the Indian cricket team. The hitman has also become a ‘hit’ among leading brands that are willing to splurge millions to sign him as the brand ambassador.

    While he makes a pretty decent amount from his cricketing career where he receives an enormous annual salary of Rs 11.5 crore, Sharma draws in an average of over Rs 10 crore annually from brand endorsements. According to industry estimates, his net worth is projected to grow further by approximately 38 per cent by the end of year 2018.

    In a career spanning 11 years, Sharma has endorsed brands such as Maggi, Fair and Lovely, Lays, Nissan, energy drink Restless, Nasivion nasal spray, Ceat Tyres, Swiss watches company Hublot, Aristocrat by VIP luggage, Adidas and Oppo mobiles.

    While one may think that his brand choices haven’t really been wise and astute in the last few years, he gradually seems to be getting a hang of how the game of brand endorsement is played. Only in 2018, he became the brand ambassador for Relispray, Sharp television and recently the mobile accessories brand Conekt. The renowned tire company Ceat also pays him Rs 3 crore every year to put the brand’s sticker on his cricket bat.

    Though the quality and level of brands he has been choosing in the last few years have gone up considerably, it is still a long way for him before he can become the favourite of every brand. Currently, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli seems to be every brand’s go-to person as his brand equity was valued higher than football star Lionel Messi in the Forbes top 10 list of global athletes of 2017 with an estimated value of $14.5 million.

    Although the early glamour also pushed Kohli to advocate Pepsi and Fair & Lovely Men in 2011, he eventually decided to move away from these brands in 2017. He refused to renew the contract, saying at the time that he would not ask people to consume something that he himself does not. Kohli said, “Things that I’ve endorsed in the past – I won’t take names — but something that I feel that I don’t connect to anymore. If I myself won’t consume such things, I won’t urge others to consume it just because I’m getting money out of it.”

    Following this move by the captain, Sharma too does not see himself selling or endorsing a product that he doesn’t believe in. He says that he is extremely cautious about the brands he endorses. In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Sharma said, “I am extremely cautious about the brands I associate myself with. I don’t want to be selling or getting involved with something that I don’t use myself. I genuinely believe in having a connection with a brand that you endorse and if that’s missing, there is no point in selling fake products/ideas to people. 

    But how does he really decide on signing a brand or giving it a miss? Says the MI captain, “Whenever I choose to endorse a product, I want my fans and people to experience the product and enjoy it as well. A lot of brands that I have endorsed are used by me and if I don’t see any camaraderie between me and the brand, I don’t go ahead with the association.”

    Lately, newcomer Hardik Pandya is also getting better acceptance in the market than the proven and seasoned Sharma. Pandya is increasingly getting brands despite being new as he is flamboyant, stylish and supports different looks and hairstyles.

    The hitman still has a long road and career ahead and his star value is unlikely to dim anytime in the future.

  • Sun Pharma launches Volini Maxx with Virat Kohli

    Sun Pharma launches Volini Maxx with Virat Kohli

    MUMBAI: Sun Pharma Consumer Healthcare, a division of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has launched Volini Max.

    The company has signed Virat Kohli, captain of Indian cricket team as the new brand ambassador of Volini. A 360 degree marketing campaign featuring Virat Kohli goes live today. 

    Kohli says, “I’m happy to partner with Volini and announce the launch of Volini Maxx – India’s strongest pain relief spray. Athletes are required to push through pain on a regular basis, and Volini has been my trusted pain relief partner for decades. With its instant pain relief formulation, I am able to focus on my game and not the pain.” 

     

    Volini Maxx is a new variant of Sun Pharma’s popular brand, Volini. Its unique formulation of 2 per cent diclofenac makes it 100 per cent stronger than the existing 1 per cent diclofenac sprays available in the Indian market. Volini Maxx is targeted for severe pains including musculoskeletal, joint and low back.

    Sun Pharma CEO India for emerging markets and consumer healthcare Kal Sundaram mentions, “Volini has been a trusted pain relief partner for over two decades. We are happy to introduce Volini Maxx spray which is stronger than any other topical pain relief spray available in India*. It will provide effective relief to people suffering from back and joint pain & also in sports injuries. Known for pushing the limits of physical endurance, Virat echoes the brand vision of constantly improving performance and not letting pain come in the way of going that extra mile.”

    Lowe Lintas President Madhu Noorani adds, “Virat Kohli headlines more than every cricket match he plays. He is celebrated for his consistent performance and unmatched levels of fitness. Unstoppable, he is always seen firing on all cylinders on the field. However, this does not come easy in today’s demanding competitive cricket world. A sportspersons life, more than anyone else’s, is liberally sprinkled with injuries and when you are knocked down, what matters most is how quickly you can come back to the game.”

    The overall topical analgesic market in India is valued at Rs 3380 crore growing at 11 per cent. Out of this, the spray category is around Rs 356 crore growing at 18 per cent, according to Nielsen MAT June 2018 report.

    Sun Pharma is the world’s fifth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company and India’s top pharmaceutical company.

    Sun Pharma’s global presence is supported by 42 manufacturing facilities spread across six continents, R&D centres across the globe and a multi-cultural workforce comprising over 50 nationalities. In India, the company enjoys leadership across 13 different classes of doctors with 32 brands featuring amongst top 300 pharmaceutical brands in India. Its footprint across emerging markets covers over 100 markets and six markets in Western Europe.

  • National Geographic’s new show to tell success stories of India’s icons

    National Geographic’s new show to tell success stories of India’s icons

    MUMBAI: National Geographic will be coming up with a unique show called Mega Icons which will see the success stories of inspiring personalities of India from different platforms. To start off the show, Virat Kohli and Kamal Hasaan have been selected from two of the biggest obsessions of the country  – cricket and movies. 

    The series will be premiered this September. Each episode of this new series would be a journey into the life of an iconic personality, with help of not only intimate interviews of the icons and their families but also through scientific research and analysis by experts.

    National Geographic and Fox Networks Group head productions Shruti Takulia said, “For Mega Icons, I could talk about the cinematic brilliance of the dramatic recreations we have shot. Or the intimate stories that come out through the interviews with India’s biggest icons and their closest ones. However, what is really important about the show, is the unique lens we have used to analyse the lives of these icons using science to decipher if such inspirational personalities are born or made great.”

    “This unique format is what we believe will appeal to the National Geographic’s loyal viewer. A discerning viewer, who is fueled by curiosity, and wants to deepen his understanding about the science and reason behind everything,” she added.

    The upcoming series is all about brand’s latest endeavour to marry exclusive access with spectacular storytelling. Mega Icons will showcase the milestone events and incidents in the life of these people. Events and incidents which might have had an incredible impact to set their lives onto a path of greatness. These incidents will be brought to life through powerful storytelling using cinematic recreations, along with intimate interviews with the icons and the ones closest to them.

    The unique format would be hosted by an acclaimed personality who along with the panel of experts will scratch beneath the surface to magnify the unseen in an icon’s life in a never-seen-before format. The brand will announce the second set of Icons along with the show host and panel of experts later this month.

  • Uber launches 2nd leg of ‘Badhte Chalein’ campaign with Virat Kohli

    Uber launches 2nd leg of ‘Badhte Chalein’ campaign with Virat Kohli

    MUMBAI:  Ridesharing app Uber has recently launched an India-focussed brand campaign ‘Badhte Chalein’ which features brand ambassador Virat Kohli. The film, focusing on the driver partner community features Uber’s tenured driver partners from all walks of life.

    In India, more than four hundred and fifty thousand people choose to take a ride with Uber every day. These driver partners are central to Uber’s success across the country and Uber India is committed to serving them and unlocking opportunities for them to progress in life. 

    The second innings of the newly launched campaign, Badhte Chalein, reiterates the role that Uber plays in creating entrepreneurship opportunities i.e. a new way of working that leads to economic freedom, increasing productivity and financial inclusion for thousands of driver partners in India. With multiple ad sets targeted at different groups, the existing driver partner community and potential driver partners, this leg of the campaign will feature Kohli as a coach for the Uber driver partner community, motivating them to maximise their potential and become star performers:

    Uber India head marketing officer Sanjay Gupta said, “Uber is always finding ways to celebrate its driver partner community. Each day, our driver partners play a pivotal role in moving India forward and it is our constant endeavour to enable them to achieve greater heights. Through the representation of driver partners across the country in the ad film ‘Virat’s XI’, we want to showcase Uber as an inclusive platform that welcomes diverse backgrounds and provides entrepreneurship opportunities to millions of people. It further extends to strike the right balance between economic opportunity and dignity of the vocation.”

    Kohli said, “I was super thrilled to meet with these driver partners who work day and night behind the wheel in order to get India moving. This group was truly an interesting blend of people, beyond boundaries, age, gender and religion and the enthusiasm among them was infectious. Working with them on a campaign that is aimed at inspiring India move forward in every sense with cricket as a premise was an enriching experience. I am happy to be a partner to a company that has committed to keep India moving, not only in its functional sense but through its progressive and winning values as well.”

    Rakhi, a woman driver partner from New Delhi who was part of this campaign said, “It is a pronounced moment for all of us who come from different walks of life and societies to be part of such an exciting campaign. As a woman driver partner, Uber has given me an extraordinary opportunity of becoming my own boss. Hailing from an orthodox family, I have been given the chance to be independent for the very first time, and Uber has been extremely supportive throughout this journey. I sincerely hope that my journey encourages more women to step out of their comfort zones and experience the sweet taste of freedom. Being a part of such a huge campaign with a legend like Virat Kohli is extremely humbling. We are grateful and would like to thank Uber for giving us a platform and bring in a positive change in the way we work and earn a livelihood.”

    Concept of the brand film is narrated by Kohli which aims to highlight the experiences encountered by drivers daily behind the wheels of an Uber, thus acknowledging behavioural traits of a driver partner that lead to a six-star service. To bring alive Uber’s dream team on-screen, real-life driver partners are featured in the campaign.

    Uber’s relationship with Madison continues through 2018, to build and execute the media strategy for this intervention.

    public://list_16.jpg

  • Virat Kohli gets cheeky about his beard insurance in new campaign

    Virat Kohli gets cheeky about his beard insurance in new campaign

    MUMBAI: Philips India has brought Indian cricket skipper and youth idol Virat Kohli on board as the new brand ambassador for its male grooming segment. 

    Virat is one of the most influential style icons among the youth. Philips India have reinvented grooming to enable confidence among today’s youth by introducing smart, intuitive solutions to help them look and feel their best.

    Philips Personal Care senior marketing director and business head Dipti Jagdev Shah says, “To associate with Virat Kohli is a natural choice – his beard is the most loved aspect of this stylish youth icon and Virat personifies our brand philosophy of the modern man flawlessly. He embodies the inner confidence to standup for what feels right to him. ‘Do what feels right’ is Philips’ powerful call to action to encourage Indian Men to follow their instinct and do what feels right.”

    Meanwhile,Philips India president of personal health ADA Ratnam adds, “We are confident that with this association, we will reach out to the Indian youth with the important message of ‘Do what feels right’, and enable men to express their individuality and take care of their looks. Our association with Virat underlines the deep commitment Philips has to India and we will continue to bring world class innovations to Indian consumers.”

    In the build-up to the launch of the latest range of Philips Trimmers BT 3000, Philips launched a social media campaign that went viral; where Virat Kohli spoke about his love for his beard, setting off a debate whether Virat should insure his much-admired beard!

  • Uber India launches new campaign with Virat Kohli

    Uber India launches new campaign with Virat Kohli

    MUMBAI: Uber, the ride-sharing app that is redefining urban mobility across the world, has unveiled its new brand campaign, with brand ambassador Virat Kohli. The baseline, ‘Badhte Chalein’, is built around the brand’s new positioning that is intended to build Uber as an enabler of movement, that is culturally progressive.

    Uber India head of marketing Sanjay Gupta says, “This is not just a brand idea – it’s happening on the ground, across India, everyday. This brand position is as intrinsically human as the millions of people who ride with us each week, and each of their pursuits. The communication has been designed to be progressive in thought, aspirational in spirit, widely-relatable in manner. And with Virat – perhaps India’s most inspiring model of personal progress. The breadth of communication built around this idea across ATL, digital and owned media, will cement our positioning and bring it to life.”

    In this campaign, Virat plays the role of the brand’s voice to help build Uber’s narrative in India. Set against Virat’s narrative, the commercial showcases four real life inspired examples of riders using Uber in different contexts, to pursue what gives them purpose. The ad features a visually impaired rider, an expectant couple rushing to the hospital, a young female doctor commuting to work and an independent mother taking her daughter to an early morning judo class.

    Uber’s brand ambassador and cricketer Virat Kohli mentions, “I am looking forward to be a part of Uber’s campaign, and moreover being a partner to a company, that in all its capacity, is committed to empowering cities and its people. I appreciate the service that Uber provides to its riders to travel comfortably anytime, anywhere. Being part of this campaign also gave me the opportunity to interact with the driver partners at a personal level and understand how the company has helped them to chase their dreams.”

    The campaign conceptualised by Ogilvy, aims to reiterate its effort to make Uber an everyday, aspirational brand for millions of riders and drivers in India. It positions Uber as a brand that is beyond transportation from point A to point B, reinforcing Uber’s role as an enabler of opportunities for hundreds of thousands of driver partners and riders in India.

    Uber’s relationship with Madison continues through to 2018, to build and execute the media strategy for this intervention. A six month multi-platform campaign, will span ATL (TV, Radio, OOH, Print) as well as Digital (Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Content publishers) as well as Uber owned CRM Channels and locations. Given the scale and geographic footprint that the business has achieved, the TVC and radio campaigns will be aired in six languages Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Telegu, Tamil and Bengali.

  • Virat Kohli promotes multigrain chips

    Virat Kohli promotes multigrain chips

    MUMBAI: Guiltfree Industries Limited, the FMCG division of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group launched IPL’s longest ad this year for its healthy snacking brand Too Yumm! 

    Endorsed by the Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, the ad unveils the latest addition to Too Yumm!’s healthy snacking portfolio – multigrain chips. The campaign cleverly leveraged India’s most watched television property, the IPL and the Indian captain’s huge fanbase through an engaging film that kept the audience at the edge of their seats. 

    The campaign went live during the strategic timeout in the CSK vs KXIP IPL match, simultaneously positioning Too Yumm! as the perfect guilt-free binge and an ideal IPL snack. The one-minute brand film unveiled Too Yumm!’s multigrain chips and instantaneously put rumours of Kohli’s unhealthy eating habits to rest. 

    The campaign rests on the notion that chips are associated with being an unhealthy snacking option. The objective was to break this myth by creating national buzz around fitness advocate, Kohli, doing the unthinkable by munching on chips during the nail-biting IPL season. Kohli finally made the big reveal on 20 May in IPL’s longest ad this year.

  • Study reveals that 1/3rd of India hasn’t done any physical activity even once in the last 1 year

    Study reveals that 1/3rd of India hasn’t done any physical activity even once in the last 1 year

    MUMBAI: India’s leading athlete Virat Kohli and sportswear brand PUMA commissioned a pan-India study with market research agency Kantar IMRB to understand the current state of physical activity and sports adoption in the country. The study also assesses the barriers to playing sport regularly. Additionally, it highlights that the biggest motivation for adopting play is the sheer joy it brings and how it can effortlessly be included in everyday life.

    Findings show that:

    ·  1/3rd of the total population surveyed had not done any physical activity even once in the last 1 year!*

    Physical activity here included any activity at home/outdoors/gyms/fitness centers such as Running/Walking/Zumba/Yoga/Swimming etc. as well as sports such as Cricket, Football, Badminton, Tennis, Table Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey, Squash and local games such as Kabaddi, Kho-Kho etc.

    · 57% of the respondents have not played any sport for the last one year!*

    o   3/4th of this group last played a sport only in school or college

    o   While 70% of the respondents between 18-21 years had played a sport at least once in the last 1 year, this figure dropped drastically as individuals progressed in their occupations, and reduced to just 26% in the age bracket of 36-40 years.

    · 58% of those who don’t play any sport cited ‘Lack of time’ as the main reason *

    o   However, the research brought out that the same respondents also spent close to 4-5 hours on social media, watching TV, personal phone conversations and usage of various messaging platforms on a typical working day (all put together).

    o   In fact, the average frequency of uploading content on one’s social media handles was found to be 9 times in a month

    o   Additionally, the average number of working hours for those who don’t play was found to be lesser than those who do (4.8 hours vs. 5.4 hours)

    · Interestingly, 81% of those who do play said they did so simply because they ‘enjoyed playing’ *

    o   Other reasons for playing sport include ‘keeping fit’ and ‘relief from stress’

    o   76% percent of those who play stated that they play in any open spaces that they find near their homes and 65% play with neighbors. Both clearly showing that lack of infrastructure or unavailability of people to play with were not barriers to play.

    · Goa topped the list with 89% of the respondents playing a sport at least once in the last 1 month*

    o   This was followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. 

    o   Gurgaon, Raipur and Patna rated low on this index with only 18%, 15% and 12% of the respondents from these cities playing at least once in the last 1 month.

    Responding to the findings Virat Kohli said, ““It is shocking to see that one-third of the country has not done any kind of physical activity in the last one year. When you are physically fit, you are more energized to take on challenges. I have experienced this personally, and therefore strongly believe in leading an active lifestyle.

    Technology and social media is gaining preference over health and fitness in our lives. This needs to change. Sports can be seamlessly integrated into our daily life – one can do it anywhere and at any time. Hence, I urge everyone to Come Out and Play. Its fun, relieves stress and helps us stay fit.”

    PUMA India, Managing Director, Abhishek Ganguly said “The study brings out alarming facts about India’s adoption of physical activity.  It is essential to take corrective steps to address this situation. Playing sports is a simple yet effective solution that can be implemented into everyday life.”

    He further added “Our endeavour has always been to encourage and promote an active lifestyle in the country. It is Virat Kohli’s personal mission to inspire India to get fitter, and we are delighted to partner with him in this journey.”

    The survey covered 3924 respondents from the age bracket of 18-40 years (both male and female). The respondents were spread across 18 cities – Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Cochin, Ghaziabad, Goa, Gurugram, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Patna, Raipur, and Surat.  

  • Mirza and the art of brand endorsement

    Mirza and the art of brand endorsement

    MUMBAI: There was a time when she was the darling of the nation’s advertisers and of course ad agencies. The creative directors and TVC makers hoicked Indian tennis great Sania Mirza into as many commercials as they could and made her face for Cadbury Bornvita, TVS Scooty, Sprite, Volini, Air India, Tata Tea, Hathway Cable, Emami, Adidas among other popular brands. Sania started her professional tennis career while she was only a teenager; she was young, peppy, strong, popular and opinionated – qualities every brand looks for in their ideal brand ambassador.

    Then came her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik coupled with a dip in her form due to inconsistent performances and injuries. And a wave of negative publicity that followed. Cadbury or Mondelez was among the first to not abstain from renewing her endorsement contract. Slowly, other brands followed, and she was even labeled as an “outsider” by the less charitable ones.

    But all that is in the past. Six years later Sania seems to be getting back in the endorsement game. She recently became the face of One Plus India and Centuary Mattresses.

    Her relationship with brands  has always been a difficult one with on and off deals. Yet, Sania isn’t disappointed about it and rather advocates, “I’m not playing tennis to become a brand ambassador for brands, but I’m playing tennis to win matches for the country. Sure, endorsements help in increasing the bank balance, but that’s not the prime focus.”

    Sania is part of a new bunch of sportsmen – cricketers, badminton players, tennis stars and boxing champions – who are in the top league of brand endorsers, according to report Sporting Nation in the Making, that examines sports sponsorships in India. Leading the pack is Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli who is miles ahead of even big Bollywood stars with deals going over 12 brands today, and an endorsement value of over Rs 200 crore. Kohli is believed to charge Rs 2 crore a day from brands, higher than what Mahendra Singh Dhoni did at his peak.

    Badminton player PV Sindhu has become a recent favourite among marketers. Sindhu’s current endorsement fee is Rs 1-1.25 crore a day, a rise from Rs 15-25 lakh her managers got her before she became the first Indian woman athlete to win an Olympic Silver in 2016. Sindhu, according to the report, has the highest endorsement value among non-cricketers in India. The badminton star endorses 11 brands with a valuation of Rs 30 crore.

    The report also highlights that cricketers in India endorse over 90 brands while all non-cricketing athletes in India combined have only 78 brand endorsements.

    Sania is not much swayed by this celebrity and sports endorsement see-saw, which sees the brand fortunes of sportsman rise and fall according to their performances. She agrees that the brand endorsement business has helped some sportsmen, though not all. She, however, says she was fortunate to get a good deal when she was at her peak. Says she: “I had the fortune to grow up with sports marketing and sports journalism when media was just picking up. Social media has become really big today, especially in the last few years.”

    She does believe that creatives in Indian advertising industry have become more imaginative about the use of sports celebs in TV commercials from 15-20 years ago. Says she in jest: “The way I was asked to pose with a tennis racket has changed drastically from then to now and it’s as simple as that. Brands today expect more realistic things and they understand that I am not an actress so I cannot act.”

    Women athletes get slimmer cheques than their male counterparts and that is something that riles her. Says Sania: “I’ve been endorsing ever since I was 16 years old and I was one of the few people who started endorsing that young. I grew up with the media boom and, hence, could demand that price. But today I have heard PV Sindhu demands a great price, but then if you say that she should demand the same amount as Virat Kohli, that’s not going to happen because Virat is the biggest sportsperson we have in the country and we still have a long way to go for equal pay.”

    A strong opinionated woman that she is, Mirza has always been a vocal supporter of equal rights for every gender. Mirza believes a lot has been said about women’s rights but true empowerment comes from within and women have to believe that they deserve equal rights and respect as men.

    She also believes that new athletes who see their star on their ascendant should not make a dash to sign up for every brand that knocks at their doors. “It is important to just be yourself and connect with the brand that you want to endorse at some level. Don’t be in it just for the money,” she advises.

    Would Jerry Maguire approve?

    Also Read :

    Aamir Khan becomes Vivo Pakistan’s official brand ambassador

    Kohli brand driving on the up

    Ideation to execution is shorter today: Forsman & Bodenfors’ Akesson

    Centuary Mattresses gets Sania Mirza as brand ambassador 

  • New Era up for hard graft in India

    New Era up for hard graft in India

    MUMBAI: Caps! They are functional and shield you from the heat on sunny days. But that’s not what caps are all for anymore. They seem to have become a part of the culture where they are worn more as a fashion accessory rather than for their functionality.

    If you are a part of the modern cult, chances are you would have heard about headwear company, New Era. Founded in 1920, the company is headquartered in Buffalo, New York, and has over 500 different exclusive licences in its portfolio. The company is solely into manufacturing caps, but different types of it. New Era licenced products include New York Yankees, Major League Baseball, Big Bash League, NBA, NFL, Golf, USA Soccer, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manchester United among other sports and teams.

    Although the company is huge in international markets, it launched in India only in 2016, with Bollywood actor Siddharth Malhotra, via an exclusive tie-up with e-commerce platforms Jabong and Myntra to sell the caps. The company wants to establish itself as the number one headwear brand in India and make sure that headwear is a product of choice for Indians that it currently isn’t.

    public://Screen Shot 2018-04-22 at 5.52.55 PM.png

    Today, Indian cricketers, A-listers, Bollywood celebrities and influencers, everyone can be seen donning one of their caps. New Era plans to stay on top of Indian consumer’s minds and on top of players’ heads across the globe.

    The company recently announced a licensing deal with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. The Signature Headwear collection, designed and conceptualised by Virat Kohli, will be manufactured, marketed and distributed globally by New Era.

    With this deal, Kohli has become the company’s first collaborator in Indian market. New Era sales director for EMEA John Casey says the company was looking for someone in India who resonates with the brand’s energy, vitality and someone who can inspire young consumers and their search ended on Virat Kohli as he is regarded as the most famous cricketer in a country where cricket is almost a religion.

    Although the company has signed Virat to create signature collection for now, they will be looking to tie up with other cricketers as well. Casey says, “We are starting with Virat but we are working with Virat’s agency (Cornerstone Sport) and they have a portfolio of players. As we establish our base in India, we would get more cricketers and influencers on board.”

    public://image001.jpg

    Kohli launched his collection branded with the One8 (his fitness wear company) and V (his initial) logos but New Era wants to be locally relevant in India by introducing products that work for the brand internationally such as the baseball, basketball and the NFL. All of the company’s products for India and neighbouring counties are currently manufactured in Bangladesh.

    In India, wearing caps and hats as a fashion accessory is picking up as a trend once again. Though the headwear sector in India already has a lot of established players including Hrithik Roshan’s HRX caps, Adidas caps, Nike, Reebok, Puma, none of them are into creating caps exclusively. Caps is a part of their bigger businesses. Now, this may work for the brand New Era in India or against it.

    New Era will promote its new collection with Kohli only on digital platforms. Casey does not see any merit in doing traditional media for any of its communication as that’s not the sort of audience they are looking at. He adds that the company does not want to target the masses but people who are interested in sports and popular culture. For this, the headwear firm will also invest in influencer marketing on social media platforms Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram by creating sponsored content.

    Purchasing caps is usually more of a touch and feel category, and consumers usually like to see the product, its fit and texture in person before they decide to buy it. Since New Era is currently only available on e-commerce platforms, it tends to lose some of its potential buyers. But the company’s sales director Casey assures that they will be launching their products in brick and mortar stores before 2020. He adds, “We want to be present in sports stores, in department stores and maybe have our own store as well.”

    On the one hand, caps from Nike are priced anything between Rs 600-Rs 1500, Adidas between Rs 999-Rs 2000, HRX between Rs 699-Rs 999. On the other hand, New Era caps start from Rs 1200 and go all the way up to Rs 3200. Since their caps are priced at a higher range than what other caps are available for, affordability will be a huge issue for consumers in India. But then again, the company is targeting the group that wants to adapt and be a part of international fashion and popular and sports culture, which will come at a price.

    For New Era to become a success story in India, a lot of effort, communication and visibility will be needed. The brand is up for the challenge.

    Also Read :

    Kohli brand driving on the up

    Pepe Jeans launches India centric ad with Siddharth Malhotra

    Pepperfry bets big on digital

    The influence of influencer marketing