Today, the mother of all sporting events, the Olympics, kicks off in London. At stake are not only the dreams of many sporting personalities, but also popular corporate brands.
From food and beverages to oil and gas companies, all are doing their bit. The Indian Olympics Association has five domestic partners that are sponsoring teams at the games. Besides, Samsung and Amul, ONGC is the other key sponsor, while noodles brand Top Ramen, and Dida sportswear brands are the co-sponsors. Others such as Hero Motocorp, Airtel digital television and Tata DoCoMo have picked up key slots on the official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports.
Targeting social networking buffs, YouTube will stream the games live with 11 ad-free high-definition feeds. This will help YouTube strengthen its brand in India.
Mr Nikhil Rungta, Country Marketing Head, Google India, said, “Airing premium sporting content like the Olympics helps strengthen our brand and draws more unique viewers.” On Wednesday, it launched the YouTube Bus initiative for the Olympics which will travel across nine cities. Brands such as Samsung India and Amul have planned high-decibel marketing campaigns across digital, print and television.
“For the last three months, Amul has been running its Olympic campaign across mediums. Milk pouches and cheese packs among other products carry the Indian Olympics Association logo,” Mr Jayen Mehta, General Manager, Amul India, said.
Mr M. N. V. V. Prasad, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Indo-Nissin Foods (makers of Top Ramen), said, “ We have a long-term association with Saina Nehwal and our association with Indian Olympics team , we believe will help us become a mass brand and gain visibility.” “Every year we spend on promoting sports and this year round we decided to associate with the Indian Olympics Association,” said Mr Sudhir Vasudeva, CMD, ONGC. ESPN Star Sports, which has customised its Olympic feed for India, said it believes it will achieve its targeted advertising revenue from the Olympics broadcast.