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| Adidas: Cricket to the core | | Power Moves |
| Sayantani Kar / Mumbai Mar 30, 2010, 00:58 IST |
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The slew of sporting events this year, beginning with the Indian Premier League and the T-20 World Cup, has sent all sportswear brands in a tizzy. Adidas has beaten its sister brand, Reebok, and rival Nike to become the first to release a campaign this season. It marks the start of what it calls the ‘Champagne Year’ because of the windfall of sports events. Adidas claims a lead in market share in India in sportswear, while internationally it trails Nike.
Adidas has resorted to cricket, the most popular sport in India notwithstanding the recent successes in boxing, shooting and badminton, for the new series of ads to connect with its core target audience of 14- to 19-year-olds in metros and smaller towns. However, the campaign, which is Adidas’ most expensive in India, does not feature its well-known ambassadors, Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag. For over ten years now, Adidas has relied heavily on these two batsmen.
A star would not have fitted the current campaign, according to Adidas India Director (marketing and sales) Tushar Goculdas. “The challenge was not to dilute the message we were trying to send through the series. Brand ambassadors leave an overriding impression of their persona and achievements, which would not have worked best with the current concept.”
The campaign, launched last week, has three versions featuring three young cricketers in their roles as a batsman, a bowler and a fielder. Though Sandeep Sharma, Gaurav Jathar and Sahil Kukreja are yet to play for the Indian cricket team, they have played either in the under-19 World Cup or IPL. The ads are from the point of view of the athletes. Goculdas says it made Adidas’ task easier to come up with a brief to break the clutter: “We just had to focus on the core of the sport — the athlete who drives our brand, which no one has done before.”
Ogilvy India President (planning) Kawal Shoor, who headed the planning team at the agency, says: “The ad gives a voice to the budding young Indian cricketer and how he triumphs over daily dilemmas and ordeals on the cricket field with his attitude.”
The campaign was shot in black and white to put in stark focus what it is like to be on the field. A dedicated website with blogs by cricketers and activities in Adidas’ 600 stores across India will complement the mass media campaign. Adidas is also the sponsor of IPL teams Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, and cricketers Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Sehwag.
Adidas’ stress on cricket through this campaign won’t infringe on Reebok’s strong cricket associations. Goculdas says: “Cricket presents a large enough opportunity for both the brands.” While in line with the brand’s attitudinal positioning, the ad’s theme will also help the new range of sportswear called the Sachin Tendulkar range launched in February and the range of cricketing gear that it had launched last year. As expected, the brand would soon break its international FIFA World Cup advertisement, sponsoring 12 of the competing teams. Nike, Adidas’ rival, is yet to unveil its marketing blitzkrieg to mark the sporting frenzy this year but plans to up its ante in marketing and also launch its range of cricket gear.
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