Brands, sponsors play the game of uncertainty as Covid-19 halts all sports

Can teams, athletes and broadcasters come together to keep the show going as the pandemic grinds all sports to an indefinite halt?

A new post-pandemic playbook is the need of the hour, not just for sports and athletes, but also for sponsors and brands associated with the game. And that according to a report by ESP-GroupM, involves the development of innovative content formats, closer collaboration between broadcasters, organisers and athletes and a fresh approach towards mobile gaming and e-sports. 

The sports fan has not vanished, even if his or her access to a live game has and this creates a space for brands and sponsors, even when all the big events slated for the year stand indefinitely postponed. According to the report, the sports sponsorship industry in India has been growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.8 per cent over the last decade, with the overall sports sponsorship market in India crossing Rs 9,000 crore in 2019 for the first time. Many expected a sharp rise this year, as 2020 was the year of Tokyo Olympics, the annual Indian Premier League jamboree, the T20 World Cup and the Euro 2020. But now brands are staring at an empty calendar.

Sandeep Goyal, founder of branding and media consultancy, Mogae Media says that the moot question is whether sports sans spectators are possible. Also, he asks, “Should government allow it just because of broadcaster greed and/or sponsor stakes? My view is that the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) will try its best to make it (IPL) happen. Too much money at stake. But there will be no overseas players, it will be single location event and it will be akin to watching a specially curated cricket circus.”

 

Even if the TV-only event appeals to a select audience, will brands and sponsors be willing to play along? The report is ambiguous on the issue. “While there are many speculations around sports to be conducted for TV only with no fans or limited fans in the stadium, anything is a possibility at this point in time. But from an audience appetite standpoint, fans are hungry and waiting for live sports,” it said. 

Brands such as Adidas that has just released a campaign called ‘Ready for sport’ around the lockdown, are betting on the hunger of sports-deprived fans, as sales crash and the year seems to be washing up in red. In a note released at the launch of the campaign, Manish Sapra, senior brand marketing director, Adidas India said, “Ready for Sport aims to be an inspiring and optimistic rallying call for people everywhere to look forward and imagine how incredible sport is going to feel when the current situation is over.” The brand has also been working with its team of athlete-ambassadors such as Rohit Sharma, Hima Das, Mirabai Chanu and several global figures to create short inspirational videos around their lives. 

Such instances of brands and athletes coming together to talk to their fans will or ought to gain ground in the coming months, the report said. Not just promotional content, but also shows that could help broadcasters fill the yawning gaps in their content schedules. “With dearth of live sporting action for some time now, it’s an opportunity for sports broadcasters to toy around with various non-live sportainment formats,” it noted.
 

Goyal says that for brands such as Nike/Adidas this is the time for DIY (do-it-yourself) communication on exercise/gym routines that can be done at home. But to expect broadcasters to do the same with sportspersons is a stretch of the imagination. “We mistakenly presume that all celebrities can sit at home and cut videos. The idea of ‘content creation’ with them sitting at home is a bit of a dream. The veterans who can speak are just talking heads and their content is already there in archives, in abundance,” he says. 

The report also sees a big potential for e-sports in the post-Covid-19 world. Already a billion-dollar industry, pre- pandemic the business of e-sports could grow manifold in the online-only world for sports across the globe.