 "IPL: Veteran sponsors fighting for space")
Amazon, Vodafone, Pepsi (which is also the title sponsor), Hero MotoCorp, Intex Mobiles, Paytm, Cardekho.com and Vimal Pan Masala have been signed up as on-air sponsors for the eighth season of the twenty-twenty tournament that begins next month. Rohit Gupta, president, MSM, said talks were on with advertisers like Havells, Mondelez, Samsung and Maruti, which have all been associated with the IPL in previous seasons.
"There are a few more as well, which have been with us since the start. We have to support them since the IPL has become an important property in an advertiser's calendar. If not sponsorships, we may try to get them on board as spot buyers. This is because sponsorship berths are limited," he said.
MSM is contemplating adding another two to three on-air sponsors to accommodate some of these veteran names. "We have already crossed last year's number of eight sponsors. We have room to take the current number to 11 or 12, not more. The tournament is almost a month away. So we have time to discuss this with advertisers," Gupta said.
Vijay Narayanan, head of marketing, Havells India, confirmed he was in discussions with MSM over a possible sponsorship deal this season. Executives at Marico said the firm was still undecided on a sponsorship berth. A mail sent to Samsung remained unanswered till the time of going to press. Maruti and Mondelez were not available for their comments.
Gupta claims almost 65-70 per cent of the IPL ad inventory has been exhausted. "We signed up sponsors for our show Extraa Innings, including Cardekho.com, Emami, Britannia, TVS, Amul and Denver Deodorant. Sponsors have also come on board for our live features such as Super Four and Super Six. All of that has been signed up. What we are left with is inventory for spot buys. Apart from sponsors, we have large contract deals with Snapdeal and Cartrade.com. These are like sponsorship deals where these advertisers have booked 100-odd or 120-odd seconds across matches," he said.
Sponsorship deals have been pegged at around Rs 4-4.75 lakh per 10 seconds, while spot buys are available for Rs 5 lakh per 10 seconds. Media planners expect spot rates to peak closer to the tournament, making it tougher for last-minute buyers to come on board. One reason for veteran advertisers being left in the lurch is interest from internet start-ups, e-commerce firms, cab service providers and smaller FMCG brands. Intex Mobiles, Paytm, Cardekho.com and Vimal Pan Masala represent this new breed of advertisers that will make their presence felt in the IPL this year.