Oxigen to sponsor New Zealand T20 team

Mobile wallet Oxigen, sponsor of the South African Twenty20 (T20) team, has now signed a similar deal with the New Zealand T20 team.

Oxigen will be the sponsor for the Kiwis’ T20 team in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup and their India tour in October this year.

The brand logo will occupy the chest and lead arm positions on the players’ jersey as part of the sponsorship deal. In addition, the New Zealand T20 team will be called the Oxigen Black Caps, just like the South African team is called the Oxigen Proteas.

The sponsorship is part of the company’s marketing strategy around sports, of which cricket commands the bulk of attention. It has on board cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as the brand endorser, and has sponsored tournaments like the All Stars in the US and the Masters Crikcet League (in UAE). Apart from cricket sports like football (Hero Indian Super League) and hockey (Hockey India League) also figure in the sports marketing strategy. The company has announced a budget of Rs 100 crore for sports sports marketing activities for the current financial year.

“We decided to take the unconventional route for marketing through sports, specifically cricket in order to get value for money on our investments. Having players from teams like South Africa and New Zealand, who are in good form and have matches against India, helps get the visibility we want. It also allows us to plan a lot of engagement and activations with the players when they travel to India,” explains Pramod Saxena, managing director and chairman, Oxigen Services. “It is at times cheaper than buying a spot on-air during a crucial India match,” he adds good-naturedly.

Last year, when the South African team toured India, Oxigen had organised a number of events and run contests with the players in order to engage with the audiences. It plans to hold similar activities this year too. As players from both the teams also play in the Vivo Indian Premier League, the brand gets an opportunity to play host to these players and organise events during that time, too.