Advertisers to rethink association with IPL

Major advertisers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) such as Godrej and Samsung today said if the alleged financial irregularities in the T20 league were proved to be true, then they might rethink their relationship with the tournament.

“The allegations will have to be addressed and going forward, I imagine if some of the more serious accusations are proved to be correct then we will have to re-evaluate our position,” Godrej Group Executive Director and President Tanya Dubash told PTI.

Similarly, consumer durables maker Samsung said the decision to be part of the next IPL would be made depending on the outcome of the probe.

“That will depend on the outcome of the ongoing probe and the corrective actions being carried out at present. We will be in a position to take a decision on IPL-4 only thereafter,” Samsung India Vice President C D Choi said.

According to advertising experts, IPL needs to come clean to continue to woo investors in the hugely popular league.

“Advertisers will definitely be more cautious, they would need to be assured that all is well. From a consumers’ point IPL is on a strong wicket,” Future Brands Managing Director and CEO Santosh Desai said. BCCI needed to maintain the current brand valuation of the IPL by retaining investors’ confidence and the advertisers, he said.