Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and doubles players Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty just winning India’s first-ever Thomas Cup, Baseline’s Ramakrishnan believes the nation’s spirit is positive toward the sport and the players, but it will be a difficult sell to marketers.
When ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu won her second Olympic medal in August 2021, sponsors swarmed to congratulate her on her historic achievement. Baseline Ventures, Sindhu’s sports marketing agency that handles all commercial arrangements, didn’t believe it was a good idea. On her behalf, the agency served legal letters on approximately 20 brands, claiming damages of Rs 5 crore from each for the unauthorized use of her name and images for marketing reasons.
In March 2022 When Lakshya Sen placed second in 2022 All England Open Badminton Championship, Baseline Ventures received calls from a few firms requesting permission to use Sen’s name and photos for specific marketing efforts. If the brands asked to utilize the shuttler’s pictures and name, the agency declined and provided them with the commercials.
After Baseline requested the businesses to pay up if they wanted to profit from the shuttler’s success, there weren’t many takers.
A challenging pitch
With Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and doubles team Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty just taking home India’s first-ever Thomas Cup, Ramakrishnan believes that while the nation’s spirit is good toward the sport and the players, marketers would find it difficult to promote it.
He confesses that it was challenging for Sindhu to gain the trust of brands when she was just starting out.
Sindhu now has a portfolio of over ten products. Sindhu has received assistance from companies such as Vizag Steel, Bank of Baroda, Li Ning, Spinny, Stayfree, Bridgestone, Asian Paints, Visa, and Maybelline. The endorsement deals range from Rs 3 to Rs 4 crore.
Sindhu’s brand worth was estimated to be around USD 12 million in 2020, and it may increase by 20-25 percent this year. Bank Of Baroda and Li Ning have long-term agreements with Srikanth. Baseline Ventures is in discussions with a few brands for Sen. He currently works for Herbalife, Country Delight, and Yonex, a Japanese sports equipment maker. The Baseline Ventures team also includes Rankireddy and Shetty. Yonex, a brand that has been vital in giving world-class equipment to Indian shuttlers, has also backed the duo.
Saina Nehwal, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist, has also landed some major sponsorship deals. Herbalife, Star Sports, Godrej, No Marks, Emami, Sahara, Indian Overseas Bank, and Iodex are among the brands she has endorsed over the years.
The finest brand associations in sports, according to Ramakrishnan, are those that become a part of an athlete’s experience. “At the end of the day, it’s just a game.” There will be some highs and lows. Consumers remember marketers who support an athlete on both good and bad days.”
Off-the-court accomplishments
According to Anil Jayaraj, CEO of Viacom18 Sports, recent success stories of shuttlers demonstrate that the sport has a strong framework in place.
According to Jayaraj, badminton has now become a household name. “Because badminton is played for almost 30 weeks a year at the top level, players have a lot of chances to establish themselves and get noticed,” he adds.
The official broadcast partners of BWF Thomas and Uber Cup were Sports18 and Viacom18’s OTT platform VOOT. They are also the official broadcaster for all BWF World Tour events, including the upcoming Thailand Open, which will be followed by the Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open, and BWF World Championships later this year.
Zlait Sports Management founder and CEO Nikhil Paramjit Sharma believes that sports success off the field begins to mirror performance on the field or court sooner rather than later. In India, badminton is now a national sport, not just a few strongholds. As a result, India’s identification with the sport is stronger and more rooted than it was perhaps even a decade ago,” he argues.
Brands are also spending to expand into new areas of India with minimal promotion and maximum on-the-ground support. The Tata Trusts, for example, have previously collaborated with the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) to promote badminton in Mizoram.
Last year, one of India’s largest grassroots badminton events was held by Padukone Sports Management (PSM), which was created by Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar. Gaurav Khanna, the chief national coach of the Indian para-badminton team, teamed up with Ageas Federal Life Insurance to open India’s first para-badminton academy in Lucknow earlier this year. The goal is to entice additional para-shuttlers to join the team.
The Badminton Association of India and Yonex, a Japanese sports equipment company, both operate grassroots programmes to promote the game and develop emerging talent. However, more grassroots activities in training and tournaments are required for the sport to flourish even further.
” To ensure that the fervour for the sport is maintained in both competitive and leisure participation, brands might actively participate in the sport at all levels of the player pyramid,” he suggests, adding that a content-led marketing approach will help brands attract more talent on the court.
