Sponsors fear Team India's early exit

BAT FOR INDIA: A 30-second ad spot during the World Cup ranges from Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.

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New Delhi: One billion fans are praying, advertisers are praying, even the ICC is praying. All of them want the Indian team to have a long outing at the cricket World Cup. Right up to the finals in fact.

So, how spooked are advertisers by Indian team's recent performance?

“We are all praying and there is a stunned silence in terms of anxiety, which will turn into worry as we approach the day when the final match of the group will be played. It’s a long and painful pause for us now,” Managing Director, Mindshare India, Sundar Raman says.

For now, all the advertisers — including Reebok, Nike, Pepsi — are adopting a wait-and-watch policy. “We are thinking of alternate options, just in case we need them,” he reveals.

India just made a world record against Bermuda while scoring 413 runs in the last one-day match. Advertisers who felt the jitters over the dismal performance of Team India after the match against Bangladesh are hopeful again.

“I don’t think long-term investments in cricket will be impacted, but it will slow the pace down considerably. If India did not make it to the semis in the Champions Trophy and if they get out off (World Cup) in stage-I, then it is surely not sending a positive signal for people who want to invest," Raman points out.

SET
	Had expected to make Rs 400 cr from World Cup
	Has signed 8 sponsorship deals including Nokia & Pepsi
	Had already sold 10 sec spots for upto Rs 3.5 lakh for India-specific matches
	Has already sold 10 sec spot for upto Rs 1.5 lakh for non-India specific matches
	SET has withheld more than 25% of it's inventory
	Hoping to sell its unsold inventory at a premium in later stages of tournament

ICC's Woes
	Ground sponsorship rights are worth $60-70 m
	70% of ICC's revenues come from Indian market

Sony Entertainment Television (SET), a unit of Sony Corp, which has the broadcast rights for the 2007 World Cup, expects to rake in about Rs 500 crore in ad revenue this World Cup as compared with Rs 350 crore last time.

According to Indian media buyers' estimate, rates for a 30-second ad spot during the World Cup ranges between Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Clearly, the stakes are too high for the sponsors and an early exit of Team India may mean a change in the entire advertising strategy.

Raman admits that some of the sponsors are already working on a Plan B in view of the emerging situation.

"Plan B is obviously getting into action and some of the clients like Pepsi are thinking that they have sunk in their entire communication plans behind India winning," he says.

Nimbus — the marketing agency for GCC (Global Cricketing Corporation), which has licensed the rights to Sony and is handling the add sales on Doordarshan — says it's no disturbed too much.

"I am not disturbed at all. Bangladesh played out of their skin and we were slightly off-colour. We are known to be slow starters and, so, I remain confident that between Dravid, Chappel and the outstanding team that we have, we will get into our stride," Nimbus Chairman Harish Thawani told CNBC TV.

Thawani, however, admits that the company has been debating the potential impact on people, who are spending money on air.

Source: moneycontrol.com