ICC Cricket World Cup Of cricket and advertising

The biggest cricketing event on the planet has kicked off amidst great expectations, anticipations, excitement and frenzy. As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 proceeds into its third week, let’s take a look at the fortnightly action. While most of the things have gone according to the script, the World Cup has sprung up a few surprises of its own. Amongst the biggest ones is the astonishing defeat handed over to England by their Irish neighbors in a record run chase. Pakistan’s emergence out of a plethora of scandals and strife, to vanquish Sri Lanka raised quite a few eyebrows. While our very own country almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against England!

Shifting our gaze from cricket to advertising, the scenario appears quite different. Out of the top advertisers of the mega event (which includes LG, Nokia, Hero Honda Motors, Sony, Vodafone, Pepsi, Airtel et al.) only Pepsi has been able to make a substantial impact on the audiences. I would give Pepsi a 7 on 10 for its enthralling World Cup commercials. And therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise when Pepsi turned out to be the most recalled brand after the first match of the World Cup (Ormax Media’s syndicated study on ICC World Cup 2011). Meanwhile, the others are struggling at 3 on 10.

Barring Pepsi, only the Fevicol commercial has managed to create a flutter. Based on a simple, lighthearted and entertaining script the commercial takes the legacy of Fevicol campaigns forward while bringing a smile on its viewer’s face. The ZooZoo teasers generating quite a bit of curiosity early on, flattered to deceive. The transformation of the ZooZoos from that of being charming and lovable to a ‘Rajnikant’ or ‘Superman’ didn’t go too well with the viewers either. Probably it’s this transformation or the overdose of them or a mixture of both that struggles to recreate the old magic of these wonderful characters.

Apart from the hackneyed spectacular images portraying HD experience, Sony Bravia’s recent campaign too fails to create a stir amongst the audiences. Not many commercials have made their mark till now but hopefully the brands are doing well. Sales of HD DVRs and LED TVs have soared, irrespective of the commercials making a significant impact in the consumers’ minds.

The inundation of cricketers in ads in times of the cricket world cup has also witnessed a marked decrease this time perhaps due to ICC’s stringent rule against ambush marketing, refraining players from promoting companies and products not related to the World Cup. While the theme song of the cricket World Cup held lots of promise, it failed to enrapture the audiences unlike the football world cup’s official song which became a rage at that time. Thanks to Taproot India, the new Pepsi commercials have managed to stand out amidst the cluttered lot. With a major part of the tournament still left players like Coca Cola, Bajaj are expected to make an entry anytime soon. Hopefully the ads in the second leg of the World Cup will pick up akin to Dhoni’s “helicopter shot” and Sehwag’s “upar cut”. And as for cricket, here’s an interesting piece of thought to leave you with- Bangladesh beat Ireland, while Ireland defeated England. The e minnows are beginning to show their teeth!

Pepsi prepares for World Cup 2011!

PepsiCo India is planning to “Change the game” in World Cup 2011. The cola company has launched a 360 degree campaign- January 15, 2011 in two phases. The campaign will end in the first week of April.

According to the reports, Pepsi will be launch five television commercials which will have innovative shots like the Helicopter shot, the Switch Hit, the Upper Cut, the Discoop and the Doosra, that have either been discovered by the youth or the players.”

Reports said further that Conceptualised by Taproot India, the TVC will feature cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen discovering the shots and making them a part of their game.

The TVC will be on air from January 15, 2011 and will continue in phases till the first week of April.

Sandeep Singh Arora, executive vice-president, marketing, cola, PepsiCo India, said, “Change the Game is big idea in the context of the game of cricket. With this campaign, we hope to inspire the youth to change the game, be innovative, take risks and do things differently.”

Pepsi partners with MTV to add ground support to World Cup campaign

Pepsi has taken their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign ‘Change The Game’ forward and launched a unique platform ‘Pepsi Change The Game 11’, powered by MTV. Pepsi is giving Youngistaan an opportunity to Change the Game in true Pepsi style where Youngistaanis need to demonstrate unconventional techniques of batting, bowling and fielding; unique skills in cheering and commentary.

11 Youngistaanis from across the country through on ground & digital activation will be shortlisted and win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch all the India matches LIVE at the stadium, this World Cup. 1 quarter final, 1 semi final and the FINALS LIVE at the STADIUM! That’s not all, the winners get to be stars on MTV and chill with the VJs. These Youngistaanis will also have their views followed by other fans on Facebook, Twitter and on the Pepsi – Change the Game website.

The event in Delhi saw high energy level participation from Youngistaanis who were eager to impress Robin Uthappa with their way of changing the game. Innovative ways of bowling, batting and fielding were displayed by the enthusiastic cricket fanatics present. The crowd applauded participants who performed out of the box skills in cheering and commentary. The 24 finalists who will compete for the final Pepsi Change The Game 11 team will be announced in the first week of February 2011.

‘Pepsi Change The Game 11’ is a life time opportunity for 11 talented Youngistaanis to live, breathe and experience cricket like never before! The chosen ones will get to attend all India matches during the Cricket World Cup 2011 and voice their opinions and observations onto the social networking sites and Pepsi’s website through cool mobile phones provided to them. They will also get a chance to be on MTV for a special show to report their views. A chance to watch all India cricket matches live in the stadium in true Pepsi style this ICC Cricket World Cup and be the voice of Youngistaan.

One can participate under three main categories; cricket skills, commentary and cheering. But the catch here is that Pepsi and MTV are not looking for anything textbook and already existing. So if you have a new and unconventional way of batting, bowling, fielding, cheering or commentating you can be a game changer. So get ready to impress your favourite MTV VJs and cricket stars like Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwari to win your way and be a part of Pepsi Change the Game 11.

The Pepsi and MTV team are travelling to your Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Bangalore, Pune, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad and Kanpur to conduct on ground selections where fans can enact their change the game moves in 60 seconds in front of the camera. 24 final participants from 10 cities and 6 from digital participation will be chosen and taken to Mumbai for the grand finale on MTV.

Pepsi Launches Change The Game Campaign; First TVC With Dhoni

Cricket has changed, cricket fans have changed and the way they watch cricket has changed… This ICC Cricket World Cup, Pepsi celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with its high decibel and path-breaking campaign – ‘CHANGE THE GAME’. Through the metaphor of cricket it also salutes the Youngistaanis who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition, and pave their own way by not breaking the rules but by changing them.

Change the Game is not a notion but reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed world-over and in India today. With this innovative campaign, Pepsi has become the official sponsor of everything that is unorthodox about the sport; whether it is Virender Sehwag’s Upper Cut, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Helicopter shot, Harbhajan Singh’s Doosra, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s Dilscoop, Kevin Pietersen’s Switch Hit or Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina’s aggressive on-field spirit.

Deepika Warrier, Marketing Director, PepsiCo Beverages, India said, “Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our Change the Game campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi”.

“PepsiCo is one of the global sponsors of the ICC Cricket World Cup and we have created an exciting, engaging and innovative package for brand Pepsi to leverage this mega event. We are confident that the unique campaign thought of Change the Game will appeal to the youth and inspire them to be the game changers in their own lives”, Deepika added.

Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.

The TVC is conceptualized by Taproot India’s Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi. Pepsi had recently appointed Taproot India to design its Cricket World Cup 2011 campaign. The TVC opens with a villager training Mahendra Singh Dhoni about his famous helicopter shot which ultimately changes the game of cricket. The campaign brilliantly and aptly synchronizes Dhoni’s style of playing with the process of cutting fodder in the villages.

“Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth. A belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket that is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it’s not the textbook that matters but the result at the end of the day. Because the game can always change”, commented, Agnello Dias, Creative Director, Taproot India.

Director of the TVCs, Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films said, “Change The Game is a powerful concept and we have tried to bring alive the same passion and excitement in the films as we would see during the World Cup. The idea was to communicate Pepsi’s celebration of cricketers’ innovative signature moves on the field in a never-seen-before manner. For instance, the first film presents an irreverent back story about Dhoni’s famous Helicopter shot to the thrill of him actually using it during the match.”

“Change the Game is a big idea in the context of the game of cricket.  With this campaign we will inspire the youth to ‘change the game’, be innovative, take risks, and do things differently even if it has not been done before. We are the official sponsors of the ICC World Cup, but with this campaign we also want to be the official sponsors of everything that is unorthodox, exciting, innovative about the game of cricket”, said, Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice President – Marketing, Cola, PepsiCo India.

Speaking about ‘Change the Game’, Indian Cricket Team Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, “Change the Game for me is not about what you achieve, but how you achieve it. It is about the confidence to take risks and the courage to take the road less traveled.  On field, it is about playing innovative shots or making game changing decisions at critical junctures of the play. Pepsi’s Change the Game campaign captures this thought in an exciting and innovative manner and I am sure Youngistaanis will strongly identify with it”.

Watch the making of the campaign in the words of Dhoni himself:

Supporting the on-air initiatives is the eye-catching off-air campaign with cricketers in a never-seen-before painted body look. The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it which mirrors the athlete’s character.

The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.

Credits:

Creative Agency: Taproot India; Agnello Dias, Santosh Padhi

Director for the films: Corcoise Films, Prasoon Pandey

Media Planning: Mindshare; Chanchal Chakrabarti

Films: 5

Language: Hindi / Hinglish / other regional

Athletes featured: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virendra Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kevin Peitersen

Ad Review: Pepsi seeks to ‘Change the Game’ for Cricket World Cup 2011

The ICC Cricket World Cup fever is back. Riding high on the cricket wave is Pepsi and now that it is also an official sponsor, the cola major celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with a new campaign, titled ‘Change the Game’.

The campaign has been conceptualised by Taproot India, who has been appointed to handle the World Cup campaign for Pepsi. However, JWT India continues to be the creative partner for PepsiCo India.

Client: PepsiCo India
Brand: Pepsi
Agency: Taproot India
Medium: Television

The Brief:
It’s all about change and so is with the sport ‘Cricket’. According to PepsiCo India, their tagline – ‘Change the Game’ – is not a notion but a reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed the world over and in India today. Through the metaphor of cricket, it salutes the Youngistaanis, who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition and pave their own way by not breaking the rules, but by changing them.

Explaining the objective, Deepika Warrier, Marketing Director, PepsiCo Beverages, India, said, “Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our ‘Change the Game’ campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi.”

She further said, “PepsiCo is one of the global sponsors of the ICC Cricket World Cup and we have created an innovative package for brand Pepsi to leverage this mega event. We are confident that the campaign thought of ‘Change the Game’ will appeal to the youth and inspire them to be the game changers in their own lives.”

Speaking on the thought process of the campaign, Agnello Dias, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot India, said, “Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth; a belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it’s not the textbook that matters, but the result is at the end of the day, because the game can always change.”

The Execution:
Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.

The campaign is produced by Corcoise Films and directed by Prasoon Pandey.

The Final Product:
Supporting the on-air initiatives is the eye-catching off-air campaign with cricketers in a never-seen-before painted body look. The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it, which mirrors the athlete’s character.

The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach, including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.

Xpert Comments:
So, how does the industry professional view the latest TVC? Nilesh Vaidya, Executive Creative Director, Euro RSCG India, commented, “A watchable film, but didn’t really surprise. In fact, the only thing that got me thinking was the sign-off. Will Coke do a ‘nothing official about it’ number now?”

Our Take:
It’s the Cricket World Cup and knowing how cricket-crazy Indians are, one can only expect a World Cup campaign being larger than life, especially when it comes to a cola major like Pepsi. However, though ‘Change the Game’ idea is fresh, somewhere the X-factor is missing. But here’s hoping that the overall 360 campaign has some good surprises in store.