“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers” – Nelson Mandela
SPORTS LEAGUES Sports leagues comprise of teams made of individual athletes competing on a national or international scene. These teams are owned by individuals from divers div erse e bac backgr kgroun ound d com compri prisin sing g of cor corpor porate ate,, lm sta stars, rs, spo sports rtsmen men etc etc.. Usually in these types of leagues due to involvement of various business houses large amount of money is pooled in and huge investments go in. Few Sports leagues across the world • • • • •
Formula 1 !uto "acing# $!S%!"!uto "acing# !merican &eague 'ase'all# $ational 'asket'all !ssociation $'!# (nglish )remier &eague Soccer#
Sports Leagues in India • • • • • • • • •
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!thletics *ndian !thletics &eague *!&# + to be launched 'adminton *ndian 'adminton &eague *'&# + &aunched in -1/ *ndian )remier &eague *)&# + Started in --0, into its th edition %hampions &eague T- %&T-# %&T-# + &aunched in --2, into its 3th edition *ndian %ricket &eague *%&# + From -- to --2 $ow defunct# Football *+&eague + &aunched in --, and is in its th edition this year $ational Football &eague $F&# + From 1223 to -- *ndian Super &eague *S&# 4 Finished its rst edition on 5616-15 5616-15 7ockey *ndia &eague 7*&# + &aunched in -1 editions over, ne8t in -19# )ro :abaddi &eague ):&# + *naugurated in -15 rst edition was a big hit# ;orld :abaddi &eague ;:&# + &aunched in -15 *nter *nternat nation ional al )rem )remier ier Tennis ennis &eagu &eague e 4 Finishe inished d its its rst rst editio edition n in
PRO-KAA!!I
:abaddi made its debut in !sian =ames in 122- and since then *ndia has won it on each occasion. >n top of it *ndia has won the :abaddi ;orld ;orld %up on lastt 9 occ las occasi asions ons.. !c !ccor cordin ding g to fed federat eration ion dat data a the there re are ,2 ,255 55 :a :abad baddi di leagues in *ndia. )ro :a :aba badd ddii is an in init itia iati tive ve of ?a ?ash shal al Sp Spor orts ts,, wh whic ich h is dri drive ven n by )iy iyus ush h )andey >gilvy @ ?ather#, !nand ?ahindra ?ahindra @ ?ahindra#, "aAiv &uthra &uthra @ &uthra &aw >Bces# and %haru Shar arm ma *ndi dian an commentator, CuiDmaster and ?anaging
gi >gilv lvy y @ ?at ?ather her,, ;orl orld d Sport =roup, and the *nternational :abaddi Federation *:F#, !sian :abaddi Federation Fe deration !:F# @ !mateur :abaddi Federation of *ndia !:F*#. The league which was played for over 9 weeks was covered by international broad br oadca cast ster ers. s. St Star ar %h %han anne nels ls br broa oadc dcast asted ed th the e le leag ague ue wi with th pr prim ime e ti time me covera cov erage ge in bot both h 7in 7indi di and (ng (nglis lish h com comme menta ntary, ry, on Sta Starr Spo Sports rts , Sta Starr Sports 7< and Star =old. ;S= ;orld Sport =roup# !siaEs largest sports marketing, media and event management company were the oBcial commercial and event partners of the th e )ro :ab abad addi di &ea eagu gue. e. )ro :ab abad addi di &ea eagu gue e ha had d rob obus ustt ma mark rket etin ing g strategies. (ach franchisee had their own team colors and star players. !n oB oBci cial al )ro ro+: +:aba abadd ddii we webs bsit ite, e, ww www w.pr .prok okab abadd addi. i.co com, m, Twi witt tter er han handl dle e prokabaddi and Facebook page )ro:abaddi was created where fans can follow the latest scores and engage on social media interactions.
The league has taken our indigenous sport of :abaddi to new levels of professionalism, benetted all stakeholders involved in the ecosystem of the game and players have become role+models for the youth. This bold and revolutionary step has highlighted the new, modern, international and competitive face of :abaddi throughout the length and breadth of the country. The )ro :abaddi &eague has advanced the sportEs reputation and made it reach in international circuits. *t has brought together *ndian and international players, acclaimed *ndian personalities and sports a uthorities. )ro :abaddi has set the ball rolling to make the sport visible, attractive, professional, and remunerative and, for a large section of *ndiaEs athletic youth, aspirational. FOR"AT OF T#E LEAGUE • • • •
(ight+city league with games played on a home @ away basis. (ach team played each other twice. 0 venues hosting 5 days of GhomeE team action. ?atches were played as per the current international rules and regulations of the *: but with minute alterations, to enhance its appeal on television.
AU$TIO% •
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7osted by the GTravelling =avelE 'ob 7ayton, who has over - years of auctioning e8perience 'udget cap + "s 3- lakhs6franchise Selection 5 players from %ategory ! 3 players from %ategory ' 1 player from %ategory % 1 player from domestic buHer area. )layers participated I 23 *ndians , Foreign 5#
!part from *ndia, players from Turkmenistan, *ran, Japan, South :orea, )akistan, U:, )akistan, :enya, 'angladesh and Taiwan were a part of the auction. FRA%$#ISES
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'engal ;arriors I :olkata :ishor 'iyani, Future =roup %hief# 'engaluru 'ulls I'engaluru :osmik =lobal ?edia#
"ARKETI%G STRATEG& The key was to overcome three main challenges • • •
?aking :abaddi an aspirational sport (nsuring a good stadium e8perience %atch the attention of a new generation of TL viewers
T#E STRATEG& •
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Strategy involved making people fascinated by the game of :abaddi and its tactics :abaddi was launched as a sport high on intensity, energy, tness and skill. ! 3- degree marketing campaign was designed through outdoors, on ground promotions, radio. ?arketing strategy and campaign was based on this itself with slick lms that shift the perception of the game to a global one. (normous eHorts were put in to reposition, repackage and revamp the game for the new generation. The campaign involved promoting not only the tournament but the sport at large since it was the sport which rst had to be connected with the audience rather than the league. "aw and fresh concepts were made and televised on high scale thus people were able to shrug oH their preconceived notions about the game and understood that this rustic sport is actually an intelligent game !ggressive promotion strategies were designed to create awareness and build a sense of e8citement around the league.
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*n $ovember -1 ST!" committed an investment of "s -,--- crore to develop multiple sports culture in *ndia and ):& is one those commitments to foster the same TL advertisements showed :abaddi in a new GavatarE all together. &eague tuned into prime time slot after .- which brought the game closer to viewers. )layers were interviewed in 7indi making them comfortable and allowing the viewers to connect with them.
PRO"OTIO% "I' PRO!U$T
=ame shifted from earth to synthetic mats mud to mat transition# State of the art indoor stadiums + *nfrastructures were built to provide facility for all the matches wherever the league travelled Specialists were hired from contact sport like rugby, bo8ing and wrestling to create a good television e8perience 19 diHerent cameras were used to cover the picture from each and every angle M Ultra motion cameras to camera to capture the smallest details %rane cameras for over head shots Steady, hand held cameras to focus on the crowd (dgy graphics were designed by an *sraeli company • •
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*n depth statistical analysis was displayed on televisions to improve the perception of the game being a serious sport and to engage more viewers =ames of the rules were tweaked like only - seconds were given for a raid )layers wore shirts which provided space for logos of sponsors ;hite electronic scoreboards were used &ycra uniforms were used 7igh+grip shoes were provided to the players which gave the game a modern look =ame was made televisual 4 )layers where bright outts ,enter the arena with loud music pyrotechnics, plumes of smoke and colourful strobe lighting
PLA$E •
&arge scale campaign strategies were made to attract viewers so that they remove any pre conceived notions about the game
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=ame was launched on multiple ST!" networks at prime time which increased the number of users
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Sports %hannelsI Star Sports and Star Sports 7< in (nglish commentary ensured sports enthusiast remain glued with the game
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(ntertainment channel while Star =old in 7indi commentary. This was done to target the consumers who do not consume sports as entertainment on a routinely basis.
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The game was played in big cities which enabled to catch media attention as well
PRI$E •
$o direct costs associated with the consumption of entertainment products on television therefore it is important to look at perceived costs
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! relatively economical game + a synthetic mat costs +5 lakhs
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Shorter in duration thus it reduced the time associated with a viewer to spend on a single match
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The price of the ticket in the stadiums were kept low appr8 --6person# &eague was held in caravan formatE which allowed the management to handle the tournament easily and lower down the costs *naugural auction saw 5-.- lakhs being spent by all 0 franchises combined "akesh :umar 4 *ndia captain was picked by )atna )irates for 1.0 lakhs 4 three times his base price 5 lakhs# which was the highest
PRO"OTIO% •
)an *ndia activation strategy was designed
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?alls with ma8imum footfalls were targeted. =ame units were placed inside the malls obstacles in shopping comple8# which allowed users to e8perience the thrill of the game.
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This introduced viewers to real time aspect of the game and created curiosity among them which in turn increased the footfall in stadiums %elebrities like Salman :han, Shahrukh :han ,Sachin Tendulkar,!mitabh 'achchan, !bhishek 'achchan, )riyanka %hopra, !Aay
)atna )irates roped in Livek >beroi , created a theme song G
1#Short stunning visuals6!ction packed moments 1- second teasers#
=ave the feel of the sport without revealing it
!mplied using N=uessThe=ame on social media
!imed at highlighting inherent athleticism of the game
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>ne lm featured school children while the older men. ! game of :abaddi was depicted via those lms.
The tag line !eet "e #ai $ohi% !o #aar Nahi Maante&' tried to show the spirit of the game.
G&ife bhi :abaddi hai yaarE campaign tried to show the grit , perseverance one needs to achieve what seems to be out of reach Aust like in the game of :abaddi
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$reating a starI (very team needs a star player to run campaign
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around him. %ampaigns were made by diHerent teams to tell about the players and make them household names thus in turn helping their team and )ro :abaddi at large in promotions. "epurchase was taken care by the Cuality of the product
!IGITAL STRATEG& SO$IAL "E!IA •
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Twitter handle (pro)a*addi and Facebook page ProKa*addi was created where fans can follow the latest scores and engage on social media interactions.
(verything was organic +$o ads, paid promotions, asking fans to re+ tweet ,no contests )ro:abaddi twitter handle was also not being promoted on television
Strateg+ •
'uilding the buDD6momentum from before?ay# 1 st match on 3th July
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)re game community building
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%onstant key word monitoring and replying
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"eplying to Cueries and regular re+tweeting
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&ive tweeting the matches as they unfolded
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%onstant engagement with fans and :abaddi enthusiasts pre+game and on match day %onstant engagement with teams, team owners, Aournalists, magaDines, sport enthusiasts , inOuencers
celebrities,
Signature Seles I shared by celebrities like !mitabh 'achchan, Shahrukh :han, !amir :han, Sachin Tendulkar present in the stadiums and their tweets about the e8perience added to the buDD around the game.
OT#ER !IGITAL "E!IU"S
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!n oBcial )ro+:abaddi website www.prokabaddi.com was launched ?atches were streamed live on starsports.com
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)aid application to watch matches and videos
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USI%ESS "O!EL • •
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>wner to spent 1+1.9 crore on team rights for 1- years >wnerEs revenue will come from Sponsorship Ticket Sales )riDe money >wners shed appro8imately 9+3 crore which included salaries of the players and their travel
PRO KAA!!I - A SU$$ESS,,, #& E SA& T#IS. For the Sport/Pla+ers •
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)layers became household names and got the distinction they deserved thus giving a brand image to the game + !nup :umar, "ahul %haudhari, ?aninder Singh even when these players have won !sian games they were earlier not known to the common masses# 7elped in nding new talent for *ndia "ahul %haudhariLiDag# , !Aay Thakur'engaluru# and Surinder $ada?umbai# to name a few "ahul %haudhari 4 raider Telegu Titans says he is now getting marriage proposals and daily --+5-- friend reCuests on Facebook :abaddi provided the lu8ury of endorsement deals to the players and gave them the opportunity to earn in lakhs :abaddi the game of soil is making heroes out of sons of soil !lready being compared with what :erry )acker did for cricket by organiDing ;orld Series cricket and Sky Sports did with )remier league in 122-
For the Sponsors/Associates •
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Shakti )umps sponsoring Jaipur )ink )anthers#I 7elped rm enhance brand recognition in the rural areas says !nkit )atidar ,L) marketing . %ustomers discuss the game in GchaupalsE held by their distribution team Future =roup owns franchisee in 'engal Team#I organiDed :abaddi matches outside 'ig 'aDar outlets which struck the chord with the masses and increased footfalls. They even hope to break even in Aust years >n+air and on+ground integration with Fevicol displaying the line GFevicol :i )akad, %hhootegi $ahinE was shown displayed on &(< screens in the arena and on TL during the live matches when a tackle results in the entrapment of the raider player. :abbadi is an ideal game for Fevicol to associate considering the fact that it involves strong holds, tackles and bonds which is in line with the brandEs messaging of strong bonding.P
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!mul 4 also came out with their famous !mul girl in a poster stating Q:ha+buddyP
Online u00
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1 hours into the leagueI ):& received about 15- million impressions on Twitter 3.-9 million tweets 9-- new fans added ?ore than ---- Facebook comments . billion *mpressions in days duration of the league# >ver 2-R comments and reactions had a positive tone 9R conversations were initiated by women Series culmination day produced more than 9--- tweets
Tele1ision
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1st day 4 million viewers tuned in to watch ):& T!? data# >ver -- million watched in the rst 0 days First 19 days I ):& 00 million viewers / *)& had 59 million viewers / F*F! ;orld %up 12 million viewers *n day leagueI 59 million viewers tuned in to Star which is thrice the number of people who watched F*F! ;orld %up -15 in *ndia *)& had 99 million thus on the basis of numbers :abaddi did became *ndiaEs nd most favorite sport 03.5 million tuned in to watch the nal match between Jaipur )ink )anthers and ?umbaiEs U ?umba F*F! world cup nal 4 5.3 million /;;( ;restlemania 4 . million / 7ockey ;orld %up nal+ 1-.5 million / ;imbeldon menEs nal 3.1 million# The game of all genders6age groups I >ver 2R viewership was females / R children thus breaking the stereotype that it was a male dominated sport.
In words of Charu Sharma and Anand Mahindra “ brought Kabaddi out of the shadows into the sunlight”
PAT# OF SU$$ESS,,
The andwagon e2ect •
Tapping into all the pro3otion strategies at once created a *and wagon e2ect which got 1iewers to *e in1ol1ed with the ga3e4
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In1ol1e3ent o5 cele*rities and word o5 3outh pla+ed critical role in helping reach sustaina*ilit+ and increase the reach
Ti3e
The league was launched during an away series of *ndian cricket team thus not competing with *ndiaEs most popular game cricket. Penetration •
Star T6 has e7panded its 5ootprint to 3ore than 89 cities thus Pro Ka*addi penetrated 5urther $olla*oration with rural *rands li)e "ahindra and ig a0ar will added to the penetration o5 the ga3e
rand purpose •
ith 3ore than :;< 3illion people li1ing : sport was not enough thus there was a lot o5 space 5or other sports4
Identi=cation > targeting and repac)aging the sport in a wa+ so that it appeals to the audience is the purpose o5 the *rand Re?u1enating the @product 5ro3 the roots up •
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Synthetic mats, lycra uniforms, high+grip shoes @ electronic scoreboards changed the rural Gbarefoot sportE forever The high+adrenaline game needing athleticism and international rugby cameramen have helped dramatiDe the action
rand properties •
Strong visual @ sonic properties
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&ogos @ identities of all 0 teams in the league
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Tagline claimed to be GThe new face of :abaddiE which shed the belief of :abaddi being an GoldE *ndian game
Inno1ati1e co33s that dra3ati0e the *rand idea •
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(ach team was owned or associated with big 'ollywood stars Top stars @ business tycoons were guests at the matches, visibly tweeting @ clicking seles during the games. 'randing @ communication was gladiatorial + *t appealed to young males, dramatiDed the sportEs rougher, physical side @ featuring slick, violent visuals.
%o FaigueB (nsured it got over Cuickly Aust like *)& days# thus the viewer
did not felt fatigued
eing IndianB *ndians are replacing the idea of being western as being cool
and becoming more comfortable with the idea of being *ndians and adapting to indigenous platforms Ka*addi as a ga3e •
?ass following
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&ow+cost sport
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?ade it modern, can be scaled up.
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Few rules Full+on contact sport that needs no eCuipment whatsoever
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Short @ intense
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Fun to watch
The 3one+ angleI Usually price money in domestic :abaddi competitions
ranges from 9---k+ lakh which is divided among players, coach and other staH which makes it appro8imately 3--- each. The league was already served players paying in lakhs fro a day tournament
FUTURE ROA!/I"PRO6E"E%TS •
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=enerating 3ore interest in the gameI S?S CuiD contests, social media competitions, associations with various chains of schools and colleges. RulesI
)eople may still not be familiar with the rules of the game so scrolling through the rules so that viewers get familiariDed will come in handy. !lso constant tinkering with the game of the rules should be avoided and ):& and *:F should have the same standard of rules so that the viewer does not get confused
$reating icon
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For a sport to be successful one needs to have a role model6icon. :abaddi should try to build that one role model ?eet the star campaign where few lucky get to meet a star player of the team. "unning documentaries on a particular player will help in building up his prole.
!ddition of social wel5are e7penditure *+ co3panies towards sports at both rural and national level will add to the growing popularity and improve the sport further (nsuring teams represent appropriate regionsI Tamil $adu and )unAab contribute the most number of players to *ndian :abaddi but no teams from those regions were available. To keep a level playing eld for the fans teams from strategic regions should also be Ooated in $reati1it+ B
Super'owl do not have an yearly auction so that interests in the players is maintained and viewers are able to identify with their players something on same grounds can be done here also
"a)ing the ga3e Glo*al
The game is most popular in !sia hence it is played in !sian games. ;ith the success of ):& , *:F *nternational :abaddi Federation # can push for :abaddi to be included in common wealth game and >lympics at a later stage
$reating a uniCue 5an e7perience
(ven with low price cost of the seats went empty during the events thus itEs important to create a uniCue e8perience for the viewers 'aseball is known for 7ot dogs and coke/ Football for its fantasy games/ 'asketball for instant replays similarly ):& should try a nd invent something new which will create fan e8perience , like give artists acrobats, magicians# to showcase their talent in intervals
Getting Ad1ertisers/Sponsors
Sponsors played a wait and watch game though their interest kept increasing as the league progressed ):& should combine on ground and on air packages henceforth Franchises hopeful of breaking even by third year Liewership numbers and e8perience can add to the number of sponsors ne8t season onwards Sponsorship opportunities include buying space on Aerseys or ground rights
REFERE%$ES • •
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httpsI66twitter.com6)ro:abaddi httpI66sportsrediscovered.com61216building+pro+kabaddi+league+ bollywood+cricket httpI66www.business+standard.com6article6companies6on+day+one+pro+ kabaddi+league+a+hit+with+viewers+115-0--1991.html httpI66www.sportskeeda.com6kabaddi6pro+kabaddi+league+gears+up+to+raid+ global+kabaddi+talent+from+15+countries+in+auction httpI66www.tellytrp.in6-156-26star+indias+bet+with+pro+kabaddi+league+ second+edition+gets+a+thumbs+up.html httpI66indiatoday.intoday.in6story6kabaddi+league+Aaipur+pink+panthers+ abhishek+bachchan+anand+mahindra6160-29.html httpsI66www.saddahaC.com6sports6prokabaddirevolution6from+rags+to+ riches+indias+pro+kabaddi+league httpI66nicheiima.wordpress.com6-156-261-6marketing+lessons+from+pro+ kabaddi+league6 httpI66www.eventfaCs.com6news6ef+-9116Star+Sports+promotes+)ro+ :abad+15-32590159.html httpI66businesstoday.intoday.in6story6pro+kabaddi+league+yet+to+strike+a+ chord+with+advertisers616-0590.html httpsI66www.google.co.in6url sat@rctA@C@esrcs@sourceweb@cd9@cadrAa@uact0@ved-%< cVFA!(@urlhttpR!RFRFprokabaddi.comRFmediacornerRF)ro R9-:abaddiR9-launch15R9-?archR9--15.pdf@ei7&J5L?+ >JtS)u!SC8o&!
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