IPL gives mileage for investment, bankable proposition

Storyboard's Naomi Datta takes a look at what’s happening in the A&M space. IPL 6 got off to a showy start with an opening ceremony that reportedly cost the BCCI Rs 22 crore. One thing seems to be clear.

As far as the investing brands go, be it IPL sponsor Pepsi or new entrant Yes Bank, the IPL is a very bankable proposition, giving them maximum mileage for investments. Last week, the BCCI and Star India announced that Star Plus had now signed on as the associate sponsor of the IPL. This in effect means an incursion into competitor territory - official broadcaster Multi Screen Media's domain. The three year association, which is believed to be worth at least Rs 50 crore per year, allows Star to advertise at the venues of matches, all of which will be shown on MSM's SIX and MAX channels. Masterstroke or calculated ambush? Storyboard editor Anant Rangaswami spoke to STAR India CEO Uday Shankar to find out. Madhya Pradesh Tourism released its latest ad film - its fourth in five years. Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, the visually stunning film keeps to the pattern of never showing the actual tourist destinations found in the state. Instead what you have is an artistic depiction where colours morph into key tourist attractions of the state. This ad is Piyush Pandey and the Ogilvy team’s brainchild. The film was directed by Nirvana's Prakash Varma. You can log on to the brands page on firstpost.com for an interview with the director as well.
This week in ‘Must Follow’, Ravi Kiran, the co-founder of Growth Advisory Friends Of Ambition helps us curate whom you should follow on Twitter.  On Web Check, Suman Srivastava from consultancy firm Marketing Unplugged recommends an App that helps you think out of the box. You can purchase the 'Creativity Whack Pack' app for Rs 110 from Apple's App Store. Here's a quick round up of industry views and news.  Bobby Pawar, JWT's creative head who resigned in the wake of the Ford scam ad fiasco, is at Goafest, taking a break. Storyboard's Pavni Mittal catches up with him. From scam ads, we go to downright irresponsible ads. The Advertising Standards Council of India has introduced a fast-track system to ban ads in contravention of guidelines. "Suspension Pending Investigation" has been introduced, which means ASCI can, suo moto, demand the immediate stopping of such ads by advertisers. It's April, and how can the Cola wars have not begun on TV? Pepsi has released three ads in the last month and Coke one. Phase 2 of the digitisation of TV rolls out, with reports suggesting that there is resistance in all 38 cities which were supposed to stop analogue signals. Let's hope the government comes down hard on offenders and ensures compliance.