Advertisers not yet ready to play CWG

Advertisers are not yet ready to come out and play in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010, which is less than six months away.

Maruti Suzuki, Adidas, Volkswagen, Reebok, Sahara India and LG are some of the companies still evaluating the prospects of jumping on CWG bandwagon. “We are figuring out the benefits in the form of eyeballs, top-of-mind recall of brands by the consumers,” said Shashank Srivastav, commercial business head, Maruti Suzuki.

Till now, the Organising Committee of CWG has had success only in roping in Coca-Cola India as the official beverage partner for the Games. The committee has also tied up with public sector units such as National Thermal Power Corporation, Air India, Indian Railways and Central Bank of India for sponsorship.

Electronics major such as LG, Videocon and Samsung, which are prominent sponsors in major sporting events like IPL-3, T20 World Cup and the FIFA World Cup in June this year, are also cold to the idea of associating with the Games. “We don’t see the games as a saleable property for us. So, there will be no major launches during the Commonwealth Games,” said a Samsung Electronics official.

German sports apparel maker Adidas is firmly focused on FIFA World Cup, and CWG doesn’t figure prominently on its radar. “There are many different ways to be associated with the Commonwealth game, if not directly as a sponsor,” said Andreas Gellner, MD, Adidas India.

Media planners say that the Commonwealth property might fall flat as their clients have not yet slotted the Game as part of their plan. “Last October, we closed all our IPL deals for the clients. For Commonwealth Games, our clients are not too keen to invest as they do not see it as a viable property,” said media planner Mona Jain, COO, Vivaki Exchange.