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Magazine
TRENDS
Cinema plays for cricket
A. SRIVATHSAN
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In the attempt to bring in viewers and build loyalty for city cricket teams, film stars seem to be the easiest option.
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Photo: R. Ragu
Promoting the game?: Vijay at the recent IPL launch in Chennai.
Cinema had the last laugh, fittingly in Chennai. After all the accusations that Shahrukh Khan used cricket to promote his film, in Chennai, cricket unashamedly sought cinema’s help to promote itself. Recently, the Chennai Super Kings IPL cricke
t team was launched. Vijay and Nayantara, two currently popular Tamil actors, were introduced as brand ambassadors.
The launch party had all the ingredients of a film launch: dazzling lights, smoke screens, racy music and Ilaya Thalapathi’s (the young leader) swivel chair in focus. As smoke cleared out, the chair turned and Vijay dramatically appeared seated cross-legged.
Had it been a movie, he would have cast his nonchalant gaze at the villains in waiting, but the event was a promotional launch of a cricket team. All he offered was his off-screen shy smile. Flashlights swarmed the stage and his fans would have been delirious, but the function was not for them. However, they were not discouraged. The die-hard fans promptly uploaded the video clips of their hero for many others to view.
At a recent India Cement investors/analysts conference convened to clarify the company’s investment in IPL, CEO N. Srinivasan mentioned that India Cements is in IPL “solely with a view to building our brand more extensively and deeply throughout the important market that we have which is Tamil Nadu.” He was convinced that Cricket “ultimately....will make a lot of tons of money for the company” ( http://www.indiacements.co.in/transcript.htm).
Marketing challenge
The IPL format pitches one city-based team against the other and this has already become a marketing challenge to realise revenue ambitions. Traditional cricket between nations easily evokes strong national sentiments and can be converted into a large single market. How does one build loyalty for a city team with such a wide spread of national and international players? Will individual player following alone be sufficient? How important is this marketing for the IPL format?
Chennai has no icons, as the BCCI calls them. It had to pay an exorbitant price to get Dhoni. Apart from Chennai in its name, there is nothing local or regional about it. Even the posters during the launch were fashioned like Spartans and not even remotely Tamil or a cosmopolitan Chennaite — whatever that may mean.
The responsibility of drawing viewership for the team and making it market-attractive falls on three players — Dhoni, Hayden and Muralidharan. The spin-doctors seem to realise that this would be insufficient and certainly not enough to create the drama of team loyalty. For a moment, they must have felt like a producer of a television serial anxious about Television Rating Points. Their desperation was evident in the way Dhoni, Hayden and Muralidharan were drawn like fighting Spartans with shields and spears. It appeared more like a fancy dress competition. Making up for it were the desperate copywriting that almost started to fabricate battle cries and impending clashes.
Not convinced this would work, India Cements and their marketing advisers turned to what, in their opinion, is time-tested terrain. Tamil actors Vijay and Nayanthra, were roped in. We are yet to know whether this was for reassurance or rescue.
Disarming admission
Vijay’s disarming admission that his interest in the game increased after his eight year-old son started watching cricket says it all. Sure, Vijay is not an over-enthusiastic fan extending his admiration or playing out his adolescent desire getting autographs from his favourite players. When interviewed, Vijay confessed that his specific role in team promotion is yet to be worked out, but he would endorse the team.
Without a cricketing star by his side, appearing so disconnected from the game, Vijay was making an emphatic point as an actor. No one had a doubt about who was seeking whom and what was the prop. It was more than a coincidence that the posters of the three key players mimicked “300”.
What Srikanth, former Indian captain and another team ambassador, said during the launch was revealing. He talked about building viewers on the lines of Tamil film fan clubs. This is where Vijay seems to fit.
One of the few obligations on Vijay, it seems, is that he will appear during all Chennai matches. Fans can enjoy watching their matinee idol watching the game at least that is the idea. By juxtaposing cricket and Vijay, they hope that film fans and cricket fans will converge and coalesce into a single marketable entity. There would be less distinction between film fans and cricket fans.
Ironical
The irony in this turnaround is not to be missed. Film fans and their clubs were always at the receiving end, often derided and mocked for their obsessions, irrational behaviour and reclusive fervour. But now they have metamorphosed into a suave marketing strategy. This does not amount to any serious cultural turn but is more of a class appropriation compelled by commercial necessity.
What is Nayantara’s role? She was not present at the function nor does she seem to receive the attention Vijay is getting. More than gender bending of the game, as always, she would add glamour to the roving eye of the camera and its dominant male audience.
Chennai successfully bid for Dhoni, Muralidharan and Hayden for impressive sums. How much was Vijay paid for endorsement?
That was the question on everyone’s mind. The organisers did not reveal any figures making Vijay the priceless commodity.
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