LG Electronics India, the consumer electronics and home appliances major, has wrested the sponsorship rights for the forthcoming India-England Cricket One Day International Series from Pepsi for Rs 3.25 crore. However Pepsi continues to hold the original sponsorship rights for cricket as per the contract with the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI). The six-match series will be titled LG Cup 2002.
Ganesh Mahalingam, general manager, marketing, at LG said, "With the increasing frequency of cricket matches, Pepsi decided to hand over the sponsorships to other companies. We have decided to sponsor the forthcoming series."
He also said the company has decided to associate itself with cricket since it is positioning its products on the health and fitness platform. "An association with cricket would strengthen this positioning. This apart, it is an effective medium to reach out to the target audience through both on-ground as well as on-air promotions," said Mahalingam.
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This is LG's second association with the game, the first one being in 1999, when it became the official supplier of consumer electronics, home appliances, PC monitors, CD Roms for the World Cup played in England.
LG has set aside Rs 8 crore towards advertising and promotional spends for the event. Apart from the trophy, the company has also announced Rs 35,000 awards for the LG Man of the Match. This will be for each match in the series. In fact, Hero Honda had picked up the sponsorship rights of the recently held test match series between India and England from Pepsi.