 "Vivo Mobiles is now the IPL title sponsor")
Indian Premier League (IPL)'s surprise title sponsor Vivo, has big plans for the coming edition of the cricket tournament, which kicks off six months from now.
The Chinese handset maker, which is said to have paid Rs 150-200 crore for the title sponsorship for two years, has set the ball rolling, releasing IPL's new title logo as well as the tournament cup, which has its name etched on it, on Monday.
The step is significant, according to brand experts, since it signals the importance Vivo is giving to its title sponsorship. The firm, which entered India barely a year ago, will soon launch a teaser campaign to announce its association with IPL.
Vivo India CEO Alex Feng told Business Standard that a full-blown marketing campaign would begin in January next year. "We will use all media - television, print, outdoor, digital and social media. We are aware how big a platform IPL is and we intend to make the best of this association. We'll waste no time when it comes to marketing our association with IPL. It will help in improving brand recall and awareness, something that we need at the moment."
The sponsorship comes at a time when Vivo, whose market share in India is negligible (estimated to be 1-2 per cent), looks to garner a share of 5-6 per cent in the next one year, industry sources said.
The handset maker is already present in 22 states in India, choosing to boost its offline presence with a strong distribution network. It has opted to go slow with its online sales strategy unlike peers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who have been aggressive online.
Vivo will also begin assembling smartphones in India at a plant in Greater Noida, near Delhi, shortly. This is expected to help it bring down price points of its phones, which are currently between Rs 7,000 and Rs 33,000.
The idea is to step up sales on the back of affordable price points and superior features - something that most second - and third-rung smartphone makers are pursuing aggressively in India.
The Chinese handset maker is looking to make India its second-largest market outside its home turf, where it ranks among the top five smartphone makers. In fact, China's top-three handset makers including Xiaomi, Huawei and Vivo have all stepped up their India focus this year, making it clear to one and all where their priorities lie outside their home markets.
Interestingly, Vivo will not be the first handset brand to be using IPL to become a household name. Indian handset makers such as Karbonn, Lava and Micromax have all used IPL to become popular in a market that was till a few years ago dominated mainly by international names such as Nokia, Samsung and Apple.
It was the successful manner in which these domestic handset firms used IPL, which prompted smaller handset makers to take to IPL despite the prohibitive price.
"IPL is a great platform, when it comes to launching a brand and Vivo will use this to make inroads into the Indian market," said Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer, CAA-Kwan, a city-based sports & celebrity management firm.
