IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings has been slowly and steadily building its brand over the past four years on the back of its iconic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The sustained efforts of the last four years are beginning to show result as the franchise looks at a 15-20 per cent revenue growth this year.
By retaining its key players, the franchise has managed to build a loyal fan base not just in Tamil Nadu but also among the Tamil diaspora. The two time IPL champions is leaving no stone unturned as far as engaging with fans is concerned and is stepping up efforts on the merchandising front to grow this revenue stream.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Javed Farooqui,India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh shares the franchises journey so far and the growth path ahead.
Excerpts: |
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Isn‘t Chennai Super Kings targeting a revenue of Rs 1.7 billion this year? What is the break-up? |
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Have you reached operational break even? |
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How has IPL season 5 been for CSK?
While our revenue continues to grow at a steady pace, what we are also trying to do is step up the merchandising efforts. We plan to grow merchandising by positioning it as a lifestyle brand so that fans not only buy CSK T-shirts during the IPL season but also wear them during the non-IPL season. |
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How did the deal with a Hindi GEC like Life Ok happen with a team franchise from the South? |
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The IPL has seen a lot of sponsor switches. How did CSK manage to retain its sponsors? |
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There are reports that title sponsor DLF is not sure of continuing its IPL sponsorship? |
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So are the team loyalties settling down? |
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What do you think is CSK’s USP? |
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How did you engage with fans?
We also launched a new video ‘Wave your hands” which has got one lakh views within no time that it was uploaded on YouTube. We launched this campaign sometime in the first week of April, and by the third week we already have one lakh views on YouTube. Earlier we had done “Whistle podu” which was also a big hit. Every fan wants to do something to support his or her team, so that way we are channelising their energy into doing something to support the team. |
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How is licensing and merchandising doing?
In terms of licensing, for the first time we have partnered with Café Coffee Day to make it a hub for Chennai Super Kings fans. Similarly Park Sheraton has converted their lounge into a CSK Bar. So we want to see how these deals work and whether we can make it a yearlong thing. We are working on a fixed fee basis wherein licensees can use our name and do certain things. This year we aim to double our licensing and merchandising revenue. |
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How has been the response been to ticketing? There were lots of empty seats during your home matches? |
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