MUMBAI: Star Sports, India’s leading sports broadcaster, has launched a unique marketing campaign to build the second edition of Hero Hockey India League (HHIL) which starts later this month on January 25, 2014. Star Sports has shot the marketing campaign across all six team states which are participating in the league. The campaign shows star players of all the teams showcasing their hockey skills at the most iconic locations of the regions. Leveraging the presence of elite national and international hockey players, the broadcaster has positioned the league as ‘The new face of Hockey’.
The second edition of HHIL will see world’s best hockey players playing in diverse cities across the country. This year 72 Olympians from 11 countries will participate in the league which will be played in 6 cities including New Delhi, Lucknow, Mohali, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Ranchi. A total of 34 matches will be played across 29 match days on home and away basis.
Speaking on the occasion, Gayatri Yadav, Executive Vice President Marketing & Communications, STAR India, said, “HHIL in just its second edition has emerged as a truly global league and has attracted the world’s best Hockey talent to its fold. We will complement the standard of the league and mount a special production effort to showcase Hockey like it has never been done before. We will create an exciting visual spectacle for Hockey fans. We will present ‘The new face of Hockey’.
This intent emanates from our ambition which is to change the face of sports broadcasting in India and provide world-class sports coverage to fans across the country. It is in-line with Star Sports’ philosophy which urges India to ‘Believe’. Hockey is a priority sport for us and we want to bring the fans closer to their heroes than ever before.
In a bold and unprecedented move, we shot the campaign for HHIL across all the team states using iconic backdrops and elements of each team’s hockey heritage. The visuals show star players of each team presenting the ‘The new face of Hockey’ at the landmark locations in their regions whether it is the by lanes of Varanasi for Uttar Pradesh Wizards team or Jantar Mantar for Delhi Waveriders team. The idea is to build team affinity as well as local pride for each and every participating team.”
Speaking on the occasion, Juju Basu, Head of Communications for Sports business, Star India, said, “The campaign has been created to strengthen the bond between the fans and the teams using their team stars at the locations they are proud of. The films are a cheer for the great hockey action that this league has started bringing to India.”
Overall, the campaign will have 7 different films - 1 for each team and an overall thematic one. The campaign has been shot at the most iconic locations in each of the participating franchise cities/ regions. The campaign for Delhi Waveriders team was shot at the Jantar Mantar while players from the Uttar Pradesh Wizards teams were filmed playing Hockey in the lanes of Varanasi. The Kalinga Lancers campaign was shot at the Puri beach. Star players of Dabur Mumbai Magicians were shot playing Hockey in a Mumbai local train while Ranchi Rhinos ad-campaign was shot with star players playing at the Dassam Falls. The star players of Jaypee Punjab Warriors team were filmed in Amritsar with the Golden Temple as the back drop.
The high decibel campaign will be played across key channels of Star network.
