Mindshare & GroupM ESP help Bridgestone secure WSH title sponsorship

GroupM ESP, that offers consultancy in the business of Entertainment and Sports, worked closely with Bridgestone's media agency Mindshare to clinch the deal

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | March 2, 2012

Bridgestone, the world's largest tyre company, has come on board as the 'Title Sponsor' of World Series Hockey (WSH), the biggest hockey league in the world. Mindshare is Bridgestone's media agency and brings on board strategic approach to Bridgestone's brand communication objectives. GroupM ESP (Entertainment, Sports and Partnership) is a specialist unit of GroupM offering consultancy in the business of Entertainment and Sports. Sports team of GroupM ESP worked closely with Mindshare in this initiative that helped Bridgestone secure title sponsorship of the prestigious and one of its kind 'Bridgestone World Series Hockey'. The Bridgestone World Series Hockey tournament takes place from February 29 to April 2 and will involve 200 leading Indian and International players who will showcase their talent in 59 matches and vie for the biggest prize money hockey tournament in the world.  The 8 venues for the inaugural edition of the league are Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Jalandhar, Mumbai and Pune.

Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd started its operations in 1996. In March 1998 with the setup of its manufacturing facility in Kheda, Madhya Pradesh, Bridgestone achieved its objective of running Indian manufactured Bridgestone tyres on Indian Roads. During this short stint of 13 years Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd is now one of the leading tyre companies in both the OEM & Replacement market.

Commenting on this association Vaibhav Saraf - Bridgestone India's General Manager Marketing & Sales said “We have a legacy of associating with sports; we have been associating with various sports from Ice-Hockey to Formula 1 to the Moto-GP and Rugby in some nations. We started advertising in India last year and tied up with Mumbai Indians to begin with. Mindshare and GroupM ESP recommended WSH as an opportunity to us and helped us understand the media deliveries and valuation of the league”.

“The sports genre has been integral to Bridgestone's target audience and we needed a platform that would help build saliency for the brand”, says Anita Kotwani, Principal Partner – Client leadership Mindshare.

Very bullish on Hockey as India's National sport Vinit Karnik, National Director, Entertainment, Sports & Live Events said “Mindshare – “GroupM ESP strategically approached the sponsorship of World Series Hockey by bringing alive Bridgestone's brand objectives. We are hoping 'Bridgestone World Series Hockey' delivers high impact for the brand by increasing Bridgestone's visibility and share of voice.

Anita Kotwani also adds “With this sponsorship Mindshare takes another small step in forging a partnership with hockey, but in fact a giant leap in propagating something other than cricket, yet getting entire focus, drive and visibility for our client. We are glad that by this sponsorship Bridgestone is reinforcing its commitment to its growth in India”.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com