The core idea of 'Turf Finder' is to expand access to sports for all, says Ankit Agarwal of PepsiCo

Delhi: As part of the 'Turf Finder' initiative, Gatorade, PepsiCo India recently unveiled its second turf in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi in partnership with Leo Burnett India. 

The event witnessed enthusiastic participants coming together to play and relish the excitement offered by tailored turf, catering to badminton, and basketball aficionados. 

Delhi witnessed its first turf drop earlier in March in Lajpat Nagar and the brand is aiming to drop another turf in the city soon. 

The initiative began with the first turf launch in Mumbai in February, followed by installations in other major cities including Bengaluru, Kolkata, and now Delhi.

Discussing the initiative, Ankit Agarwal, Associate Director of Energy and Hydration at PepsiCo India, stated, "The core idea is to expand access to sports as widely as possible. The insight driving this initiative is that in these megacities, every open space is rapidly consumed by infrastructure, be it roads, cars, buildings, offices, or residential complexes. This initiative specifically addresses the shortage of recreational spaces in urban India, enabling more people to engage in sports despite the constraints posed by city environments," added Agarwal, emphasising the goals of Gatorade's 'Turf Finder' campaign.

As part of the initiative, Gatorade partnered with Google Maps to analyse data from the past 15 years. 

“We discovered that there are specific times when parts of the city are less crowded. For example, a movie hall whose first show starts at 11 AM will have an empty parking lot from 8 AM to 11 AM. Similarly, if there's a railway station with no trains scheduled for a certain period, that area will see minimal activity. Realising this, we identified such locations near residential areas where we could temporarily set up our turfs and provide equipment," added Agarwal.

Gatorade’s new initiative will be amplified through a 360-degree campaign across digital, outdoor, and social media. 

Agarwal told BestMediaInfo.com that the brand creates awareness around dropping a new turf in a 3-4 km radius of it through on-ground as well as digital marketing initiatives.

Rajdeepak Das, CCO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia & Chairman, Leo Burnett, South Asia, said, “This is a true HumanKind idea where we are using technology to find solutions for modern-day problems. Our cities are temporal, they behave differently by day and by night. We have validated this spirit and used historic Google map data to find empty spaces at specific times which can be made into a turf.”