When it comes to cricket I fall in the category of the Purists. I was amongst the people who frowned at the idea of reducing cricket to a 20 over a side game. Even though, I did enjoy the Indian victory in the inaugral T20 WC and the success of the IPL, I always thought of it as an advertisement of cricket. Nothing more than that. For me the sight of a red cherry being rubbed against the shining whites is real cricket.
Even as the ICC announced its plans of introducing Day Night Test matches,there is no denying the fact that Test Match has lost much of its sheen in recent past. The reason is just not the success of the shorter versions, but also the deteriorating qualities of test squads across the world. It definitely is a sorry fact, but we have to accept it. And its not ony the Test Cricket which is fighting for survival, ODIs are also facing a similar future..and why not. T20 cricket has it all, that too in a much smaller package.
This morning, I came across an editorial in HT, about how Test cricket is a thing of past. Being a hardcore fan of Test Cricket, I almost overlooked the article, but on a second thought decided to understand what these authors have against Test Cricket. Well, I must confess that the article did make me think. I sat down for an hour trying to think what is it about the Test Cricket that fascinates me? What is so intriguing about the T20s which is making it so popular. Here are some of the thought notes:
Test Cricket: Double Innings, Deficit/Lead, Bouncers
T20: Fast paced, Pacing the innings, Importance of slow bowlers
Clearly for a cricket buff like me, a product which offers us all of above would be really great. Hence, I feel that a new version of cricket should be introduced to replace all the three existing forms of cricket. In this version, each team should bat out two innings each of 20 overs duration.
All the four innings should be played on the same day.
This will help in combining the attributes of all three forms of cricket, giving rise to a highly entertaining and rich format of cricket. Some of the rules can be:
1. Both teams get a chance to bat twice, with twenty overs in each innings.
2. The follow on margin can be reduced to 40 runs.
3. The bowlers should be allowed two bouncers in the over.
4. It can be played in either day format (with white clothing) or day night format depending upon the venue.
We can call this version as I40 (International 40) format. I feel this format will surely take the world cricket by storm...what say guys??
Showing posts with label IPL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IPL. Show all posts
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Not just the Cola War
For last 15 odd years, ever since the pepsi made an entry and coke made a comeback in India, the two companies have been involved in fierce price wars. Every summers they would bring down the price to as low as 3.50 paise and give out free gifts to woo the customers. They have roped in the best cricketers and the biggest bollywood stars in their camps.
They saw cricket as the biggest marketing opportunity in this cricket crazy nation. In 1996, Coca Cola became the official sponsor of the world cup, but pepsi very cleverly stole the lime light with its "Nothing official about it" campaign. Many stars and cricketers joined the camps, changed loyalties, but in the end made a lot of money thanks to the cola wars.
These summers a new trend is emerging. Pepsi and Coca Cola are spending a huge amount of money in promoting their subsidiary brands. This is something which they haven't done in the past, and may be they now realise the importance of having a bigger product portfolio. In India, where cold drinks are still referred to by their colours, promoting these drinks makes all the more sense.
The cola wars seem to have given way to the flavoured drinks wars. To ensure a successful summer business, these companies are leaving no stones turned. They have roped in the top bollywood personalities to promote these soft drinks. Katrina Kaif can be seen promoting Slice in the their Aamasutra campaign, where as the leading ladies from South India, Genelia and Asin are promoting the Orange flavoured Fanta and Mirinda respectively. The competition of the lemon flavoured drinks have gone one step ahead into the IPL, where Kolkata Knight Riders can be seen promoting Sprite while defending champions Rajasthan Royals are in the 7UP camp.
Well this just goes to show how important it is for even the largest companies to have a broad brand portfolio. It not only helps in increasing the volume but also helps in connecting with a larger audience with different tastes. Innovation is also as important as having a large number of proven products. This is where I feel the Pepsi camp has scored these summers with the introduction of 7UP Nimbooz. It is an amazing drink and contextual to Indian Market. It sure will go a long way in establishing the Pepsi brand amongst not so young Indians too..
Well the summers have just started, and a many more marketing gimmicks would come out of both the camps, but one thing is clear, that the Cola Wars is soon turning into a war of fruit drinks...
They saw cricket as the biggest marketing opportunity in this cricket crazy nation. In 1996, Coca Cola became the official sponsor of the world cup, but pepsi very cleverly stole the lime light with its "Nothing official about it" campaign. Many stars and cricketers joined the camps, changed loyalties, but in the end made a lot of money thanks to the cola wars.
These summers a new trend is emerging. Pepsi and Coca Cola are spending a huge amount of money in promoting their subsidiary brands. This is something which they haven't done in the past, and may be they now realise the importance of having a bigger product portfolio. In India, where cold drinks are still referred to by their colours, promoting these drinks makes all the more sense.
The cola wars seem to have given way to the flavoured drinks wars. To ensure a successful summer business, these companies are leaving no stones turned. They have roped in the top bollywood personalities to promote these soft drinks. Katrina Kaif can be seen promoting Slice in the their Aamasutra campaign, where as the leading ladies from South India, Genelia and Asin are promoting the Orange flavoured Fanta and Mirinda respectively. The competition of the lemon flavoured drinks have gone one step ahead into the IPL, where Kolkata Knight Riders can be seen promoting Sprite while defending champions Rajasthan Royals are in the 7UP camp.
Well this just goes to show how important it is for even the largest companies to have a broad brand portfolio. It not only helps in increasing the volume but also helps in connecting with a larger audience with different tastes. Innovation is also as important as having a large number of proven products. This is where I feel the Pepsi camp has scored these summers with the introduction of 7UP Nimbooz. It is an amazing drink and contextual to Indian Market. It sure will go a long way in establishing the Pepsi brand amongst not so young Indians too..
Well the summers have just started, and a many more marketing gimmicks would come out of both the camps, but one thing is clear, that the Cola Wars is soon turning into a war of fruit drinks...
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