KKR’s Latest Marketing Gimmick: Main Bhi Coach
Kolkata Knight Riders recently launched a campaign called Main Bhi Coach. The campaign is, in words of Shah Rukh Khan, aimed at getting ‘expert’ advice from all of India. At the outset, the idea sounds an exciting proposition for all the parties involved: the fans can finally get their thoughts about the game across to the players (in theory, at least); the brands KKR & Nokia get some more exposure; and in financial terms, the cash registers start ringing everywhere.
However, aal izz not well (sorry for the 3 idiots hangover). The advertisements that have been created for the campaign project a not-so-happy image for the team KKR. Let me first describe the commercials before discussing the topic further.
The campaign is being promoted by TV, radio, newspaper and outdoor media. The theme, as seems obvious by the name of the campaign, is that anyone can be the coach of KKR. Commercial on TV is attached herewith. A newspaper boy is taking a training session on hitting the stumps. The ad shows Ishant Sharma saying in frustration, “isse coach kisne banaya! (who assigned this person as the coach)”, followed by SRK saying very proudly, “maine (I did)”. The radio commercial features a housewife saying, “ball fainkna pati par belan fainkne jaisa hai (bowling is pretty similar to throwing belan at your husband)”. The print and the outdoor ads focus on the message that anyone can be the coach. Now let’s analyse them.
The biggest issue I have against these ads, in fact this campaign, is that it makes KKR butt of all jokes (as if it wasn’t till now). Take these for example: John Buchanan couldn’t do anything and SRK hopes that newspaper boy and housewives will help KKR win IPL; or, last year they had multiple captains, this year multiple coaches. I believe that the campaign is killing KKR’s cricket (at least it’s image to the world). This campaign might help KKR and Nokia earn some money, and get some brand exposure; but it’ll definitely hurt KKR’s real fans (by real fans, I mean people who support KKR for reasons other than its owner, and its fancy jerseys).
Imagine this very real scenario: office environment with a team about 13-15 people natives of different states. Let’s say there’re 2-3 supporters each for each of the IPL teams. KKR’s poor supporters have already been mocked by the rest over the last 2 editions by the co-workers because of reasons I need not mention. Now comes an advertisement where Ishant Sharma is pleading to a newspaper boy while he is training them on throwing at stumps. What’ll happen to the KKR supporters!!!
Further, SRK replying proudly to Ishant Sharma’s cry about the coach projects a negative image (already unpopular among the supporters) about the franchisee, that SRK plays around with the team according to his whims and fancies.
Even from a cold marketing analysis, the campaign spells doom for the brand value of Kolkata Knight Riders. Let me draw a parallel with Nokia 1100 to describe this better. Nokia 1100 was an excellent product, well researched and suitable for the Indian conditions: low price, high durability, dust resistant (basically everything ‘made for India’). However, the advertisement featured a truck driver using the phone, the phone hanging in front of the truck (to show its flashlight) with the voice-over (VO) “yeh raat ko bhi chalta hai (it works in the night too)”. Though such an advertisement helped Nokia deliver the message clearly, it missed the mark by portraying the phone as a very down-market device, and resulted in the phone being referred to as The Truck Drivers’ Phone and its flashlight (though high on utility) being mocked as yeh raat ko bhi chalta hai.
This led to some embarrassment for the owners of the phone (including me, as it was my first phone and I really liked it), and probably lesser sales than what could have been achieved. The advertisement cannot be defended saying that the TVC was targeted at the rural segment. The rural focus of the telecom & handset companies is fairly recent. Nokia 1100 was launched in 2004.
Coming back to KKR’s Main Bhi Coach… if they continue unabashed with similar campaigns, focusing only on giving the brand more exposure, and ignoring the cricket aspect, it won’t be long before the black/blue/golden KKR jerseys become a thing to be embarrassed about.
I admit that it’s antics like these (the music video, the golden crown) which have helped KKR become the most valued brand among the eight franchisees. Main Bhi Coach might increase the price of the real estate on that golden jersey in the short term, but ultimately, it’ll bring the brand KKR down.
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Shashank Bajaj is a PGDM (2011) student at IIM Calcutta. He holds a Bachelors degree in Manufacturing Processes & Automation Engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi University and can be reached at shashankb2011@email.iimcal.ac.in.
While only time would tell the real success of the campaign and its impact on the value of the KKR brand, i would have to disagree with the thought presented in the article.
Before i begin, let me clarify, for the record, that I’m not a KKR fan and not a Cricket fanatic either (quite the black sheep in this country).
There is no need to dwell on the fact that India is a cricket crazy country. We are country of 1 billion (-1) cricket experts who can tell MSD where exactly to place the man in catching position when Ponting comes out to bat or why he should have batted first considering that grass on the pitch was dead. So the idea of making the fans the coach is 1 billion dreams come true. No wonder Videocon is doing the same thing with Mumbai Indians? (http://www.videoconmobiles.com/IPL-offer.html)
As for the impact on KKRs image…do we really think T20 is serious cricket? Its a 3 hour tamasha (and i mean it in the positive sense) that is made with the sole purpose of entertaining people. No one can imagine a similar campaign for the national team – its pride and honour, serious stuff. But T20? Its just stuff you enjoy with a drink and a bag of popcorns.
There is a long way before the franchises here start attracting the same affinity and emotion as the european football clubs or the MLS or NFL franchises in the US. So till that happens, “Main bhi coach” should work.
@rohan,
I’m not against the campaign per se. in the very beginning of the article, I said that the campaign is beneficial to everyone (mentioning the fans’ willingness to get their viewpoint across). However, I am against the advertisements which mock the ‘cricket’ team KKR.
On the seriousness of cricket in IPL, I agree the entertainment motive. But the passion among the fans is real (i know this statement sounds a bit too globe-y).
And on the same point as yours (when IPL reaches level of MLS/NFL), these kind of advertisements would be a BIG NO. The campaign makes the right connect with the audience but makes the advertisement makes wrong noise about the team…
Moral of the story author cant stand Sharukh Khan
I think the Author has the right stand here. KKR needs a bolstering campaign to push the morals of the players high and not an advertisement in which anyone can coach them.
The strange bit is that the players are themselves in the commercial inkling that may be the spirit and seriousness are not that high. They are not doing justice to their supporters
Hii shahshank,
I completely agree with your point and feels that Shahrukh Khan is more interested in generating the revenues (through advertising) through KKR rather than making efforts to make his team perform good in IPL.
KKR is more or less like a business entity rather than a cricket team. SRK has created a brand called Kolkata Night Rider during IPL-1 and he is just leveraging its brand equity. To be very honest, that is the sole reason why SRK and the other franchisees paid such an exorbitant amount to buy the team. Though Rajasthan Royals won the first IPL season but the brand value of RR is negligible in comparison with KKR. A lot companies still want to associate with KKR to endorse their brand, even after knowing the fact KKR didnt perfrom in any of the IPL seasons.
@Rahul
Though I agree with you on the point that KKR needs more focus on cricket than business, but my argument in the article is that even with a business sense, ‘Main Bhi Coach’ campaign, though a good idea, has an advertisement which does not support even making money in the long run. Whether the business motive is justified or not… I don’t intend to touch that territory. I’m just sharing my views on the advertisement & that campaign
@sachin
No I do not hold any grudges against SRK in particular. It’s just that when a person with minimal cricket knowledge gets the power to take cricket decisions, and more importantly, overrule decisions of those who know it… and acts all bossy… that’s when he gets on my nerve
@Author, In the AD SRK says “IS BAAR MUJHE chahiye pure India ki expert advice..” which as far as i comprehend lays stress on the fact that KKR is humble enough to accept its miserable performance in the first 2 editions of IPL(which cannot be evaded). Indians who come in this world with the ‘cricket wisdom’ by birth will find it interesting to give tips to KKR. The AD also improves SRK’s image from an arrogant owner(remember his comment on Sunil Gavaskar last year) to a man who accepts his mistakes and invites suggestions.
So i think its not a bad idea at all. Financially its a good strategy. Emotionally(for cricket fans) its good too. Only thing which holds it back(as you also mentioned in your article) is that the KKR fanatics won’t like it. What other option do they have by the way considering the embarrassment KKR has brought to them in the past.
u dong gr8t job…..
:):)
god bless u…..
keep it up…
an example of the jokes about this campaign:
“Ah yes. SRK’ll take advice from some hindi tv soap star on how his players should appeal and go to the finals.”
I agree with Rohan completely as it is a much evident fact that IPL is purely an entertainment event with no thoughts watsoever to Cricket. It has seen seasons wherein the most technical guys in Cricket were bogged down upon by the most rowdy batsmen…..It has little to do with the sentiments of the people supporting a particular team……people throng the stadiums coz they want 3 hrs of fun….with loud music…..with cheerleaders dancing and the crowd going mad over every single hit off the bat…..so the campaign sought out by KKR seems to be valid…..but in my personal opinion the concept though really good has not reached out to the public as was intended. The advertisements are really ill-shot and do not appeal to the TV audience in particular given the fact that most of the advertisement space has already been preoccupied by the Zoo-zoo’s. The execution of the concept has failed in totality….but still in my opinion this ad will hardly have an impact on the Brand image of the KKRs….
even if IPL is only an entertainment-motive joke on cricket, u cannot make the mockery of any team by having an ad “agar yeh coach ban sakta hai to aap kyun nahi (if he can be a coach, why can’t you)”. this is actually the latest one in the series of Nokia Main Bhi Coach ads.
as i had said earlier, i’m not at all against the idea of having general public as the coach for your team. in fact, i like the idea very much, and that is what has been mentioned in the initial part of the article.
but the way they have promoted this campaign!!! forget the cricketing aspect…
from a pure marketing point of view, this is would lead to more visibility for the brand KKR, but it also kills any respect for that golden jersey. once the brand (and its symbols like the jersey in this case) become the butt of all jokes, the brand equity is gone. Nokia & KKR will mint some quick money by reaching their audience with such ads, but they kill the brand equity.
this concept was explained very well by a senior marketing personnel from GSK. i’ll just quote her words, “when we launch horlicks biscuits, we’re leveraging the brand horlicks (which stands for health & nutrition). we’re actually reducing the brand equity of ‘horlicks’ to increase sales for the biscuits. to give back to horlicks its brand equity, we launch other products like women’s horlicks, which work on the same positioning.”
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hope i’m able to explain.
appreciation & criticism welcome
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