Even as Bharti Airtel is now the title sponsor for the upcoming Indian Formula One Grand Prix, its arch rival Vodafone that has since long been associated with this event, has managed to overshadow it, at least for now. It has been holding road shows and showcasing an exact replica of the McLaren Mercedes racing car that will be driven by Lewis Hamilton .
Largely perceived as a perfect case of ambush marketing by the advertisers, Vodafone has set itself ahead of Bharti Airtel as it is vigorously campaigning with road shows in Bangalore and Delhi with a replica of its McLaren Mercedes racing car for the first Indian Grand Prix event in late October in Noida.
Ambush marketing is a marketing strategy where the advertisers associate themselves with, and therefore capitalise on, a particular event without paying any sponsorship fee. This car has been travelling to various locations across Delhi & NCR and Bangalore to provide Formula One fans a chance to get up-close and personal with it. Vodafone is offering a wide range of opportunities for customers to win passes to watch Lewis Hamilton speed in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Racing Car.
The seriousness and depth of the rivalry between the two leading telecom operators can be gauged from the fact that Vodafone has avoided mentioning the word Airtel in the press statements.
This is despite the fact that the event is named 2011 Formula One Airtel Grand Prix of India. Bharti Airtel, which has reportedly paid around $30 million (Rs 150 crore) for the title sponsorship of the Formula 1 Grand Prix for three years claims that it is not in the race with Vodafone.
"We and Vodafone have different associations with this event. We are the title sponsor for the event while Vodafone has been participating in the event with its team," said the spokeswoman for Bharti Airtel.
The Bharti Airtel official said it too has hosted a series of initiatives for F1 fans and opened the gates for auditions for the Airtel Grid Girls reality show, besides simulator challenges and other promotional events across the country. "We were the ones to bring this event to India. If we hadn't done that nobody, including Vodafone, would have been here," said the Bharti Airtel official.
But the advertising world does not buy this theory and looks at it differently. "There is a cost of promotion, and another is the cost of promoting the promotion. Vodafone has taken a lead and has overshadowed Airtel. It is a case of ambush marketing," said Gopinath Menon, chief executive officer, Melon Media.
"The pedigree of Vodafone is unmatched and it has taken the mileage by efficiently marketing themselves much ahead of Airtel. It has been in Formula One for years. But its impact is to be seen later. You cannot merely go by these developments of who will actually benefit later," he added.
When asked, an advertiser with a leading marketing company said, "It is true that Bharti Airtel has been completely overshadowed by Vodafone as of now but it has to be seen how Airtel would bring in viewers at the event. The event caters to the elite and not everyone is interested in this sport."
Largely perceived as a perfect case of ambush marketing by the advertisers, Vodafone has set itself ahead of Bharti Airtel as it is vigorously campaigning with road shows in Bangalore and Delhi with a replica of its McLaren Mercedes racing car for the first Indian Grand Prix event in late October in Noida.
Ambush marketing is a marketing strategy where the advertisers associate themselves with, and therefore capitalise on, a particular event without paying any sponsorship fee. This car has been travelling to various locations across Delhi & NCR and Bangalore to provide Formula One fans a chance to get up-close and personal with it. Vodafone is offering a wide range of opportunities for customers to win passes to watch Lewis Hamilton speed in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Racing Car.
SUCKER PUNCH
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This is despite the fact that the event is named 2011 Formula One Airtel Grand Prix of India. Bharti Airtel, which has reportedly paid around $30 million (Rs 150 crore) for the title sponsorship of the Formula 1 Grand Prix for three years claims that it is not in the race with Vodafone.
"We and Vodafone have different associations with this event. We are the title sponsor for the event while Vodafone has been participating in the event with its team," said the spokeswoman for Bharti Airtel.
The Bharti Airtel official said it too has hosted a series of initiatives for F1 fans and opened the gates for auditions for the Airtel Grid Girls reality show, besides simulator challenges and other promotional events across the country. "We were the ones to bring this event to India. If we hadn't done that nobody, including Vodafone, would have been here," said the Bharti Airtel official.
But the advertising world does not buy this theory and looks at it differently. "There is a cost of promotion, and another is the cost of promoting the promotion. Vodafone has taken a lead and has overshadowed Airtel. It is a case of ambush marketing," said Gopinath Menon, chief executive officer, Melon Media.
"The pedigree of Vodafone is unmatched and it has taken the mileage by efficiently marketing themselves much ahead of Airtel. It has been in Formula One for years. But its impact is to be seen later. You cannot merely go by these developments of who will actually benefit later," he added.
When asked, an advertiser with a leading marketing company said, "It is true that Bharti Airtel has been completely overshadowed by Vodafone as of now but it has to be seen how Airtel would bring in viewers at the event. The event caters to the elite and not everyone is interested in this sport."
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