Dentsu to Handle Creative Duties for Delhi Dynamos

Owned by DEN Networks, Delhi Dynamos is one of the teams in the Indian Super League.

Dentsu Creative Impact has won the creative duties of DEN Networks' Delhi team in the ISL (Indian Super League). The account was bagged following a multi-agency pitch.

The ISL - a new football league - is spearheaded by IMG-Reliance (a joint venture) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It is set to kick-off in October 2014 and finish its first season in December 2014. The league is expected to run along the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) of the US.

The football league is expected to see participation from eight franchisees with each team featuring one marquee player and a mix of international and Indian players. Unlike IPL, there won't be any player auctions but franchisees will pick up players by a "Draft System", modelled on the MLS Draft.

DEN recently joined hands with ISL to nurture football across Delhi and become the champions of Indian football. On winning the account, Rohit Ohri, executive chairman, Dentsu India Group and CEO, Dentsu APAC (South) says, "ISL will provide the much-needed platform to build football as a sporting passion in India. We are delighted to partner DEN in building Delhi Dynamos. This is a great opportunity for us to leverage in India the rich heritage and expertise in sports marketing that Dentsu has in Japan."

Sameer Manchanda, chairman and managing director, DEN Networks states, "Football is on its way to becoming India's second sport. We hope that our collaboration with Dentsu will create the magic around the Delhi Dynamos that instantly connects with passionate youth and football fans of Delhi and the region. Our dream is to make India a major force in the global soccer ecosystem."

DEN Networks is a cable TV distribution company serving 13 million homes in over 200 cities. The company claims to have approximately six million digital subscribers. DEN's geographic footprint spans 13 states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Dentsu India became a 100 per cent subsidiary of Dentsu Inc, Tokyo, in 2011. Dentsu India comprises four independent, full-service ad agencies - Dentsu Communications, Dentsu Marcom, Dentsu Creative Impact and Taproot India. There is a media arm called Dentsu Media as well as two digital agencies, Webchutney and Dentsu Digital.