Amul, INOX, Rin, JSW, Thums Up out with ads to cheer Indian contingent at Tokyo Olympics

The Indian contingent of 127 players is all set for the Tokyo Olympics which is slated from 23rd July to 8th August 2021.

Scheduled from 23 July, 2021, the Tokyo Olympics might be amidst multiple controversies, but that has not prevented Indian brands from showing interest in this mega global event.

Brands have attempted to approach the quadrennial event in their unique styles. Campaigns by brands like INOX, JSW, MPL, Rin celebrate the spirit of the athletes and appeal to the audiences to cheer for Indian sportspersons representing our country at Olympics 2020.

Highlights of real-life stories of sports icons like Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Bhavana Devi and many more, who have consistently brought laurels for the country has been an approach used by most brands.

Taking a different route, brands like Thums Up, Bridgestone India and Kotak Karma have attempted to unshackle the stereotypes that are associated with sports, with a hope to garner equal awareness for sportspersons representing different games at Olympics.

Here is a quick round-up of Olympic themed spots:

MPL Sports Foundation’s campaign urges Indians to become fans of the Indian Olympic Contingent

MPL Sports Foundation, the community arm of Mobile Premier League (MPL) features some of the biggest Indian Olympic stars in its ad campaign. This is part of a nationwide fan campaign to rally the 1.3 billion Indians to become fans of the Indian contingent.

As part of this movement, the Foundation has released a campaign called #FanBannJaaoge across mediums like TV, digital and print media. The campaign features a film in multiple languages with stars such as badminton player PV Sindhu, wrestler Bajrang Punia, fencer Bhavani Devi, shooter Manu Bhaker, and others.

JSW celebrates the unstoppable spirit of the Indian contingent

The campaign #RuknaNahiHai by JSW is a tribute to the attitude of the Indian contingent who, instead of being dejected with the news of the Olympics being postponed, were energized to train even harder. Despite challenging times and being stuck at home, they converted aspects of their homes into training platforms. Indeed, a year’s wait wasn’t idle at all, as they used each of the extra 365 days to train harder in a bid to get better results at the games this year.

It is conceptualised keeping in mind the preparation done in the lockdown of 2020. The actual training undergone by the athletes captures the raw determination of each one of them. Interestingly, in execution too, most of the film was shot and put together in these very tough lockdown situations where every athlete’s video was captured on phone and then weaved into the story.

INOX Group’s #AayegaIndia campaign cheers for the Indian contingent at Olympics

The official sponsor of the Indian Olympic Team, INOX Group's campaign features boxers MC Mary Kom and Vikas Krishan Yadav along with table tennis player Manika Batra. It honours the unwavering pride prevalent in the hearts of billions of Indian sports fans who firmly believe that ‘India will arrive’ at the big stage – Tokyo 2020 Olympic. While narrating the sentiment of an Indian fan, who feels as much a part of Team India, as the athletes themselves, the campaign also pays tribute to the athletes’ resilience and the determined spirit to succeed against all odds.

Rin salutes fencing champion- Bhavani Devi's spirit & determination

Rin detergent’s campaign celebrates the inspiring story of C.A. Bhavani Devi, India’s first woman fencing champion to qualify for the Olympics. Hailing from a humble background and having chosen a relatively lesser-known sport of fencing, Bhavani had to overcome not just financial obstacles but also patriarchy led stereotypes. The TVC focuses on the heart-warming journey of Bhavani Devi and her struggle to keep her sporting dreams alive.

Jeet Ka Padak - Bharat Petroleum's Olympic Anthem for India

BPCL has unveiled a music video on social media, wishing Indian sportspersons in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Some components of the ‘Jeet Ka Padak’ campaign are the Olympic trivia quiz, videos on archery and hockey; inspiring stories of players on social media platforms and on-ground activities including a selfie booth at BPCL’s fuel stations. The company has planned for traditional BTL campaigns, social media campaigns, integrated campaigns, as well as, reaching out to employees through in house communication mediums.

The campaign is supporting seven sportspersons including Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das representing Indian Archery and Lalit Upadhyay, Virendra Lakra, Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Varun Kumar who are members of the Men’s Hockey team.

Thums Up celebrates 100 years of India at the Olympic Games

Thums Up's campaign celebrates Indian athletes who overcame tremendous odds to win medals for India. Titled ‘Toofan wahi jo sab palat de’, the campaign is created by Ogilvy India.

This ad focuses on the prestige attached to different sports and hopes to see society embrace all sports equally. Addressing the inequality of the distribution of money, infrastructure, and knowledge available about unconventional sports, the ad uses an 'upturned, empty Thums Up bottle' as a symbol to nullify the prejudice of the Indian society.

Amul’s simple yet effective campaign links milk with the Olympics

Milk turning into figures of athletes seems like a perfect marketing strategy for linking it to the Olympics. It is simple, effectively delivers the message of sponsorship and emphasises the qualities of milk. Also, athletes who do not have access to expensive energy drinks can resort to milk as it is a good source of energy.

Bridgestone India calls out cricket fans to support Olympic athletes

Whether it is 'hitting a six out of the stadium' or 'a match-winning smash in the court', the passion, determination, dedication and hard work behind it remains the same. Despite all the uncertainties and a tough year, Team Bridgestone athletes have shown more determination and practised even harder to chase their dreams, bring laurels for the nation and win everyone's heart! Now, as they embark on their journey towards the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the campaign cheers for them, together and louder.

Kotak Karma’s campaign celebrates women athletes representing India at the games

Conceptualised by Enormous, the campaign ‘Girl Power is Gold Power’ for Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited and Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation (Gopichand Academy) delivers a message for India's talented female athletes, as well as all young girls who aspire to follow in their footsteps.

The campaign video features badminton doubles specialists Ashwini Ponnappa, a Gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games 2010 and N. Sikki Reddy, Gold medalist at the South Asian Games 2016. The one-minute film not only honours the young women who follow their dreams but also celebrates the people that lend their support to young dreamers – thereby paving the way for a generation of champions.