Rajasthan Royals signs on Chocolate as design and digital agency

Chocolate is the Indian strategic design arm of UK based Photolink Creative Group.

Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Rajasthan Royals (RR) has appointed Chocolate, the design and digital agency, as its creative partner for its strategic design and digital duties. As part of this deal, Chocolate will build the Rajasthan Royals brand in the run up to the IPL season, which starts in less than two weeks.

Chocolate, which was launched in India in July 2010, is the strategic design arm of the UK-based Photolink Creative Group. Chocolate currently has a presence only in India. It will manage Rajasthan Royals' entire online presence, as well as develop a unique photographic style for the Twenty20 team. The agency shall also redevelop the front end of the RR website, and will begin design and digital work for the brand at the end of the summer.

A complete rebranding exercise is in the offing for Rajasthan Royals in June, post the IPL, and its new avatar shall be active by next year for the next set of IPL matches.

As is known, the IPL has become a popular property in the world's sporting calendar, bringing together cricket's global super-elite. The Rajasthan Royals are an inaugural member of the IPL, and the team is co-owned by Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. The team is captained and coached by Australian cricket star Shane Warne.

Photolink's founder and chief executive officer David Walter says in an official communiqué, "Cricket has done wonders to strengthen the links between the UK and India. Rajasthan Royals is a fantastic brand to be associated with. As a relatively new agency in India, we intend to blend our UK-evolved marketing expertise with the local market knowledge of India to create a unique identity for the team that both the Rajasthan Royals and India can be proud of."

Raghu Iyer, marketing director, Rajasthan Royals, says, "We definitely see the long term benefits of forging a sustainable partnership with one of India's most respected branding and marketing groups. We have faith in Chocolate's professionalism, expertise and creativity."

Sean Morris, chief executive officer, Rajasthan Royals believes the partnership will improve the team's global brand and its online presence. Morris remarks, "We are looking to build on our inherently Indian roots, and to expand our Indian fan base. Through this, we also hope to give the team a more global image, attracting even more attention to the game and the IPL."

For the record, Chocolate is a part of the UK-based creative agency, Photolink Creative Group, and operates across the entire gamut of both conceptual idea generation expressed through brand identity, architecture articulation as well in executions through design, digital creation, corporate/brand collateral design and packaging. Its team is headed by creative adviser Mohammed Khan, the founder of ad agencies such as Contract, Rediffusion and Enterprise.