Marcus Luer, Group CEO, Total Sports Asia

India is a one-trade pony nation when it comes to sports, and that is cricket, as we all know. Cricket is so huge, and the amount of money that it attracts, I feel, there are very few sports in the world that fortunate. It is a big challenge to attract advertising and marketing to any other sport, not just for us, but for everyone in the industry. The sports governing bodies and federations need to think of how to create a voice and share, how to make that sport attractive from a fan point of view, as well as make it commercially viable. That is where we come in.

Marcus Luer founded Total Sports Asia (TSA) in 1997, which allowed him to pursue his dream of changing the Asian sports scene by combining his passion for sports with his skills in marketing and sales. Under his guidance, TSA has grown to be the leading independent sports marketing agency in Asia with over 100 people and seven offices across the region over the past decade.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Germany and an MBA from Texas Christian University in the US. Prior to TSA, Luer had worked in the sports marketing field, having had early experiences with international companies like American Airlines and ISL Marketing (FIFA World Cup 1994).

Luer has been in Asia for over 15 years. He first came to Asia in 1994, working in Hong Kong as the Regional Director - Sales with the World Sport Group, a prominent sports marketing company working with the Asian Football Confederation, Asian Basketball and Asian PGA.

At TSA, as Group CEO Luer is actively involved in all areas of the business and specifically in the marketing side of sponsorship and media sales.

In conversation with exchange4media’s Puneet Bedi Bahri, Luer shares his views on the sports marketing scene in India and how the field can be further developed to include sports other than cricket.

Q. India is not a sporting nation, do you agree with that? Therefore, what are the challenges you face in marketing sports?

India is a one-trade pony nation when it comes to sports, and that is cricket, as we all know. Cricket is so huge, and the amount of money that it attracts, I feel, there are very few sports in the world that fortunate. If you look at it from the other side, it is unfortunate for any other sport. It is a big challenge to attract advertising and marketing to any other sport, not just for us, but for everyone in the industry. The sports governing bodies and federations need to think of how to create a voice and share, how to make that sport attractive from a fan point of view, as well as make it commercially viable. That is where we come in. We are the administration part of the business, our job is to help people learn sports better and commercialise it well. Sometimes we have to help people run it well, because if people don’t run it properly, we can’t commercialise it well.

I do believe that football has potential in this market as it is popular all over the world, and I think India does recognise that and there is some part of India that follows it anyway. The Olympics are where India can really succeed in, China is a great example, and about three or four Olympics ago, they hardly won any medals, but today they top the table. There has been a massive effort behind it, with a lot of money pumped into it. I think India can do that as well and all of a sudden you will see a change the face of what India is looking at. I think what India is quite desperate for is a hero outside of cricket, like when Sania Mirza came into the scene, she pretty much explored things quickly. Though she has never been the No. 1, but there is a hunger, which clearly says that there is potential in other games, too, apart from cricket. I am sure that very quickly these sports will generate a lot of attention and will have a following.

Q. Prior to TSA, you’ve had early experiences with international companies like American Airlines and ISL Marketing. How has your experience been in sports marketing? What all did your work in America Airlines include?

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Sports marketing is more of a passion for me, I don’t do it for money or fame. I get up every morning and think of all the opportunities, of what we can do for sports and the company, as there is a huge variety. The excitement in the field and the satisfaction to see the event that you have put together come out well, you enjoy watching it, the love and the passion behind it. As for American Airline, I was working with them on the marketing campaign for the Soccer World Cup 1994, of which they were the sponsors. I helped them put together their marketing campaign.

Q. China is one of the best in the world in terms of sports. You have an office in Beijing too, could you share your experience in sports marketing in China and what is it that India needs to learn here?

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China and India are very different markets in many different ways. I would argue that India has more sports marketing knowledge and more than an affinity to cricket. China has been very successful in the Olympics, but there is no commercial culture around sports there yet. Chinese companies do not have the kind of understanding as you have here in India because of cricket. Probably China has a lot to learn from India in this particular way. It’s not just about the money, but how much is being put in for the development of sports. That is what the Indian, Indian federations and the India Olympic Association should look at.

Q. Could you please share with us TSA’s initiatives in India as well as its initiatives in other Asian markets?

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As a company we don’t only look into just sports, we also do entertainment shows like rock concerts, that is an area that we might take to other countries as well. We are also working on local ideas. We have done a very successful rock festival in Thailand. In the Philippines, we are taking the initiative of music mixed with sports. It’s a big festival and we are trying to draw out more and more people into the market.

Q. TSA very recently partnered with Churchill Brothers (a Goa-based football club). Which are the other sports federations that TSA is in talks with to grow sports at the grassroots level?

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Football is something that is in our nature and culture and we do a lot of work around it in Europe. We want to get involved with football here in India as well and get a No. 1 football club in India. If we see there is opportunity for a particular club, we will look at that as an entry point into Indian football as well and develop through this. In other areas, we spend a lot of time in Asia, where you have very focused sports; we are involved with the World Championship, which is coming up next year. In cricket, we have a couple of ideas there and we will have conversations not at the elite level, but at the university and college level. We are also working with Kerala boatways, which offers an opportunity where we feel it’s a great product and where sports and tourism can go hand-in-hand in many ways. We also believe that golf also offers great opportunities and will certainly step up our initiatives around golf. India already has some great players, all it lacks are adequate number of golf courses; India has only as many golf courses as Malaysia has.

Q. You founded Total Sports Asia (TSA) in 1997 with an aim of changing the Asian sports scene. Ten years later, have things worked out the way you wanted? How has the journey been so far?

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It has been an extremely rewarding journey. Clearly, the sports scene on the whole has changed in the last 10 years and we have been a part of it. I don’t think 10 years ago there was the sort of money you see in cricket today, similar to other Asian sports from golf to tennis to football. There is so much professionalism in sports nowadays, when I say football, I mean not just in India but outside too. Ten years back, we were not talking about live pictures of an African phone on your mobile phone, we weren’t talking about IPTV and things like these. As an industry, it isn’t just about what we do with sports, but what we do about the medium of delivery and how that is changing constantly, and how the consumer can interact with us.