e4m-GroupM Let’s Play: Sports marketing summit today

With increasing digital adoption in the arena of sports in India, this industry is looking at unprecedented growth. To share more on this, e4m and GroupM ESP are together hosting the inaugural edition of a unique Sports Marketing Summit today in New Delhi. The theme of the summit is ‘Shaping the Future of Sports Business’.

The event will enable insightful sports business conversations where brand custodians and top leaders will come together to address gaps in the industry and discuss the future of the sector. The Presenting Partner of the event is Star Sports, FanCode is the Co-Gold Partner and India Today TV is the co-partner. Sportstar is the Knowledge Partner.

The summit will focus on the forces shaping the sports sector, from unleashing the power of fans to digital ecosystems, broadcasting innovation and live experiences, all with the intent of charting a new path to progress. With a new era of sports broadcast dawning upon us, the summit will throw light on the expected changes or reassessment needed at an advertiser's end when it comes to sports sponsorships or partnerships.

The event will kickstart with welcome addresses by Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW, Founder, exchange4media, and CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, India – WPP. This would be followed by a fireside chat between Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach, Indian National Badminton Team and Ayon Sengupta, Editor, Sportstar.

The opening keynote address will be given by Vita Dani, Co-owner, Chennaiyn FC and UTT on the topic ‘The Rise & Challenges of Non-Cricket Sports in India’. This will be followed by a fireside chat between Prasanth Kumar, CEO, South Asia, GroupM and Mohit Burman, Director, Dabur India Ltd, on the topic ‘Let's Play India-Building a sporting nation’.

The first panel discussion will be on the topic ‘IPL on TV - India's Super Bowl’ where the panellists will be Karan Taurani, Senior VP, Elara Capital, Deepa Bhatia, GM, YouGov, India, Archana Aggarwal,  VP - Media, Airtel, Kaushik Khushal Bhai Thacker, Marketing & Growth, Winzo, Gaurav Verma, CMO, PharmEasy. The session will be moderated by Mansi Dutta, Chief Client Officer, Wavemaker.

The next panel will be on ‘Sports Streaming becomes Mainstream’ and to talk about the same will be panellists including Amin Lakhani, CEO, Mindshare, South Asia, Abhijit Shah, SVP Marketing ICICI Pru MF, Manav Sethi, Head, Media Martech & Growth, Vida Hero Motocorp, Utsav Malhotra, COO, Noise, Damyant Singh Khanoria, CMO, Oppo India, Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Media & Entertainment, Ernst & Young. The session will be chaired by Shalini Poddar, EVP - Head of Ads Revenue & Strategy, Disney Hotstar.

The third panel discussions will be on the topic ‘Sponsorship Rights 2.0’ with panellists that include Vikram Garga, Group Head Marketing, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Apollo Tyres Ltd, Vinit Karnik, Head – Sports, Esports & Entertainment, GroupM, Kaustabh Jha, Head, Assets, Influencers & Partnerships, India & South West Asia, Coca-Cola, Hugh Gillum, Commercial Sales Lead, Two Circles and the session chair would be Ruchi Mathur, Chief Growth Officer, Mindshare.

Another panel discussion will be on the topic ‘Women's Sports - Future of India Story’. The panellists will be Yannick Colaco, Co-Founder, Fancode, Yash Lahoti, Founder & CEO, Women's CricZone, Vishal Yadav, Founder & CEO, Female Cricket, Sai Narayan, CMO, Policybazaar.com while the session will be moderated by Mausumi Kar, MD, Motivator India.

The fifth panel discussion will be on the topic ‘Athletes Wishlist for Corporate India’. The panellist will be Ajay Gupte, CEO, Wavemaker, South Asia, Anju Bobby George, Indian Athlete, Vijender Singh, Indian Professional Boxer. The session will be moderated by KC Vijaya Kumar, Sports Editor - The Hindu. There will be other two parallel panel discussions on the topics ‘Marketing of a Sport: Fan Engagement for the Next Generation’ and What to expect in esports in 2023?’

The summit will bring together key stakeholders in the business of sports including franchise owners, investors, sports professionals and sponsors/advertisers to discuss the pressing issues and biggest opportunities in the sports industry. The event will be attended by some of the biggest sports media brands to learn and discuss a wide array of industry topics. 

Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said, "Sports have always been an integral part of Indian culture. With the increasing popularity of gaming events in India, it is clear that the sports industry is set to grow even more. The rise in streaming platform usage in 2022 has presented a valuable opportunity for brands to connect with consumers. The future of sports marketing in India looks promising, and brands are utilizing various channels and methods to engage with their audience. Our summit provides a glimpse into the bright future of sports in India. 

Vinit Karnik, Head – Sports, Entertainment and Esports, GroupM South Asia said, "The year 2022 has been a tremendous success for sports businesses, for teams, athletes, broadcasters and sponsored brands. With technology continuously evolving, it is crucial for brands to stay current with the latest advancements in the sports ecosystem. With many high-profile sports events in 2022, brands have effectively utilized platforms to capture the attention of consumers. I am confident that this summit will assist the sports and sports marketing ecosystem in identifying the strategies and usage of tools paving the path for India to become a Sporting Nation." 

Nawal Ahuja, Co-Founder, Exchange4media says, "From Tata Mumbai Marathon last week which saw a volley of brands light up the streets of Mumbai, matching the spirit of the city, to India hosting the worlds’ largest sporting league in form of IPL. On to fan engagement  for recent FIFA World Cup, 2022, a tournament which it isn’t even a part of, the numbers speak for themselves as far as sports viewership is concerned in India. If Virat Kohli’s historic ton saw social media going abuzz with excitement, then the expressions from the viral video of Indian women’s hockey team dancing with the FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022 have been imprinted on our minds and so has the joy associated with the announcement of the Women’s IPL. Sporting moments have forever brought out the truest of emotions across the nation, which brands have time and again tried to latch on to, making sports marketing more vital today than ever before. The inaugural edition of e4m-GroupM ESP’s ‘Let’s Play’ Sports Marketing Summit addresses how a marketer can tap into the essence of it all using the new age mediums and old."