Force India F1 Team - The Inside Line: Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, One from a Billion & more (Episode 2)

Here's episode 2 of our 'What's your Force India F1 Team story?' series with Ravikant Sabnavis and Kunal Shah.

Soumil Arora quizzes the duo about the One from a Billion Hunt, Raise the Flag, Shah Rukh Khan's face on the nose of the Force India F1 Team car, the #MasterBlaster campaign to commemorate Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing career, Adrian Sutil & Paul Di Resta getting bowling tips from cricket legend Allan Donald and more. 

Tune in!

(Season 2022, Episode 18)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Ravikant Sabnavis, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Fandom, Wiki

**Episode Summary: Force India F1 Team's Marketing Campaigns**

* **The One from a Billion Hunt:**
* The campaign was discontinued due to a lack of sponsors and Vijay Mallya's financial troubles.
* The aim was to incorporate eSports into the hunt and select a driver for the Formula One car based on their performance in the virtual world.
* Lotus Formula One team's April Fool's joke about selecting a driver from an eSports championship influenced the decision to postpone the campaign.

* **Raise the Flag Campaign:**
* The campaign aimed to create a sense of national pride and unity among Indian fans during the first Indian Grand Prix in 2011.
* Force India distributed flags at the race, branded luggage trolleys at the Delhi airport, and organized a ground event where celebrities and fans could sign a board to show their support for the team.

* **Shah Rukh Khan's Face on the Nose of the Force India Car:**
* The campaign involved featuring Shah Rukh Khan's face on the nose of the Force India car during the Indian Grand Prix.
* It was a unique and attention-grabbing move that generated significant media coverage and public interest.
* Shah Rukh Khan also participated in a TV commercial for the team, reciting a poem and encouraging fans to "raise the flag" for Force India.

* **The Master Blaster Campaign:**
* The campaign was conceived by Kunal Shah to pay tribute to Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary Indian cricketer, during his last competitive cricket match.
* Force India put "Master Blaster" on the car, leading to speculation that Tendulkar would attend the Indian Grand Prix as a guest of the team.
* The campaign generated immense media coverage and positive publicity for Force India, especially during a challenging period for the team.

* **Collaborations with IPL, McDonald's, Wrigley's, Kidzania, and Imagica:**
* Force India partnered with the Indian Premier League (IPL) to organize a post-match activation where cricket legend Allan Donald trained Formula One drivers Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil in bowling.
* The team also collaborated with McDonald's and Wrigley's to create special promotions and giveaways for fans.
* Potential partnerships with Kidzania and Imagica were explored to engage with younger audiences and create interactive experiences related to Formula One.

**Overall Message:**

Force India's marketing campaigns were innovative, unconventional, and aimed at breaking through the barriers and clutter in the Formula One world. The team leveraged the power of celebrities, sports icons, and unique activations to capture the attention of fans and generate positive publicity. These campaigns played a crucial role in building the team's brand identity and connecting with a wider audience, especially in India.

[00:00.000 -> 00:22.000] Hey folks, welcome back to the InsideLine F1 podcast and pitch the podium.
[00:22.000 -> 00:24.400] This is our special episode.
[00:24.400 -> 00:26.160] And of course, in the last one, we were
[00:26.160 -> 00:30.160] able to discuss a lot about Force India's marketing campaigns, just what happens in a marketing role.
[00:30.160 -> 00:36.080] But Kunal, continuing on from this one, I have to talk about just a quick question about the
[00:36.080 -> 00:40.720] one from a billion campaign that we touched upon. Why did it just not go forward later on?
[00:41.360 -> 00:46.240] Well, the true picture was that we ran out of sponsors. And of course,
[00:46.240 -> 00:52.720] you know, VGM ran into his own level, you know, his own problems as it's been publicly documented
[00:52.720 -> 00:59.760] as well. So it was very tough to sort of make it happen again to the scale that it did. And
[00:59.760 -> 01:03.600] it was again, you know, that was that was literally the reality of things because
[01:04.400 -> 01:05.340] I still remember and this is in again, a personal memory that I that was literally the reality of things because I still remember
[01:05.340 -> 01:10.320] and this is in again a personal memory that I used to, I knew that things were going to
[01:10.320 -> 01:12.680] go wrong with the team, I had enough information.
[01:12.680 -> 01:17.160] So when I was applying for jobs, people would just call me for a job interview, just to
[01:17.160 -> 01:20.540] know but hey, what's happening with, you know, BGM and I'm like, but hey, aren't you here
[01:20.540 -> 01:21.720] to talk to me for my job?
[01:21.720 -> 01:31.120] But yeah, on this episode, we still have Ravi Kanth Subnavis, who was my boss and the former marketing head of the Forse India Formula 1 team.
[01:31.120 -> 01:36.800] But that was largely why the one from a billion hunt didn't happen the second time. We had
[01:36.800 -> 01:41.360] grand plans, we had plans to incorporate eSports into it and so on.
[01:41.360 -> 01:42.240] In 2012.
[01:42.240 -> 01:48.360] In 2012, yes, we had state of art simulators that had come in and again, I'm going to name
[01:48.360 -> 01:52.000] the individual not for any reason, but it actually happened.
[01:52.000 -> 01:59.280] This was, I think 2012, April 1st, or maybe 2013, April 1st, Lotus Formula One team actually
[01:59.280 -> 02:02.000] said we're going to run an eSports championship.
[02:02.000 -> 02:05.560] We're going to choose a driver from the eSports championship
[02:05.560 -> 02:08.320] and put him straight in the Formula One car.
[02:08.320 -> 02:13.480] And you know, Robert Fernley, or Bob Fernley, as we called it, called him, wrote an email
[02:13.480 -> 02:18.360] to Ravi and I said, just so you guys know, this is what I've been proposing all along,
[02:18.360 -> 02:19.360] right?
[02:19.360 -> 02:21.880] And both of us were like, oh, that's impossible.
[02:21.880 -> 02:27.320] And this is again, where my experience of, you know, working on grassroots of motorsports comes in. And I oh, that's impossible. And this is again where my experience of, you know, working on grassroots of motorsports comes in.
[02:27.320 -> 02:28.840] And I said, that's impossible.
[02:28.840 -> 02:32.160] And then I looked at the date and it was 1st of April.
[02:32.160 -> 02:33.000] Right?
[02:33.000 -> 02:34.880] So I wrote back to him and I, of course,
[02:34.880 -> 02:37.840] I was being polite because it was Bob Finley, right?
[02:37.840 -> 02:41.080] And I wrote back saying, Bob, I appreciate the enthusiasm,
[02:41.080 -> 02:42.720] but this is an April Fool's joke.
[02:42.720 -> 02:44.260] And I should have signed off saying,
[02:44.260 -> 02:51.760] thank you for falling for it, but either way. That's some crazy stuff. But Ravi, I've got to ask you about this
[02:51.760 -> 02:58.000] one campaign that we discussed right early on. Force India 2011, first Indian Grand Prix, there's
[02:58.000 -> 03:03.200] no Indian driver, clearly. For Force India that is. Karun was racing, but he only unfortunately
[03:03.200 -> 03:05.520] got to do the free practice for Lotus. So
[03:05.520 -> 03:11.040] there's that. But more on Force India, there's no driver to leverage on. But you still had
[03:11.040 -> 03:16.040] an amazing campaign. I think it was a raise the flag campaign. Just what was it all about?
[03:16.040 -> 03:20.320] Because I remember the hype being big at that time, especially at the circuit where there
[03:20.320 -> 03:22.520] was what, I think 100,000 people who'd gathered in.
[03:22.520 -> 03:27.120] Yes. So, you know, this was our moment of reckoning, actually.
[03:27.840 -> 03:32.160] You know, when Mr. Mallya bought the team, it was about, you know, being an Indian F1 team.
[03:32.960 -> 03:37.040] And therefore, the livery was in the Indian tricolour, as you know.
[03:37.040 -> 03:41.920] But finally, notwithstanding the fact that we didn't have Indian F1 drivers,
[03:42.560 -> 03:46.000] but we were still an Indian team with the Indian tri-colour
[03:46.960 -> 03:52.960] livery. So, therefore, the Indian first, inaugural Indian GP was our moment of reckoning
[03:52.960 -> 04:02.960] to really put ourselves there as a truly Indian team and get people to cheer for this team.
[04:02.960 -> 04:07.520] And all these years of, as I mentioned in the previous episode, of trying to
[04:07.520 -> 04:13.920] build the category of India would hopefully come to fruition at this moment. And then we decided
[04:13.920 -> 04:18.720] that let's put together a campaign and what better than telling people, raise the flag
[04:19.440 -> 04:22.080] at the Indian Grand Prix for the Force India F1 team.
[04:23.040 -> 04:25.600] And you guys distributed all the flags. There
[04:25.600 -> 04:29.280] was only there were only your flags at the race, I remember.
[04:29.280 -> 04:35.360] We actually did much more than that. You know, we actually did multiple things. We had hoardings
[04:35.360 -> 04:41.760] across Delhi leading up to, you know, the circuit. Yes. I remember. That was one of
[04:41.760 -> 04:45.320] them. The second one that lasted for the next,
[04:45.320 -> 04:47.400] I think, three or four years was we branded
[04:47.400 -> 04:50.400] all the luggage trolleys at the Delhi airport.
[04:50.400 -> 04:53.320] And as luck would have it, they never got pulled off.
[04:53.320 -> 04:55.520] So you had luggage trolleys which said,
[04:55.520 -> 04:58.240] raise the flag for the Force India F1 team,
[04:59.400 -> 05:02.120] which remained for, I think, at least four years.
[05:02.120 -> 05:02.960] Wow.
[05:02.960 -> 05:05.840] Right, and something which we did very interesting,
[05:05.840 -> 05:07.800] since we had show cars, we said,
[05:07.800 -> 05:09.160] let's create a ground event
[05:09.160 -> 05:12.000] where we will get people to come cheer.
[05:12.000 -> 05:14.360] We had, I think, a board where people came
[05:14.360 -> 05:18.560] and put their signatures and wrote things for Force India.
[05:18.560 -> 05:20.320] Right, and we had people,
[05:20.320 -> 05:22.080] celebrities from these different places.
[05:22.080 -> 05:24.560] We said, we need to have one from Kashmir,
[05:24.560 -> 05:26.560] we need to have one from the East. we need to have one from the East.
[05:26.560 -> 05:29.120] So, we invited Mr. Omar Abdullah,
[05:29.120 -> 05:31.760] we invited Sourav Ganguly, Navjot Sidhu,
[05:31.760 -> 05:33.960] and you know, in Punjab.
[05:33.960 -> 05:37.120] So we had a lot of people whom we called and said,
[05:37.120 -> 05:37.960] come cheer,
[05:39.400 -> 05:40.960] you know, and write what you want,
[05:40.960 -> 05:42.520] wish your team the best.
[05:42.520 -> 05:45.720] And all that culminated in October 11.
[05:45.720 -> 05:46.760] You know what, it's kind of funny
[05:46.760 -> 05:48.680] because the Mahindra Racing Formula E team
[05:48.680 -> 05:50.460] is doing something very similar today.
[05:50.460 -> 05:51.920] They stole our idea.
[05:51.920 -> 05:52.760] No, I don't think so.
[05:52.760 -> 05:53.580] No.
[05:53.580 -> 05:55.600] Of course, you would do that, right?
[05:55.600 -> 05:58.080] Being the country's, I mean, at this stage,
[05:58.080 -> 06:00.640] at least, unfortunately, the sole big racing team,
[06:00.640 -> 06:02.120] of course, that that would happen.
[06:02.120 -> 06:04.040] And that's such a crazy idea.
[06:04.040 -> 06:06.760] And that also involved tying up with, say,
[06:06.760 -> 06:09.600] the mega celebrity of all celebrities in India, Shah Rukh
[06:09.600 -> 06:12.600] Khan, for a picture of his movie's
[06:12.600 -> 06:15.360] poster on your front wing for the Indian Grand Prix,
[06:15.360 -> 06:16.200] the Ravan movie.
[06:16.200 -> 06:18.640] OK, we'll not talk about how good or bad that one was,
[06:18.640 -> 06:20.440] because it's a bit of a guilty pleasure, that movie.
[06:20.440 -> 06:21.520] You mean the movie, right?
[06:21.520 -> 06:23.320] The movie, but the campaign.
[06:23.320 -> 06:24.120] That was memorable.
[06:24.120 -> 06:26.720] I remember watching it on your NDTVs,
[06:26.720 -> 06:32.000] your CNBCs, your Archducks of this world, which is, I'd say, more sensational Hindi news channel,
[06:32.000 -> 06:36.880] but everyone was covering it because here was Shah Rukh Khan on the most beautiful Formula
[06:36.880 -> 06:40.800] One car with his own poster on the movie. Why would you not cover it?
[06:40.800 -> 06:47.120] Absolutely. And so the key objective behind Raise the Flag was to bring out the emotion
[06:47.120 -> 06:50.880] of feeling for an Indian Formula One team, right?
[06:50.880 -> 06:52.720] It's like how when India plays cricket
[06:52.720 -> 06:53.940] against any other team,
[06:53.940 -> 06:55.800] you wanna bring out that emotion.
[06:55.800 -> 06:58.440] And we said the way to do that is to let people
[06:59.520 -> 07:00.440] be a part of it.
[07:00.440 -> 07:02.880] Come raise the flag, see your celebrities are doing it,
[07:02.880 -> 07:08.640] people in day-to-day walk of life are doing it and so on. And these were mega multi-million dollar campaigns that we were
[07:08.640 -> 07:14.880] running at that time. And Shah Rukh Khan was of course the cherry on the cake. And I remember we
[07:14.880 -> 07:20.800] actually recorded, you know, an advertisement with him, a TVC as well, where he recites a poem,
[07:20.800 -> 07:24.640] and then he actually says, come, I raise the flag, join me, raise the flag.
[07:24.640 -> 07:27.120] Oh my God, I just remembered.
[07:27.120 -> 07:28.800] Yes, and then of course, and Shah Rukh,
[07:28.800 -> 07:31.080] of course, had two, you know, TVCs with us.
[07:31.080 -> 07:32.880] First was via Kingfisher Airlines
[07:32.880 -> 07:36.440] when the team had just been launched and so on.
[07:36.440 -> 07:39.880] And those were the days the team was building itself up.
[07:39.880 -> 07:42.800] And, you know, Ravan was during the one from a,
[07:42.800 -> 07:45.720] no, sorry, the Indian Grand Prix days, I would say.
[07:45.720 -> 07:47.200] And some phenomenal memories,
[07:47.200 -> 07:50.040] working with a superstar like Shah Rukh,
[07:50.040 -> 07:52.240] so down to earth, so talented,
[07:52.240 -> 07:54.640] sitting in front of a camera, doing one take,
[07:55.480 -> 07:57.640] one take shots and moving on to the next.
[07:57.640 -> 07:58.640] And you're just like, wow,
[07:58.640 -> 08:01.200] there's a reason why that guy charges like,
[08:01.200 -> 08:03.760] a million dollars for every day he's engaged or whatever.
[08:03.760 -> 08:11.520] So that was Shah Rukh. And yes, he still has the distinction of being the only movie star in the world who had his face
[08:12.240 -> 08:19.040] on the nose of a Formula One car. And I'm going to reference to Star Wars and Superman and all
[08:19.040 -> 08:23.680] the other movie promotions, which largely, you know, Red Bull have done in time, specifically
[08:23.680 -> 08:28.180] around the Monaco Grand Prix. But at no time was there a face of a celebrity
[08:28.600 -> 08:30.600] planted on the nose of a Formula One car.
[08:30.680 -> 08:32.760] And I remember I still was on the grid,
[08:32.840 -> 08:35.560] he went, he stood next to his photo, took a picture,
[08:35.640 -> 08:37.360] and I didn't find anything wrong with it,
[08:37.440 -> 08:39.060] because, you know, he was the...
[08:39.140 -> 08:41.820] He is still the mega star, as we call it, right?
[08:42.100 -> 08:48.220] And so that was the whole deal with Shah Rukh and he attended the race, he interacted with
[08:48.220 -> 08:49.960] fans and the likes.
[08:49.960 -> 08:54.440] And I think it was a fantastic promotion, not just because we did it, but that's what,
[08:54.440 -> 09:00.680] like you said, made Formula One and Force India be known to the masses because we wanted
[09:00.680 -> 09:02.640] to break through that clutter.
[09:02.640 -> 09:05.060] We wanted to even break through the English speaking audiences.
[09:05.060 -> 09:09.840] We wanted to go vernacular, which is why we went to the different towns of India where
[09:09.840 -> 09:13.480] people didn't really English was in the primary language, like it's not in several parts of
[09:13.480 -> 09:14.480] the world.
[09:14.480 -> 09:18.220] Went to the southern parts of India, where there were, you know, superstars and their
[09:18.220 -> 09:21.400] own rights doing the same thing promoting force India.
[09:21.400 -> 09:25.840] And you know, again, an offshoot, we had Paris Hilton posing with a Force India car
[09:25.840 -> 09:27.680] at one point, she was in India.
[09:27.680 -> 09:32.440] So we said, we have to hit the elites as well as the masses
[09:32.440 -> 09:35.560] because there is a large spectrum of people
[09:35.560 -> 09:38.060] who can be mobilized towards the team.
[09:38.060 -> 09:41.120] Did she ask why the car wasn't in pink?
[09:41.120 -> 09:43.000] Maybe she might have been happy to find out
[09:43.000 -> 09:48.560] that six years down the line, it did become pink. But hey, that's beyond the point. What I really want to know is, and I'll club this
[09:48.560 -> 09:53.080] in with the next question, because Sachin Tendulkar was one guy. And for those of you
[09:53.080 -> 09:56.840] who don't know about Sachin, don't worry, you're in the same boat as Maria Sharapova,
[09:56.840 -> 10:04.480] but he is the god of cricket. Most runs ever, most centuries ever. He's basically been awarded
[10:04.480 -> 10:06.200] the highest honor in India
[10:06.280 -> 10:07.800] for a civilian, for playing cricket.
[10:07.880 -> 10:10.080] So you kind of get what kind of emotion that guy brings up.
[10:10.160 -> 10:13.120] But Sachin was a part of one of the campaigns that you guys did.
[10:13.200 -> 10:15.280] And I want to know more about that campaign
[10:15.360 -> 10:19.480] and also the effectiveness of both having the guys like Shah Rukh and Sachin on.
[10:19.560 -> 10:23.080] Because as Kunal mentioned, breaking through the barriers was one thing,
[10:23.160 -> 10:25.040] but did it really work out so well for you guys?
[10:25.600 -> 10:29.440] You know, I'm going to make this campaign,
[10:29.520 -> 10:31.600] the Master Blaster campaign about Kunal.
[10:32.240 -> 10:36.160] Okay. And I'm going to link this back to your question in the earlier episode
[10:36.240 -> 10:39.280] on what kind of people do F1 teams look for.
[10:39.840 -> 10:42.640] Right? So, this was Kunal's idea.
[10:43.120 -> 10:45.980] Saying, look, you know, let's pay tribute to Sachin.
[10:45.980 -> 10:48.500] It's coinciding with the Indian Grand Prix.
[10:48.500 -> 10:50.560] What better occasion?
[10:50.560 -> 10:57.160] And remember, we were trying to solve a problem for Force India and not for cricket.
[10:57.160 -> 11:01.340] And the problem being that you want maximum PR for your team, and especially when you're
[11:01.340 -> 11:03.840] not among the top three or four teams.
[11:03.840 -> 11:07.460] So that was the idea he came with and said, you know, let's just put Master Blaster on
[11:07.460 -> 11:11.920] the car and of course leverage it everywhere else.
[11:11.920 -> 11:16.080] And I said, no way.
[11:16.080 -> 11:19.260] Because I mean, when you come to think of it on the surface, what good would it do for
[11:19.260 -> 11:22.120] Force India is what I think you must be thinking, right?
[11:22.120 -> 11:23.120] Yes.
[11:23.120 -> 11:24.120] So I spontaneously said, no way.
[11:24.120 -> 11:25.840] I mean, what's it, what does it do for us?
[11:26.400 -> 11:29.680] And, you know, we need to try and do things, which we've been doing all this while,
[11:30.320 -> 11:36.480] including perhaps the Ravan promotion, where we focus on F1 and who Force India is. This would
[11:36.480 -> 11:41.360] needlessly take away attention and bring it all about cricket. But, well, Kunal being the
[11:41.360 -> 11:46.560] passionate one, doggedly persisted and made a complete nuisance of himself.
[11:46.560 -> 11:49.920] So finally I said, all right, he wore me down.
[11:49.920 -> 11:51.920] And I said, okay, why don't you do one thing?
[11:51.920 -> 11:55.080] You've been making a verbal argument all this while,
[11:55.080 -> 11:57.520] why don't you just put it down on a mail?
[11:57.520 -> 11:59.040] Right?
[11:59.040 -> 12:00.580] And as it happened,
[12:02.600 -> 12:07.140] the mail that he put together was even more articulate than all the arguments
[12:07.140 -> 12:10.520] which he had verbally been putting in front of me.
[12:10.520 -> 12:12.280] So I said, hey, this is making sense.
[12:12.280 -> 12:18.500] I don't think, truth be told, I don't think I was 100% convinced as yet.
[12:18.500 -> 12:24.440] But I said, I'm doing this because there's Kunal who's extremely passionate about this
[12:24.440 -> 12:25.500] and believes in it.
[12:25.500 -> 12:27.580] So let me send this mail to Mr. Mallya
[12:27.580 -> 12:29.220] and see if he agrees.
[12:29.220 -> 12:32.340] Right, and I think VJM replied within an hour or two
[12:32.340 -> 12:33.300] saying, go ahead.
[12:34.620 -> 12:35.620] You nailed the accent.
[12:35.620 -> 12:38.900] I'll get to it.
[12:40.300 -> 12:43.220] Absolutely, and then I think the rest is history.
[12:43.220 -> 12:48.280] This gave us, just before I came here, I was looking at some of the PR that we gathered
[12:48.280 -> 12:49.280] around this.
[12:49.280 -> 12:54.920] And I think there were so many articles, reams and reams of media on how the Force India
[12:54.920 -> 13:01.160] F1 team pays tribute to Sachin Tendulkar.
[13:01.160 -> 13:02.160] Interesting stuff.
[13:02.160 -> 13:03.280] I'm going to add to that.
[13:03.280 -> 13:06.260] And you started this saying there was this tie up
[13:06.260 -> 13:08.420] with Sachin Tendulkar, right?
[13:08.420 -> 13:10.740] That's what we wanted people to believe,
[13:10.740 -> 13:12.060] but that was not the truth.
[13:12.060 -> 13:12.900] Oh, the girl amounted him.
[13:12.900 -> 13:13.720] There was no tie up.
[13:13.720 -> 13:15.660] It was just us commemorating Sachin
[13:15.660 -> 13:18.080] for fantastic innings that he had
[13:18.080 -> 13:20.100] in the world of cricket for India.
[13:20.100 -> 13:22.260] It was coinciding with the fact that he was playing
[13:22.260 -> 13:29.680] his last competitive cricket match. And we said, we can't put his word Sachin Tendulkar because we didn't want to pay for it.
[13:29.680 -> 13:34.000] And obviously, you know, we are marketers, we have to try and find the easiest way to
[13:34.000 -> 13:39.040] get the biggest bang for our buck. And of course, you know, given the links and the relationship I
[13:39.040 -> 13:47.400] now have with Sachin, you know, I'm sure he could still send a bill my way. But on a more serious note, that's what we wanted people to believe.
[13:47.400 -> 13:53.720] So when we put Master Blaster on the car, media covered it, and they turned around and
[13:53.720 -> 13:58.760] they said, is Sachin Tendulkar attending the Indian Grand Prix as a guest of the Force
[13:58.760 -> 14:00.720] India Formula One team?
[14:00.720 -> 14:01.880] And we said, we kept shut.
[14:01.880 -> 14:05.560] We said, why should we confirm or deny the rumor?
[14:05.560 -> 14:08.280] We weren't the ones who spread it, the media made it up.
[14:08.280 -> 14:12.340] And that gave us fantastic PR value
[14:12.340 -> 14:15.580] at a time when the team was only being spoken about
[14:15.580 -> 14:18.860] in negative light, because it was the 2013 Indian Grand Prix.
[14:18.860 -> 14:22.120] That was also coincidentally when I met Mithila, right?
[14:22.120 -> 14:26.560] And 2012 was when the Kingfisher Airlines, you know, the entire
[14:26.560 -> 14:34.000] operations came to a halt. So, it was fighting a major, it was an uphill battle at each time
[14:34.000 -> 14:38.800] to say anything good about the team. And that's what Master Blaster brought to us. And in general,
[14:38.800 -> 14:47.000] given the links with IPL, given the links with, youara group, cricket was one of our second sports
[14:47.000 -> 14:52.040] to sort of bank on each time we wanted some great content.
[14:52.040 -> 14:55.240] And I know you mentioned in the last episode,
[14:55.240 -> 14:57.480] or maybe just right now, that there was an F1
[14:57.480 -> 14:59.280] car in a cricket stadium.
[14:59.280 -> 15:02.040] There was also an F1 car at the Metallica show,
[15:02.040 -> 15:05.040] which was headlining the Indian Grand Prix, I think,
[15:05.040 -> 15:07.520] 2012 or 2013 at some point. First year.
[15:07.520 -> 15:14.480] 2011. There you go. Yes. So, we did all we could to break through and reach out to more than just
[15:14.480 -> 15:20.080] the Formula One fan. But I think we should dig deeper into the whole IPL activation, you know,
[15:20.080 -> 15:27.420] we did because I still remember and cricket buffs listening in, Chris Gayle, when he hit 175,
[15:27.500 -> 15:31.340] it was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
[15:31.840 -> 15:33.420] For Ravi and me, it was like,
[15:33.760 -> 15:36.500] it was a game between Royal Challengers Bangalore
[15:36.580 -> 15:37.800] and whatever the Pune team was.
[15:37.880 -> 15:39.260] Sahara Pune Warriors India.
[15:39.340 -> 15:41.680] Yeah, exactly. Yeah, some random name.
[15:41.880 -> 15:44.140] So, it was both our bosses,
[15:44.220 -> 15:45.400] you know,
[15:45.400 -> 15:48.320] competing against each other on the field of cricket.
[15:48.320 -> 15:50.000] Chris Gale batting for, you know,
[15:50.000 -> 15:52.040] RCB was doing his magic.
[15:52.040 -> 15:55.140] I know that the guys at Sahara were enjoying it
[15:55.140 -> 15:57.360] because, hey, when you're seeing an epic innings like it,
[15:57.360 -> 15:59.760] you just end up becoming a fan of the sport
[15:59.760 -> 16:01.660] rather than a particular team.
[16:01.660 -> 16:04.320] But the more interesting part is we had a tie up with IPL
[16:04.320 -> 16:06.440] where Alan Donald, you know,
[16:06.440 -> 16:09.080] one of the most legendary fast bowlers,
[16:09.080 -> 16:12.320] he trained Paul D'Aresta and Adrian Suttle
[16:12.320 -> 16:14.960] on how to bowl on a cricket pitch.
[16:14.960 -> 16:17.600] And there was a post-match activation we did,
[16:17.600 -> 16:22.120] which was of course beamed live across the IPL markets.
[16:22.120 -> 16:24.960] And Adrian Suttle, being Adrian Suttle
[16:24.960 -> 16:26.840] and fantastically talented, right?
[16:26.840 -> 16:28.760] He ended up hitting the stumps,
[16:28.760 -> 16:30.720] I think in his second or third goal,
[16:30.720 -> 16:32.480] bowling over arm cricket.
[16:32.480 -> 16:34.120] Wow.
[16:34.120 -> 16:35.200] That guy is something else.
[16:35.200 -> 16:38.320] I just learned today that he can play the piano very well.
[16:38.320 -> 16:39.160] Yes, indeed.
[16:39.160 -> 16:41.080] And he can bowl very well.
[16:41.080 -> 16:42.660] And he can drive pretty fast.
[16:42.660 -> 16:44.560] And he can take a punch or hit a punch.
[16:44.560 -> 16:46.480] What is that? We don't want
[16:46.480 -> 16:51.360] to go down that route. But it's ridiculous. But this is the fun part, right? Because the
[16:51.360 -> 16:56.280] 175 inning, if you don't know much about cricket, it's the highest score in the 20-over format
[16:56.280 -> 17:01.800] ever. Chris Gayle just went wild. And it's ridiculous that both your bosses were there
[17:01.800 -> 17:05.000] at the same time and one boss's team got absolutely hammered.
[17:05.000 -> 17:09.000] There was no chance. I can imagine that conversation being very hectic in that room.
[17:09.000 -> 17:13.000] But putting a Formula One car in a stadium, who does that?
[17:13.000 -> 17:16.000] A 10-year-old me was going bonkers.
[17:16.000 -> 17:20.000] Like, what is this? Wow, this is like both of my worlds colliding.
[17:20.000 -> 17:22.000] What is that all about? It's outstanding.
[17:22.000 -> 17:29.360] You know, when we set out with this mission of engaging with audiences in unique ways, you know, I think the disruption started
[17:29.360 -> 17:34.720] actually with Adrian Sutil playing the piano. Right. And that was many years before putting
[17:34.720 -> 17:40.800] it, putting the car in a stadium. And, you know, when we said, listen, how does Kingfisher Airlines
[17:40.800 -> 17:45.440] truly leverage its sponsorship? Not with a logo. That's there in any case.
[17:45.440 -> 17:47.880] And we said, we learned that, you know,
[17:47.880 -> 17:50.400] Sutil plays the piano and he comes from a family
[17:50.400 -> 17:53.720] of musicians and we got him to play at Blue Frog in Mumbai.
[17:53.720 -> 17:57.120] And he does that pretty awesomely.
[17:57.120 -> 18:00.160] And, you know, this was another such disruption
[18:00.160 -> 18:01.920] where we said, if you have to really engage
[18:01.920 -> 18:03.640] with audiences at a mass level,
[18:03.640 -> 18:06.480] and you have several thousand spectators in a cricket stadium,
[18:07.040 -> 18:09.680] what better than putting a Formula 1 car out there
[18:09.680 -> 18:12.640] and getting these two guys to actually bowl and bat.
[18:13.360 -> 18:16.560] And it was a hit, I can tell you, because, you know,
[18:16.560 -> 18:18.640] the drivers loved it, absolutely.
[18:18.640 -> 18:23.040] And, you know, there was banter between Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle and, you know,
[18:23.040 -> 18:25.760] all and I think when super athletes meet,
[18:25.760 -> 18:31.520] they just have some natural bond, which is what of course, the cameras did not capture as much,
[18:31.520 -> 18:35.360] right? But I remember Chris Gayle saying at some point, he wanted to have a go at a Formula One
[18:35.360 -> 18:40.560] car and, you know, and so on. And, you know, this is what Red Bull has done. They've put a Tom
[18:40.560 -> 18:45.600] Cruise in a Formula One car. So hey, why not some cricketing celebrity and the like.
[18:45.600 -> 18:52.240] So, of course, various conversations that always kept happening of how can we do the unconventional
[18:52.800 -> 18:57.600] to break through all the barriers and clutters that naturally exist. And we were in a time when
[18:57.600 -> 19:02.560] Bernie didn't really want to market the sport. It was very, very complicated, complex, not all that
[19:02.560 -> 19:05.600] interesting in terms of on track, you
[19:05.600 -> 19:10.360] know, entertainment and battles. So what is it that, you know, we could do to make it
[19:10.360 -> 19:12.160] more fun?
[19:12.160 -> 19:16.600] And fun you did make it because I remember the headlines being captured so well, but
[19:16.600 -> 19:20.760] it's such a shame that you can't find many HD pictures of the car in the stadium anymore
[19:20.760 -> 19:29.840] because I wanted it framed on my wall. Like this is the kind of stuff I grew up watching. But speaking of that, I just learned today that you guys also had potential
[19:30.400 -> 19:34.240] campaigns in the making with the likes of McDonald's, with the likes of Kidzania. Kidzania
[19:34.240 -> 19:38.800] being, of course, the global phenomenon that is for kids where they can experience future career
[19:38.800 -> 19:44.320] options and so on and so forth. Imagica, one of the biggest theme parks in India. And Wrigley's,
[19:44.320 -> 19:46.320] Wrigley's, Wrigley's in Formula 1.
[19:46.320 -> 19:49.280] What's that whole deal about Ravi? Actually, it started with Wrigley's.
[19:49.280 -> 19:51.360] Okay. And McDonald's, you know,
[19:51.360 -> 19:58.000] and Kidzenia happened much later. So, you know, when we started off marketing for the team,
[19:58.000 -> 20:07.080] we said, what kind of interesting partnerships can we look at? And again, how do we build value for our sponsors? And we worked with Wrigley.
[20:07.080 -> 20:08.920] This was in 2008, 2009.
[20:08.920 -> 20:11.520] Right, that was during the earlier days.
[20:11.520 -> 20:15.440] And what they did was to create special packs
[20:15.440 -> 20:17.760] with a promotion, which, you know,
[20:17.760 -> 20:19.320] the packs were specially designed.
[20:19.320 -> 20:21.440] It said race to Britain, which was essentially,
[20:21.440 -> 20:23.520] you know, pick up a pack of Wrigley's
[20:23.520 -> 20:25.120] and you could win a trip to Silverstone.
[20:25.120 -> 20:27.280] Ah, interesting.
[20:27.280 -> 20:30.480] And these were introduced in modern trade,
[20:30.480 -> 20:33.680] in the premium stores, large format retail stores
[20:33.680 -> 20:34.560] across the country.
[20:35.200 -> 20:38.320] And I think it did a lot of good for Wrigley, of course,
[20:38.320 -> 20:39.920] but also for us because we were a team
[20:39.920 -> 20:40.960] that we're just starting off.
[20:42.080 -> 20:44.480] And then when the time came again,
[20:44.480 -> 20:47.540] coinciding with the Indian Grand Prix
[20:47.540 -> 20:50.760] and us wanting to get people to raise a flag,
[20:50.760 -> 20:52.500] we said, what are the other things that we can do?
[20:52.500 -> 20:54.840] And this was a very interesting idea which came up.
[20:54.840 -> 20:58.000] We tied up with McDonald's in the South and West Kunal.
[20:58.000 -> 20:59.100] Correct, yes.
[20:59.100 -> 21:00.800] 96 stores, I remember.
[21:00.800 -> 21:01.680] 96 stores.
[21:01.680 -> 21:07.000] And we said, buy a meal and you could travel to Abu Dhabi, if I'm not mistaken.
[21:07.000 -> 21:08.000] Yes.
[21:08.000 -> 21:09.000] Okay.
[21:09.000 -> 21:10.000] Yes.
[21:10.000 -> 21:11.000] Interesting.
[21:11.000 -> 21:12.680] And, oh, wow.
[21:12.680 -> 21:15.720] I never knew this existed, honestly.
[21:15.720 -> 21:18.840] Because I don't think we had it in our local store, but that's so crazy because of course
[21:18.840 -> 21:19.840] it gives you so much visibility.
[21:19.840 -> 21:22.720] So many people walk into a McDonald's or a Wrigley.
[21:22.720 -> 21:25.640] So, you know, the menus, the mats on the table,
[21:25.640 -> 21:27.720] they were all branded with this campaign.
[21:27.720 -> 21:29.480] So across these 96 stores.
[21:29.480 -> 21:30.960] Correct.
[21:30.960 -> 21:33.760] And again, you know, it just goes down to the theme,
[21:33.760 -> 21:37.000] how can we reach out to newer audiences?
[21:37.000 -> 21:39.800] Kidzenia, iMagica was similar levels.
[21:39.800 -> 21:41.600] You know, Kidzenia came up saying,
[21:41.600 -> 21:43.640] we will make everything for children.
[21:43.640 -> 21:44.920] You know, you want to be a firefighter,
[21:44.920 -> 21:46.200] see how you do as a child. You want to be a firefighter? See how you do as a child.
[21:46.200 -> 21:48.200] You want to be a bartender?
[21:48.200 -> 21:50.560] Sorry, barista is more like it.
[21:50.560 -> 21:51.720] You can do it as a child.
[21:51.720 -> 21:53.400] So the one from a billion hunt, we
[21:53.400 -> 21:55.800] were going to actually present it
[21:55.800 -> 21:59.120] with a go-kart in a Kidzenia outlet in Mumbai,
[21:59.120 -> 22:02.840] saying you can actually become a racing driver there as well.
[22:02.840 -> 22:06.300] So much like you can choose various career alternatives,
[22:06.300 -> 22:08.780] here's how you can do with becoming
[22:08.780 -> 22:10.060] a racing car driver as well.
[22:10.060 -> 22:11.620] And similarly with Imagica,
[22:11.620 -> 22:12.740] I remember they reached out saying,
[22:12.740 -> 22:15.100] would you like to sponsor and get visibility here?
[22:15.100 -> 22:20.100] And I said, no, I will build one of those amusement rides
[22:21.340 -> 22:23.620] which resonates with Force India about speed,
[22:23.620 -> 22:24.940] about G-forces and so on.
[22:24.940 -> 22:29.720] And we actually went down the road of researching partners
[22:29.720 -> 22:31.660] who could build this for us at cost.
[22:31.660 -> 22:34.520] So it's similar to what Ferrari has at the Ferrari world.
[22:34.520 -> 22:36.560] You can actually go sit in a 4D,
[22:36.560 -> 22:39.520] or maybe now it's a 4D studio,
[22:39.520 -> 22:42.240] where at that time, Fernando Alonso would take you
[22:42.240 -> 22:45.760] on a lap around Fiorano in one of the Ferrari
[22:45.760 -> 22:47.320] F40s or something.
[22:47.320 -> 22:51.400] So we said, can we build something like that for the Magica where people who come to experience
[22:51.400 -> 22:54.880] Thrill also get to experience what's the...
[22:54.880 -> 23:01.400] Can you have a Formula One driver drive you in one of these simulator setups across an
[23:01.400 -> 23:03.840] iconic circuit like Monza and the likes?
[23:03.840 -> 23:07.000] If I may add, that research which Kunal is talking about
[23:07.000 -> 23:09.480] is some really hard work that the two of us
[23:09.480 -> 23:11.240] and one more colleague, Nishrin, had to do.
[23:11.240 -> 23:14.280] We actually had to go to Universal Studios in Singapore
[23:14.280 -> 23:15.800] and get inspired there,
[23:15.800 -> 23:18.800] and then we had to go to Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
[23:18.800 -> 23:21.400] So that was the research that Kunal is talking about.
[23:21.400 -> 23:22.920] Fun research on roller coasters,
[23:22.920 -> 23:24.120] sitting there, spending time,
[23:24.120 -> 23:25.280] and also research on what the
[23:25.280 -> 23:28.160] food around tastes like, what the beaches around might taste like.
[23:28.160 -> 23:30.280] They're good important points, good important points.
[23:30.280 -> 23:35.180] But ah, I wish the Kidzenia one went through because I would have had a point to flex to
[23:35.180 -> 23:37.040] my friends when I went to Kidzenia around that point.
[23:37.040 -> 23:39.080] Like, look, this is also a relevant career option.
[23:39.080 -> 23:40.200] But hey, that's beyond the point.
[23:40.200 -> 23:44.760] But we have another episode in the pipeline that comes up literally very soon.
[23:44.760 -> 23:48.560] That one is about the billionaires of Formula One and specifically two of them,
[23:49.120 -> 23:53.760] the bad boy billionaires Vijay Mallya and Sree, Sree, Sahara Sree?
[23:53.760 -> 23:55.200] Because I think he had two of them in his name.
[23:56.320 -> 23:57.440] Sahara Sree.
[23:57.440 -> 23:59.680] But there are two, right? I saw in the documentary that...
[23:59.680 -> 24:00.480] Depends who you ask.
[24:00.480 -> 24:04.560] Depends who you ask. Okay. But we'll say Sahara Sree Subrata Roy.
[24:04.560 -> 24:05.920] That is the next episode.
[24:05.920 -> 24:08.520] And seriously, these are some of the most fun stories coming up.
[24:08.520 -> 24:12.840] So stay tuned, follow the podcast, leave a good rating, leave a like, and do the good
[24:12.840 -> 24:13.840] stuff, right?
[24:13.840 -> 24:15.840] Share it with your friends and family members who love Formula One.
[24:15.840 -> None] See you in the next episode then. Bye-bye. you