MUMBAI

INDIANS
INTERNATIONALBRANDING
GROUPF:ARIANA,
JAQUELINE,JOSE,
LYAZIZ

AcomprehensivebrandinganalysisoftheMumbainIndianscricketteam.

MUMBAIINDIANS

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.....................1
History.................................................2
Country Culture..............................4
Industry Trends..............................5
Competition......................................7
SWOT Analysis.................................8
Target Audience...........................11
Conclusion.....................................13
Resources.......................................14

MUMBAIINDIANS

Executive Summary
TheMumbaiIndiansarethemostsuccessfulcricketteamintheIndianPremierLeague,
referredtoastheIPL.TheirsuccessisreflectedintheirtwoIPLchampionshipwins,andthe
teamsworthof$111.9million,makingthemthemostexpensiveteamintheleagueaswell.
Thelocationoftheteamplaysanintegralparttotheirsuccess.Mumbaiisthemostpopulated
cityinIndiaandthecapitalofthestateMaharashtra.Mumbaiopensuptheteamtothelargest
marketinIndiacomparedtotheotherteamsintheIPL.
LocationperformsasastrengthtotheMumbaiIndians,however,theteamstillhas
weaknesses.Ifgamesdonotgowellandendinaloss,theteamsometimeswillreactbyfiring
akeymanager/playerortradingaplayer.Thisdoesnot,understandably,gooverwellwithfans.
ThatwouldbelikefiringAaronRodgersjustbecausethePackerslostonegame.Inacountry
wherepovertyratesarehigh,stabilityandgoodnewsispreferred.Therefore,thenewsofa
sackedmanagerorplayerwilldimthelightofinterestintheteamamongfans.Thiscorrelates
toHofstedesdimensionofIndiahavingamidrangelongtermorientation.
Indiacelebratestheircultureandrelishesintheircultureandhistory.Thereforeitisno
surprisethatthesport,cricket,issopopular.Similarly,Indiansareveryreceptivetotelevision
commercials,courtesyoftheBollywoodindustry.ThisgivestheMumbaiIndianshuge
opportunitiestobroadcastgamesonthetelevisionnetworksandadvertisetheteamandas
well.Thisalsoopensupthedoorforsponsorswhowanttobeassociatedwithasuccessfuland
historicteam.Mastercard,forexample,isoneoftheofficialfoundingsponsorsoftheMumbai
Indians,andthetwohaveformedastrongrelationship.

MUMBAIINDIANS

History
TheMumbaiIndiansareoneofthefoundingteamsoftheIndianPremierLeague(IPL),
whichbegantheirseasonin2008.Sincethen,theIndianshavecontinuedtobeinthe
championshiptournament,despiteslowgrowthofotherteams.In2007,beforethestartofthe
newleague,theMumbaiIndiansweresoldfor$111.9million,whichmakestheteamthemost
expensiveintheleague.ItisownedbyRelianceIndustriesamajorconglomeratelocatedin
Mumbai.

http://www.newindianexpress.com

Aftertwoyears,theMumbaiIndianswontheirTwenty20championshipwhichledtheteam
tomorerecognitionafterpastfailedseasons.In2013theywereabletowintheTwenty20
tournamentagainplusanIPLchampionshipthesameyear.Thispastyearmarksthesecond
timetheIndianswontheIPLchampionshipmakingthemoneofthemostsuccessfulteamsin
IndiaduetothefactthattheywontwoIPLchampionships.

MUMBAIINDIANS

History (cont.)
SincetheteamisbasedoutofMumbai,theIndianshavealargefanfollowingstartingfrom
theinauguralseason.Itisoneofthemostwatchedteamsintelevisionaroundtheworld.Itcan
beconsideredanIndianbrandbecauseofthelargefollowing.CompaniesliketheEtihad
AirwaysandJetAirwaysviewedthisopportunitytobecomeasponsorfortheMumbaiIndians
startingfrom2014.BothLogosofthetwocompanieswillbefeaturedoneithertheHomeor
Awayjerseyforthenextseason.Havingalargeviewership,theIndiansareabletogrow
throughtheirfanbaseandalsolargesponsorships.

MUMBAIINDIANS

Country Culture
India,alargecountryintheSouthofAsia,boastsapopulationof1.25billion,andhasthus
beengarneringagreatdealofattentionforitsrapidpopulationgrowthandvastmarketpotential.
AccordingtotheHofstededimensions,Indiahashighpowerdistance(77),lowindividualism(48),
midrangemasculinity(56),lowuncertaintyavoidance(40),midrangelongtermorientation(51),
andverylowindulgence(26).Thesearealldirectreflectionsoftheirveryfamilyorientedculture,
highpovertyrates,andlowGDPpercapita.ItisimportanttonotethatIndiastilloperatesundera
traditionalcastesystem,makingitfairlydifficulttomovefromoneeconomicclasstoanother.This
affectsbranding,becausethoseinlowerclasssystemsmaynotbeexposedtothesamemessages
asothers,thereforeaffectingtheirperceptionofthecountry'scultureandpromotionalmessages.
Indiaisuniqueinthatitsculturespansacrossseveralsubculturesthatdifferbasedonthe
regionofthecountry.Ingeneral,however,thenationboastsanextensivecultureoffullflavored
cuisine,severalsacredreligiouspractices,uniqueclothing,andvividperformingandvisualarts,
suchasBollywood.AnotherimportantadditionisthecultureofsportsinIndia.Fieldhockeyisthe
officialnationalsportofIndia,butitdoesaccumulatenearlythesameamountofbuzzand
excitementamongcitizensascricketdoes.ThededicationthatIndianshavetocricketcanbe
likenedtotheAmericanzealforfootball.ThesporthasbeenanintegralpartofIndiansportculture
since1721,backwhenthenationwasonewithPakistan.Sincethecountrieshavesplitintotwo,
theymaintainalongstandingrivalryinthegame.andsincethetwocountriessplit,hasalong
standingrivalrywithPakistan.Indiahaswonseveralworldwideandnationwidechampionshipsfor
cricket,andtheteamstakegreatprideintheirgame.

MUMBAIINDIANS

Industry Trends
TheMumbaiIndiansareoneofthelargestteamintheIPLandthusretainsomeofthe
biggestsponsorships.CompaniessuchasHTC,Pepsi,Ethihad,Adidas,MasterCard,and
Paytmaresomeofthesponsorsoftheteam.GettingsuchlargesponsorsintheIPLisnotthat
easy,butbecausetheteamhasagreatrecordintheleagueaswellassomemarqueeplayers,
theyhavebeenabletoobtainandmaintainthesepartnerships.TheMumbaiIndianshavebeen
oneofthemostdominantteamsintheIPLsince2009whenthefranchisefirstbegan.Unlike
otherteamsintheleague,theMumbaiIndianshavebeenabletotoptheothersduetothe
strongfinancialstatusaswell.
Thetypeofplayersthattheteamssignhavehugeeffectonthesponsorshipopportunities
theteammayachieveinthefuture.Essentially,thehigherprofile,popularplayerswillgarner
moreattractiveandgeneroussponsors.TheMumbaiIndianshavesignedmultiplewellknown
playerssincethestartofthefranchise.Thoseplayerswereinstantsuccessesintheleagueand
becamequickfanfavorites.RohitSharmawasoneofthosemarqueesigningsthattheteam
madeandhehasprovedsuccessfulforthebrand.Whatsetshimapartfromotherswasthe
factthatheworkedupwithintheorganizationfromarookietotheircurrentcaptain.Theright
handedbatsmancosttheteamawhopping$2million,makinghimoneofthemostexpensive
playersinthegameatthetime.Asidefromtheobviousreasonofmakingtheteamperform
better,organizationstreatthecaliberofplayerswithsuchimportancebecauseagreatteamwill
sellmoreticketsandmerchandise.Essentially,organizationstrytocapitalizeonplayersnames
asmuchaspossible.

MUMBAIINDIANS

Industry Trends (cont.)

Thetypeofplayersthattheteamssignhavehugeeffectonthesponsorshipopportunities
theteammayachieveinthefuture.Essentially,thehigherprofile,popularplayerswillgarner
moreattractiveandgeneroussponsors.TheMumbaiIndianshavesignedmultiplewellknown
playerssincethestartofthefranchise.Thoseplayerswereinstantsuccessesintheleagueand
becamequickfanfavorites.RohitSharmawasoneofthosemarqueesigningsthattheteam
madeandhehasprovedsuccessfulforthebrand.Whatsetshimapartfromotherswasthefact
thatheworkedupwithintheorganizationfromarookietotheircurrentcaptain.Theright
handedbatsmancosttheteamawhopping$2million,makinghimoneofthemostexpensive
playersinthegameatthetime.Asidefromtheobviousreasonofmakingtheteamperform
better,organizationstreatthecaliberofplayerswithsuchimportancebecauseagreatteamwill
sellmoreticketsandmerchandise.Essentially,organizationstrytocapitalizeonplayersnames
asmuchaspossible.

http://wicricnews.com

MUMBAIINDIANS

Competition
TheIPLconsistsof11teamsintotalandisthemostwatchedsportleagueworldwide.The
MumbaiIndiansarethemostsuccessoutofthe11teams,astheyhavewonthemostleague
championshiptitles.Moreover,outofthe11teamsonlyfivehaveeverwonchampionshiptitles
intheIPL,whichillustratesthecompetitionisconcentratedanddominatedbythosecore
teams.TheteamsintheIPLarebasedinvariouscitiesthroughoutIndia,suchasinMumbai,
Chennai,NewDelhiandBangalore.Theteamsplayinroundrobinstyletournament,where
theymeeteachcontestanttwice,onceathomeandonceaway.
Inadditiontophysicalgamecompetition,teamsalsofacecompetitionduringrecruiting
season.Playerpurchasesareanextremelyvitalandhighlycompetitiveaspecttoorganizations,
asithelpsthembuildarespectable,winningteam.EachyeartheIPLhostsaplayerauction,
duringwhichtimetheteamsdecidewhichplayerstheywanttopurchasetoaddtotheirmain
rostersfortheupcomingseason.Themostcompellingpartabouttheauction,isthateachteam
getsaspendingcapinordertopreventoneteamfromdominatingtheauctioninordertoget
thebestplayers.ItisinterestingtothinkaboutwhattheNFLwouldbelikeifthissamepolicy
wasimplementedintheUnitedStates.TheMumbaiIndiansspentalmost20milliondollarson
playerduringthe2014auction.Theteamisalreadyconsideredtobeverystrong,however,so
someteamsspentevenmore.ThisproveshowvaluablethesportofcricketistoIndianculture.
ThesimilarityoftheauctionstoAmericansportsdraftsgivesinsightastohowcricketistreated
asabusinessandhasearnedrespectinIndiansports.

MUMBAIINDIANS

SWOT Analysis
ThemostpopularfranchiseintheIndiansportsmarketofcricketistheIndianPremier
League,alsoreferredastheIPL.SixofficialteamsmakeuptheIPL:DelhiDaredevils,KingsXI
Punjab,KolkataKnightRiders,MumbaiIndians,RoyalChallengersBangaloreandtheSunrisers
Hyderabad.TheSWOTAnalysiswillfurtherdetailtheIPLorganizationandMumbaiIndians:

Strengths:
T20cricket
Jobopportunitiestoalleviatepoverty
PlayinlargestcityinIndia

Weaknesses:
"Origin"ofsportisgettinglost
Quicktogetridofplayersandmanagers
Lackofstability

Opportunities:
Largemassaudience
Targetchildrenandteenagers

Threats:
Povertymeansnoteveryonecanattend
games

Strengths:CricketisasportwithhistoryinIndiaandcarriesalotofnationalpride,makingit
popularacrossthecountry.TheIPLparticipatesinTwenty20cricket,alsoreferredtoasT20.
Thisversionofthegameisshorter,allowingtheIPLtostructureanengagingtwoandahalf
hourgameforspectators,alsomakingiteasytotelevise.Thisallowsforcrickettobeamass
sportandthegrowthofthefranchisealsoincreasesjobopportunities.Thesejobopportunities
helpalleviatethepoorpovertyinIndiatosomeextent,creatingfavorinthesportbythepeople.
TheMumbaiIndians

MUMBAIINDIANS

SWOT (cont.)
arepartofthemostpopulouscityinIndia.Thisgivestheteamalargertargetmarketcompared
totheotherteamsintheIPL.
Weaknesses:AcomplaintabouttheIPListhatitsuseofT20hasbecomesopopularthe
otherlongerformsofthesportarestartingtodisappear.Inotherwords,thehistoryandoriginof
thesportisbecominglostinsociety.Indiatakesprideintheirculture,thereforetheshortened
versionofthegameisseenasanegativetosomeoftheoldergenerations.TheIPLteamsare
alsoknownforgettingridofkeyplayersandteammanagerstooquicklywhentheylosegames.
Thiscausesfanstobedisinterestedinthesportwhentheyseetheirfavoriteplayersare
transferredorsacked.Indiahasstruggledwithstabilityofpower,thereforethishighturnoverof
playersintheMumbaiIndiansconflictswiththecountrysmidrangelongtermorientation.
Opportunities:TheIPLhasalargemassaudience,makingitextremelyattractivefor
marketersandadvertiserstocommunicatetothisaudience.Advertisersandsponsorshavea
varietyofchoicestoadvertisethroughtheIPLduetotheseveralplatformstheyareon:
television,mobile,webandstadiumbanners.Anotheropportunityforthefranchiseistotarget
childrenandteenagers.Bystartinginterestinthesportatayoungage,theMumbaiIndianscan
potentiallydeveloplifelongfans.
Threats:Indiaisapovertystrickennation,thereforenotallfanscanattendtheIPLgames.The
MumbaiIndiansplaytheirhomegamesinMumbaiattheWankhedeStadium,whichhas
aseatingcapacityofover30,000.Iftheseseatsdonotfill,theteamlosesmoney.Duetothe
highpovertyrateinIndia,thisisalwaysabigpossibility.Therefore,buildingbrandloyaltyin
thosewhoarewillingandabletopurchaseticketstogamesiscrucialtoeconomicsuccess.

MUMBAIINDIANS

SWOT (cont.)
Likewise,iftheallstarplayersoftheteamdonotgarnertheexpectedattentionoffansorthey
continuetohaveahighturnoverrate,theteamwillpotentiallylosemoney.Marketingand
promotionsarekeytoavoidfallingvictimtothesethreats.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com

10

MUMBAIINDIANS

Target Audience
TheMumbaiIndians,andcricketingeneral,tendtocatertomenages15andabove
aroundtheworldthatliketoplayorwatchthegame.Cricketisplayedbyteamsofmen,andthe
largechunkofviewershipismen,similartoAmericanfootball.ThisiscorrelatedtoIndiasmid
highmasculinityof56,whichisfairlysimilartoAmericasmasculinityof62.InEngland,where
thegameofcricketisthoughttohaveoriginated,thetargetaudienceforthegameismenages
1438(forT20matches)(Chadwick,2008).Itiscrucialtonote,however,thatoverhalfofthe
entireIndianpopulationisundertheageof25,duetotheirpopulationboom.Thisaltersthe
targetaudiencedrasticallyforthegameinIndia,andisagreatexampleofhowculturalcontext
canchangethemeaningofanything,evensport.
Thegameofcricketandteamloyaltyisusuallypassedonbetweengenerations,because
mostmenwhowatchitandare,orhavebeen,involvedinthegameinsomeway.Nationaland
regionalpridelendreasontofollowspecificteams,andpiggybacksofftheideaofbrandloyalty.
Anemergingaudiencetokeepaneyeonareyoungchildren.Therehasbeenaninfluxofstreet
playwiththegameofcricket,andhasevolvedintoaneighborhoodbondingmethod,asis
becomingabigpartof

http://www.futurehope.net

11

MUMBAIINDIANS

Target Audience (cont).

Indianyouthculture.Thesechildren,despitetheiryoungage,developanunderstandingofthe
gamethroughplayingwiththeirfriendsandpeers,anditprogressestobeamajorpartoftheir
sociallifethatway.IPLisdefinitelyagoodwindowandanattractiveandpropertytotargetour
audience:theyouth.(Vats,2010)India,unliketheUnitedStates,doesnothavestrict
regulationsintermsofadvertisingorbrandingmessagestargetedtowardschildren.Many
regulatorybusinessorganizationsexistwiththepurposeof"monitoring"messages,butact
moreasmoralguidanceduetothefactthattheydonotpossessanylegitimatepowertostrike
downadvertising.Additionally,thesegroupsaremoreheavilyconcernedwiththeadvertising
andmarketingofjunkfoodandsugarybeveragestochildren,thantheyareaprofessionalsport
that,whenplayedinteamsinlocalneighborhoods,hastheopportunitytofosterteambuilding,
leadershipskills,andlifelongfriendships(Vadehra,2010).

12

MUMBAIINDIANS

Conclusion
ItisclearthattheMumbaiIndianshavesomegreatopportunitiestobrandtheirteam,
despitehowwelltheyarealreadypositionedinIndiancricketculture.Theirlargeandloyal
fanbaseistheirmostpowerfulweapon,andisthefuelthatwillfeedtheirfireinthecricket
leagueasIndiacontinuestogrowasacountryandaculture.Theteamhasdonewellsofarin
maintainingtheirloyalfans,butourSWOTanalysisgaveinsightastohowtheycandoeven
moretostrengthentheirfanrelationships,suchasstabilizingpower.WealsoseethatIndiaand
crickettendstorelymoreontraditionalmedia,specificallytelevision,forbroadcastrevenue.
ThisisanavenuethattheIndiansshouldcontinuetoleverageastheirteam,andIndias
population,grows.
Additionally,itwaseasytoseehowtheHofstededimensionsaresuchanaccurate
representationandreflectionoftheIndiancultureasitrelatestocricket,inaspectssuchas
teamstability(longtermorientation)andtargetaudience(masculinity).Therefore,thewayin
whichbrandingmessagesareperceivedareheavilyaffectedbythevaluesoftheIndianculture
thathasbeeninstilledincitizens.

http://www.mumbaiindians.com

13

Resources
Chadwick,S.(2008).InternationalCasesintheBusinessofSport.Oxford,UK:Butterworth
Heinemann.263.Print.
CricketinIndia:It'sBigBusinessbutNotBusinesslikeKnowledge@Wharton.(n.d.).Retrieved
December4,2015.(http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/cricketinindiaitsbig
businessbutnotbusinesslike/)
EtihadAirwaysandJetAirwaystosponsorMumbaiIndiansforIPLseason.(2015).Arabia
2000.
MumbaiIndians.ClubProfile|MumbaiIndians.(http://www.mumbaiindians.com/club/club
profile)
Pritchard,A.(2011).Caughtbetweenabaseandafootplace:thefirstyearofoperationofthe
IndianPremierLeague.InternationalJournalOfSportsMarketing&Sponsorship,12(2),153
166.
Twenty20Vision.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember4,2015.
(http://www.imrpublications.com/ExecutiveSummary.aspx?sid=8&rid=1)
Vadehra,Sharad(2010)."AdvertisingtoChildreninIndia."YoungConsumers11.2:15355.
Print.
Vats,R.(2010,March10).IPLonGoogleputsdigitallandscapeinmainstreamfocus.
HindustanTimes.
Zimmerman,K.(2015,January30).IndianCulture:TraditionandCustomsofIndia.
LiveScience.(http://www.livescience.com/28634indianculture.html)

14