MARKET
If there is one sport that has the power to generate passion among a majority of Sri Lankans – young and old, rich and poor – it is cricket. This intense nationwide interest in the game, especially when it is played at national level, has given rise to the emergence of a Superbrand: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Cricket is a game involving 11 players and is thus not a brand in itself. SLC, which manages the team and numerous aspects of the game in Sri Lanka, such as sponsorships and broadcasting rights, is the brand.
Brand SLC falls within the ambit of the entertainment business. As such, SLC competes in an industry with other sports such as football, rugby and athletics, which are considered to be major spectator sports in this country. It also competes with the film industry and TV telecasts.
TV channels telecasting cricket are very popular. Businesses literally queue up to advertise their products to the wide audiences which watch cricket telecasts. Interestingly, the game has opened up avenues for local marketers clamouring to gain a foothold in India’s massive market, which offers a world of opportunity. SLC derives its revenue mainly by selling TV-broadcasting rights.
Leading local brands such as Dilmah and MAS Holdings sponsor the national team, which enables them to place their branding on the players’ clothing. One Day International cricket is played over some six hours a day. This offers longer durations for marketers to send repeated messages to a captive audience. The intense competition for advertising during cricket telecasts is a measure of the success marketers experience when using this medium as an advertising tool.
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ACHIEVEMENTS
The Sri Lankan team’s reputation has grown over the last two decades and SLC’s reputation has been gained from sustained success, achieved at international level since 1996 – a watershed year, when Sri Lanka won the World Cup.
SLC ensures that the nation’s most talented players are included in the national team. Resulting from its team’s successes, Sri Lanka has gained recognition as a major cricketing force. Brand SLC has benefited immensely as a result.
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HISTORY
Cricket was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British and was popularised during the eighteenth century. Sri Lanka earned test status in 1981.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Association (1922-1965) was responsible for the game’s administration at a time when cricket was in its infancy here. The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), set up in 1984, drafted a constitution to administer the game and related aspects. In 2003, BCCSL rebranded itself as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
Achieving test status was a daunting task and credit should be given to the administration, led by the late Minister Gamini Dissanayake, which successfully lobbied the ICC for the inclusion of Sri Lanka. In recent times, the ICC has embarked on a programme to globalise cricket.
Currently, the number of countries playing test cricket stands at ten. They are England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
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PRODUCT
SLC, which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, is managed by a committee which takes decisions in relation to the management and promotion of the game in the country.
Cricket receives publicity on a daily basis on TV, in the newspapers, via the internet and on the radio. Cricket fans have access to a vast pool of information, which in turn ensures SLC’s prominence and popularity.
The product that is Sri Lankan cricket comprises two distinguishable components: the game itself and the cricketers – especially their talent, which drives the team’s performance. SLC’s performance is closely linked with the team’s performance. Officials at SLC who manage the team contribute to the brand’s strength when they plan and implement policies to improve the team’s performance. The committee administering the game is constantly planning strategic moves that will enable SLC to sustain its performance and ensure that the team continues its winning ways.
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RECENT DEVELOPMENT
Since becoming world champions in 1996, SLC has striven to sustain its winning ways. Picking talent in all departments of the game and providing coaching for players are two key areas SLC focuses on to sustain the consistency of the team’s performance. Following its World Cup victory, Sri Lankan cricket has sought foreign expertise to strengthen its batting, bowling and fielding. Fitness, which is vital to the players, is also considered very important and receives much attention.
The Sri Lankan team has a host of players who are considered heroes in the cricketing world. Some of the big names are Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. Invariably, these players feature prominently in the world cricket rankings and bring credit to the national cricket team through their individual performances. Due to this, the country’s brand of cricket gains credibility and global prominence.
SLC plans to attract high-profile cricketers from overseas to play in the country’s premier league. SLC monitors the country’s cricket circuit for talented players to buttress the national squad. Officials, led by a former national captain, monitor games played at school, divisional, district and premier level to identify prospective talent. SLC also exerts much energy to improve the quality of domestic cricket.
The game’s national administrators are planning to invest Rs. 250 million to improve school cricket, which would ensure a future generation of talented players. In cricket, techniques have to be developed at a young age and schools are the nurseries that help cricketers with the potential to blossom. Investing in school cricket is a sound strategy which is certain to strengthen the SLC brand in the long term. Sri Lanka’s school-cricket circuit is vibrant, with its highlight being the spate of annual encounters between traditional rivals.
Due to the introduction of giant screens at many local cricketing venues, revenue from advertising is likely to rise. Marketers are flocking to advertise their products via this medium.
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PROMOTION
Brand SLC does not need any promotion. The team’s performance provides ample publicity. In this regard, SLC is different from many other brands, because its promotional costs are virtually non-existent. However, SLC has to invest in maintaining the standards of the team’s performance.
The team’s success is the main vehicle of promotion for Sri Lankan cricket. Funds invested in maintaining the team’s performance could, therefore, be considered an indirect promotional cost. While the bar continues to be raised, the challenge is to meet and exceed the expectations of cricket fans.
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BRAND VALUES
A key brand value of Sri Lanka Cricket is national pride. More than any promotional or advertising campaign, the power of the SLC brand is its ability to project a positive image of the country through the quality of its cricketing product.
Another prominent brand value is talent. The Sri Lankans have created immense excitement in the game with their talented and stylish batting, persistent seam and artful spin bowling. This is not a new ingredient, but rather an essence that has been inherent in our cricket for decades. Its roots could be traced back to Mahadevan Sathasivam, Michael Tissera, Duleep Mendis, Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, to name but a few. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara now hold the record for the highest test partnership for any wicket in world cricket. Spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan – who is ranked number one in the world, with over 600 test wickets – is aspiring to be the world’s highest test-wicket taker.
Creativity and innovation are also brand values associated with SLC. Fast-scoring batsmen lend strength to the batting, whilst wily spin bowlers along with consistent seamers add variety to the bowling attack. These values, inherent in Sri Lankan cricket, make the team unique and exhilarating to watch.
The Sri Lankan team’s innovative and pioneering strategy of scoring rapidly in the first fifteen overs, in the limited overs game, helped the country to win the World Cup in 1996. The team’s innovation could be equated with the brand’s innovation, since all strategies are adopted at management level. This indicates the maturity of brand SLC.
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THINGS YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT Sri Lanka Cricket
♥ SLC plans to invest Rs. 250 million to improve local school cricket.
♥ Giant screens have become a hit among marketers at cricketing venues.
♥ SLC is contemplating attracting high-profile overseas cricketers to play in the domestic premier league.
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www.srilankacricket.lk
