3 Things that Sports Brands seeking success in India should know

India houses a mind boggling 17%+ population of the world. People in India are watching more sports than ever, playing more sports than ever and spending more on sports & fitness than even before. Why wouldn’t any sports brand NOT want to win in India?

But, barring a few big brands, a vast majority of sports brands haven’t yet got their game in order in India. Even the brands that have been present in India are still trying to figure out how they want to play their game. The obvious question is WHY?

The answer lies in going a few levels below the obvious motherhood statements in opening paragraph and understanding why brands must play differently in India.

Here are the 3 things that sports brands with serious business ambition in India should know.

1)     Stay closer to the Action

Pushing a container or few of stocks to local importer is almost not likely to work. Signing an exclusive partnership with agreement with giant marketplaces and expecting them to do the hard work also hasn’t worked for most. There are umpteen examples of big brands doing exactly this only to realize later that they have gone no where.

The bottom line is that brand must commit to the action on the ground rather that staying at the stands. It does not necessarily mean setting a direct local presence, the focus is to be in control of things.

2)     Invest in Consumer Connect

Several big sports brands have ventured into India without given a serious thought about connecting with the consumers. Consumers in India are different. Its hard to connect with them by just making products available to them. Building a loyal consumer base is the key and it can only be done with committed investments. Best of the global brands in other segments (fashion, electronics etc.) have done that successfully in India and there is something to learn from them.

An opportunity of this scale beckons serious investment towards Consumer connect.

3)     Look for a strategic local partner who can BUILD your brand

Its time to think beyond just having a distribution focused local partner. Because, a distribution partner would do just that – distribute products.

The partnership should be a strategic in nature and entail a wide array of things including (but not limited to) market intelligence, distribution, consumer connect, brand promotion, product development & a few more areas. A local partner should be like extended ‘eyes, ears, hands and legs’ in India who is married to the vision of building the brand.