SINDHU TO SERVE UP LEGAL ACTION

After a triumphant week that saw PV Sindhu become the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals, following her bronze win at the Tokyo Games, the ace shuttler is again in the news for reasons she would not have hoped for. Sindhu’s management company, Baseline Ventures, is taking legal action against multiple brands that used the shuttler’s name and pictures in social media marketing creatives her victorious Tokyo campaign. Sindhu had signed up with Baseline Ventures in 2016, following her first Olympic medal, in a deal that was reported to be worth around Rs 50 cr.

Brands like P&G, Pan Bahar, Apollo 24/7, Aditya Birla Group, and Perfetti Van Melle are among the ones where Baseline Ventures would seek legal action and damages worth Rs 5 cr from each of the companies.

Speaking to The Economic Times, Baseline Ventures’Ventures’ Managing Director Tushar Mishra said, “We are surprised that such leading Indian and global firms are resorting to such forms of communication to associate with our athletes, which is in complete breach of their IPR and privacy. In a way, these tactics are also unfair to genuine firms who have supported the athlete round the year. Would these very firms try the same gimmicks with some of our leading cricketers? I doubt it. It’s time we all stand up to such unethical practices and we will do everything possible to protect our athletes and their rights.”

The usage of Sindhu’s name and photo after her performance at the Olympics Games is an example of ”moment marketing”. Moment marketing is when brands use relevant current events to build marketing campaigns or strategies and has been prevalent for some time now. Given the historic feat Sindhu achieved by winning her second Olympic medal, after her silver at the 2016 Rio Games, Sindhu’s achievement was celebrated all across the nation by brands and fans alike. Although companies use these bits of moment marketing to congratulate and highlight the events, there is a different angle to it, which would have led Sindhu’s representatives to take the necessary actions.

The brands use such tactics to send congratulatory messages, but sometimes they also use such events to keep themselves trending and relevant in the market. A proper moment marketing campaign can be fruitful towards a brand’s value, with increased views. As mentioned by Mishra, each athlete generally has sponsorship deals with different brands, and having other brands jump onto the spotlight during these times is also looked down upon by competitor brands. This, though isn’t the first time Baseline has accused brands of misusing player rights. In 2018 Baseline had sued Swiggy and Freecharge for their moment marketing campaigns based on Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw’s debut century.

Whether the brands genuinely meant only to congratulate Sindhu or saw this as an opportunity to get trending, only time will tell, but till then, one will have to wait and see how the legalities play out between Sindhu’s representatives and the brands accused.