Meraki Sport and Entertainment recently inked the deal to onboard 22-year-old Indian cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meraki will be handling Jaiswal’s commercial interests, brand building and management along with all other off-field engagements effective immediately.
Other athletes represented by Meraki, include Rahul Dravid, Rohan Bopanna, Dipa Karmakar, Sreeja Akula, Palak Kohli and Srihari Natraj.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Namrata Parekh, Co-founder, Director – Meraki Sports and Entertainment
- What growth has Meraki Sport and Entertainment seen in the last few years in terms of athlete representation and other areas?
Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify that we are possibly the only fully integrated sporting marketing and consulting firm with seven business verticals, athlete management being one of them.
While we started out in 2015 with three core services – sponsorships, athlete epresentation and events; nine years down, we are also full-service digital agency, a content studio, we have a rights and IPR business and a sports CSR advisory practice.
This to me is growth, because we remain bootstrapped and profitable, with a team of over 90 colleagues, operating from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
And as for athlete representation, I think from having 4 athletes on our roster in 2016, (first agency in the country to commercially represent para-athletes), we now have a roster of 20 athletes, including the likes of Rahul Dravid, Rohan Bopanna, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sreeja Akula and Palak Kohli.
- Could you shed light on the three pillars of sport, sponsorship, and society that Sport and Entertainment functions on?
Like you’ve rightly called it, sport, sponsorship and society are the three pillars that Meraki is anchored on. Development of sport, driving value to sponsors, while creating an impact on society, is what we believe are integral aspects to the business of sport and for value creation across the entire ecosystem of India’s sporting landscape.
- While athlete and sports sponsorship is still mostly about cricket is non-cricket showing a decent uptick in an Olympics year?
India is witnessing a sporting revolution catalyzed by the advent of multiple leagues, increased corporate and government support, access to world-class training and infrastructure, enabling many of our athletes, beyond just cricketers, scale global heights.
This in turn has piqued interest amongst brands, who are slowly but steadily warming up to the idea of leveraging sport beyond cricket. And this year is testament to the fact that brands have understood the efficacy of collaborating with milestone events like the Olympics, we hope that this interest transcends milestone events and podium finishers, to becoming holistic long-term partnerships.
- When companies want to associate with sports events to boost awareness, engagement, sales what advice do you give them?
We advocate for the power of sports as a strategic lever rather than merely a thematic one, emphasising that long-term associations are key to driving value. For sports, including cricket, to generate disproportionate ROI, activating the asset is crucial. Our mantra is ‘It’s not 360, it’s 365,’ highlighting the importance of sustained engagement throughout the year.
Moreover, with the majority of consumer segments being digital natives,content plays a pivotal role in enhancing emotional equity for brands, at the back of sport sponsorships.
- Has Meraki helped companies do sponsorship deals with teams, leagues, events?
Yes, we work on both sides of the sponsorship service – acquisition & activation. While we have worked with several brands helping them acquire and activate assets in sports viz., Nestle Milo, Coca-Cola (Limca GlucoCharge), Atomberg, Max Life Insurance, DafaNews, etc., we have also worked with brands solely as their activation agency, enabling them to their leverage associations viz., Muthoot FinCorp, ITC Foods (Yippee), Acko, Coca-Cola (Thums Up) etc.
- There has been controversy over brands not associated with Manu Bhaker congratulating her on winning Olympic medals. So the agency concerned sent legal notices to pay and play. Do athletes need to trademark their IP?
Fundamentally, we at Meraki believe that while athletes are national treasures, their marks / imagery shouldn’t be exploited by brands to gain traction, without an official association. This in fact undermines brands who have invested and partnered with these athletes, much before they reached the podium.
- Could you shed light on the work that Meraki Sport and Entertainment does with ParaOlympians?
Like I mentioned earlier, Meraki is the first agency in the country to commercially represent para-athletes. And this decision was not driven by commerce, but to help them unlock their value as societal influencers. Today athletes like Palak Kohli, Ekta Bhyan, Mandeep Kaur, Prachi Yadav are creating pathways, not just for athletes with disability, but for society in general. We have also had the privilege to contribute to a pioneering initiative in this space, Para-Champions Prog. instituted by GoSports Foundation, in association with IndusInd Bank – supporting over 50 para-athletes across multiple disciplines.
- What other initiatives is Meraki Sport and Entertainment looking at to help women sportspersons?
While most of our work with female athletes we represent, revolves around helping them shape their personal brand. Something that we take pride in, and consider a privilege to be able to contribute to, is our association with Welspun Foundation’s – Welspun Super Sport Women Programme. A pioneering initiative, designed to support female athletes across different life stages. Currently the programme supports 20 athletes including Manasi Joshi, Palak Kohli, Kamali Moorthi to name a few
- How effective can sports sponsorship be for a company wanting to effectively utilise its CSR budget?
Sports sponsorship is increasingly proving to be an effective way for companies to utilize their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets, offering a powerful means to make a meaningful impact on society while enhancing brand goodwill.
Currently, CSR contributions to sports account for less than 2% of the overall CSR spend, highlighting significant untapped potential in this area. CSR in sport is no more about excellence in sport at the elite level, it has become much broader. By investing in sports sponsorship through CSR, brands can leverage sports as a vehicle to drive tangible social impact, addressing societal issues such as gender inequality, inclusion, and poverty.
- Are athletes that Meraki Sport and Entertainment represents also often taking a stake in a company when they do a deal beyond just endorsing them for commercials? What is the advantage of this?
Many athletes are increasingly taking equity stakes in companies as a part of their endorsement deals. For example, an athlete we represent, has a very diverse portfolio ranging from F&B to travel to sports infrastructure. Apart from a potential financial upside, such partnerships can enhance the credibility of the endorsement, as the athlete is seen as having a genuine interest in the company’s success.
