Chennai Super Kings: The people's brand

Chennai: With only two days to go for this year’s edition of IPL, every Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fan seems to be excited to see the yellow brigade back in action at M. A. Chidambaram stadium after a long gap of one year.

The price of tickets seems to be on a higher side, but that shouldn’t deter the spirits of the loyal fans who are waiting to paint the stadium yellow.

Over the years, CSK has enjoyed the most loyal fan base amongst all the IPL teams. The team’s huge success in a short span of time might be the reason for the fan support. The team has nearly 2100 registered fans.

Despite not having a superstar owner, CSK has been able to connect with the fans more successfully than any other team has managed to. The focus is always on the members of the team, when the team takes the field.

What has contributed to such loyal fan base? “ Highly relatable branding,” is the answer. The promotional activities of the team have always been largely based on the local flavor of the city.

The CSK anthem

The official anthem of the team goes by the name ‘whistle podu’, a Tamil song based on folk genre. Fans across the world have had flash mobs to this tune. The one done in San Francisco became quite a rage on the web.

Active social media presence

The club’s social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook have been constantly posting stuff about the team, thereby connecting with the fans.

One of the most quirky efforts by the team members is the ‘Superlocal’ challenge. In one such challenge called the ‘CSK Superstar Challenge’, the players from the team tried their hand at delivering Tamil actor Rajinikanth’s movie dialogue. ‘CSK Kuthu Challenge’; an attempt where the team members tried their hand at folk dance drew a lot of attention.

The color of the jersey, yellow has become an added attraction and identifying mark. The official anthem stresses a lot on the color and its importance to the team.

Branding

Sudio Sudarsan, professor of marketing, Hult International Business school, says CSK has built a strong brand name for itself.

He says, “From a branding perspective, CSK, declared as the most valuable IPL franchisee (again valued by Brand Finance, London), began to differentiate itself, and amply benefitted from the high level of identification of power symbols and a sensory palette of unique visual, verbal, and digital expression,”

“I'd award CSK full marks in every facet of the complex branding process, especially the potential to build equity by capitalizing on the emotional relationship it shares with CSK fans who derive strength and a sense of identity from their affiliation with their team,” he added.

He points out that the word “Super” associated with the team’s name has been often used by people in Tamil Nadu. “The descriptor "super" -- Tamils' overused fuzzword -- everything is "super" from morning coffee to their favorite cinema star”, he adds.

Sudarsan says, “CSK exudes a persona of a people's brand, while other teams depend on a Bollywood ring master to goad its fans inside and outside the playing field,” and it is true in every sense.

What more could be done to strike an emotional chord with the Chennaiites? This club might do more and the fans might whistle louder yet.