Brand building through global events

India is witnessing a revolution of sorts with the explosion of cheap mobile devices, testament to the ongoing telecom boom. I think there are 7 new brands of mobile phones being launched. So in such a event how do you distinguish yourself. The straight forward answer is - Advertise and Advertise. Associate with a credible / major event in the hope that some credibility runs off on your brand too.

Which is why we see an amazing amount of money being poured into advertising by these companies in events like Award Ceremonies and Cricket matches. There is no doubt that over time some of these brands will sink (due to their service level commitments and low quality phones) while some will grow and consolidate.

The point I am trying to make here is that I used to look at the impact of the advertisement from a local consumer perspective, e.g. Indian event translating into Indian consumer. However the ongoing Australian open has helped me broaden my horizon...

I didn't know that KIA motors had a significant interest in the Australian market. To me KIA motors was basically a Korean phenomenon producing cheap cars. However its association with the Australian Open, really hit me hard and made me realize that it is slated to be a much bigger player on a global scene. So I think their advertising strategy really hit off well to a global audience and I am sure that they have made a significant dent in the perspectives of the local population in Australia as well.