Sales Pitch-ICC cricket World Cup 2011

Sales Pitch

India captain Mahender Singh Dhoni is known as much for his changing hairstyles as for his batting exploits on the field. In the run-up to the ICC cricket World Cup 2011, starting next month, it’s the latter that cola company Pepsi Co has focused on for its latest commercial.

Dhoni’s knack of whacking the ball in a wild circular lob — known as the helicopter shot in cricketing circles — is the focus of Pepsi Co India’s latest commercial campaign, with the theme, ‘Change the Game’. “We wanted to focus on the unconventional side of a game that has changed dramatically over the past decade. It also reflects the irreverence of today’s youth and helps in setting the tone and tenor of the game,” remarks Agnello Dias, chairman and co-founder of TapRoot India, the creative agency behind the Pepsi World Cup television commercial campaigns.

In the 40-second TVC, which hit the screens yesterday, Dhoni is shown learning to play the ‘helicopter shot’ on a hay cutter in a village. After he perfects the technique with the help of a villager, he is shown unleashing the same shot in a one-day match against the England cricket team. “Dhoni’s mannerisms on the pitch are synonymous with the current transition in cricket,” adds Dias. Since Pepsi Co is among the official global sponsors of the World Cup, they have planned five commercials with other players, including Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina. “It will be a phased roll-out of the commercials,” says Dias.