Hockey India League awards creative mandate to Meridian Mumbai

Hockey India League has announced the appointment of Meridian Communication Mumbai as its creative agency, while OgilvyOne has been awarded the digital mandate. The agencies won the business following a multi-agency pitch in Delhi held a couple of months ago.

Samrat Bedi, head of office, Meridian Communication, said, "Giving hockey its rightful place in India, is something that we all talk about. The league is a superb opportunity for us to be a part of the team that will re-position the game in a manner that appeals to newer and larger audiences."

Dr. Narinder Batra, secretary-general, Hockey India and chairman, Hockey India League added, "Meridian and Ogilvy One brought such energy to the table and we are happy to choose it as our communication partner."

Kunal Jeswani, president, OgilvyOne Worldwide, India, said, "It is very exciting to have the opportunity to launch the Hockey India League and rekindle the country's passion for the sport. It is a great challenge and we look forward to it."
   
Noting that sport in India is uni-dimensional, Shashank Lanjekar, vice president - planning, Meridian Communication, said, "It’s easy to blame and complain about the lack of other sports facilities but it’s not easy to initiate a change. And that's exactly what Hockey India has done. A spark that we hope slowly takes the shape of a flame and soon rages into a forest fire like the IPL. We hope to make this ambition our communication effort as well."