IPL team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has announced the launch of a comic book series featuring its team members. Conceptualised by Mumbai-based advertising agency Cartwheel Creative Consultancy, the agency is writing the script and producing the series. For the record, the advertising campaign for the team is handled by Chennai-based OPN Advertising.
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Commenting on the thought behind a comic series for a Cricket team, D Ramakrishna, founder, Cartwheel Creative Consultancy, said, “As part of our business, we manage the cricket website Holdingwilley.com and the creative team came up with the idea of launching a graphic novel involving cricketers sometime back. In the first couple of years of IPL, all of us were working out strategies and no one was looking at experimenting much beyond traditional advertising. When we suggested this idea to our friends at OPN, which handles the advertising duties for CSK, they were quite kicked about the idea and brought us onboard to work on the comic series.”
Chockalingam, creative director, OPN Advertising added, “We were looking at ways to extend the CSK brand beyond traditional advertising and when we see a great opportunity for the brand with this comic series. The comic will be unveiled through a PR activity involving the players just before the IPL. Moreover, since the TG for the comic is school and college going kids who have their exams now, we will unveil the promotional campaigns closer to the IPL.”
The initial print run is expected to be around in the range of 20,000 copies and will be available for purchase at book stores across the country. The agency plans to produce the comic in three languages – English, Tamil and Hindi – initially and reproduce it in other languages based on the demand.
Brands associated with the IPL team will find presence in the comic book. However, Ramakrishna noted that they will be present in the ambience of the comics and not be a part of the storyline. It is understood that Aircel, which is a major sponsor of the team, has taken up exclusive branding in the inaugural edition of the comic series.
