Star Sports reminds viewers of Indian hockey’s resurgence, nudges media on neglect

Star Sports has rolled out a new campaign for the upcoming Fintro Hockey League which takes place between 20 June and 5 July in Belgium.

 

The film, created in-house by Star Sports, highlights the recent resurgence of the Indian hockey team along with the lack of interest shown towards the sport by media. 

 

The ad features the Indian hockey team with coach Paul Van Ass at a press conference before leaving for Belgium. Highlighting the lack of interest in the game, only a handful of journalists turn up.

 

The first question is posed. It's about the future of Indian hockey. Captain Sardar Singh responds saying that while the team is focused on the future, the media hasn’t focused on recent history. Referring to the recent accomplishments of the team,  Sreejesh Raveendran adds that in the past year, India has beaten the world's top five teams – something that the team hadn’t managed in 15 years. Birendra Lakra reminds the gathering that the team has beaten Australia in Australia to win a series. Coach Paul Van Ass says, "The world knows about it, but India doesn’t.”

 

Responding to a question on the Pakistan team, Singh notes that India had defeated the arch rival to win Gold at the Asian Games, and that the victory made India the first team to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

 

Gurbaj Singh notes that while they have qualified for the Olympics, “India ke dil mein qualify nahin kar paye” (We couldn’t qualify for India’s heart). Sardar Singh surmises that the team will now head to Belgium and play for the nation, #DeshKeLiye, as they always have.

 

Moved, the media stands up to applaud the team. 

 

Credits

 

Brand: Star Sports

Concept and execution: In-house

SVP- marketing head: Shubhranshu Singh

AVP - marketing : Jarmanjeet Singh Randhawa

Concept and story: Vikas dubey

AVP - on air promotions: Vaibhav Chib 

In-house team: Prashant Pawar and Saikat Sengupta

Production house: Opticus Inc 

Producer: Varun Shetty  

Director: Sanjay Shetty

DOP: Demant Vyas

Editor: Vishal Kharat