Indian Premier League is the richest cricket league in the world with a valuation of $6.3 billion as per the latest IPL brand valuation report from Duff & Phelps.
The IPL has a huge viewership base. The first 2 weeks of the VIVO IPL 2019 tournament saw 345 million viewers tuning in from across the country. These viewership numbers are a goldmine for advertisers and sponsors.
IPL has numerous sponsors and sponsors for their tournament and even the IPL teams have their own set of advertisers. However, recently there has been a huge uproar amongst fans as they found out that defending champions Chennai Super Kings have been sponsored by a company called British Empire which is a European Pale Lager style beer brewed by SNJ Breweries Pvt. Ltd. in Chennai.
Fans took to Social Media to express their disappointment:
What is the pride in the British Empire ?
You should really redo your brand positioning for india. And @ChennaiIPL you just lost my support !
Millions died in India during the British Empire !
— citizen anurag sehgal (@anuragpalsehgal) April 12, 2019
Interesting that a company called "British Empire" is a sponsor for an IPL team. Realise that it is just a company name, but wonder if a company called "Nazi Germany" would advertise itself in Israel, or King Leopold in central Africa. Insensitive to say the least https://t.co/liplcLJuZ2
— Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) April 12, 2019
British Empire is the name of a third rate beer sold in Madras
— Cheenu (@ksmkkbookscom) April 12, 2019
We Indians don't have any sensitivity on the issues pertaining names and all on the contrary we relish our past legacy because of the colonial hangover.
— nidhi mishra pandey (@AugNidhi) April 12, 2019
There is a lot in the name, as I am leaning from etymology of Indian names 🙂
— Anuradha Goyal (@anuradhagoyal) April 12, 2019
Absolutely insensitive. The shameless part often see with our businessmen, show runners, event mgrs or even traders is the insensitivity. It's a bane that we still let many such past wounds, current insults n yet continue to lead life in a normal way
— Chowkidar Vinodh Krishnan (@VinodhKrishna11) April 13, 2019
On a lighter note, down south they may think it's British Umpire…
— satish (@arch_satish) April 13, 2019
They actually make beer.
— R Srinivasan (@srinivasanravi) April 12, 2019
British empire! That's one of the most hated chapters of human history. Why any Indian should feel proud of this name?
— Truth always (@SoumyaB_sd) April 12, 2019
bs branding.
— ஆனந்த் (@smk_anand) April 12, 2019
@ChennaiIPL must've thought what a great honour it is to be sponsored by British Empire. This IPL franchise is stained from head to toe.
— Rohit Deshmukh (@rohitv_d) April 12, 2019
Kick this company out
— S.P Paramita (@SPParamita1) April 12, 2019
British Empire and Proudness ??? Do you remember Jalianwala Bagh in 1919. Here is the image of the butcher @BritishEmpireOf was India's dark ages. Shame on @BritishEmpireOf pic.twitter.com/Wh1MxKVxHg
— Preran (@preranbangalore) April 12, 2019
How about changing the company name to something non-offesnsive? British Empire, really?
— dhiru patel (@dp8084) April 13, 2019
British Empire my foot,get loss bastard from india
— ch@babu (@babua220) April 12, 2019
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