KKR goes all out to engage fans

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisee Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), co-owned by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is going out of the way to engage fans by launching merchandise and tempting offers for their fans.

KKR, a joint venture between Shah Rukh, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, is one of the nine participating teams in the fifth season of the cricket carnival, which will begin Wednesday.

The marketing team has already launched a new campaign -- "New Dawn New Knights" -- for this season. The campaign entailed a refreshing logo of KKR.

"The golden colour was because I like gold and the black has been changed because I was told that it was not lucky. And last year since we couldn't make it to the last four I can't even argue with it," said Shah Rukh at the launch of the logo.

The team, led on the field by Gautam Gambhir, has also tied up with mobile company Nokia for a deal wherein they have launched an interactive consumer engagement campaign -- "Nokia Channel Me".

Consumers of new Nokia smartphones will have to download the 'Fun2Shoot' application create "Channel Me", their own personalised channel. Those with the most viewed and liked content stand a chance to host a Nokia-KKR Chill party, with all perks of hosting a successful after-match party such as deciding their guest list, and inviting KKR players for it.

Shah Rukh, who is a brand ambassador for Nokia, is excited about the tie-up.

"We value our relationship and believe that Nokia and KKR share a common commitment to connecting people in new and better ways. I am personally very excited about the 'Channel Me' consumer campaign and have even launched my own channel - SRK TV on it! I am very certain that Nokia and KKR fans will have a great season this year," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the team has also signed a deal with online apparel portal FREECULTR as its official casual wear partner and exclusive casual wear licensee. As part of the deal, FREECULTR will develop an innovative and stylish line of apparel ranging from polos, tees, denims, shoes, and accessories to be available as the 2012 IPL season begins.

"The Kolkata Knight Riders prides itself in innovation and differentiation, and has decided to partner with FREECULTR, an exciting and upcoming fashion brand that is making waves across the country, as opposed to working with a supplier," said Venky Mysore, CEO, KKR.

"Our main objective has always been to continually keep our fans engaged, excited, and delighted and we believe this partnership will give our fans an added sense of pride," he added.

The collection will not just be sports-specific, according to Sujal Shah, CEO and co-founder of FREECULTR.

"We are launching smart casuals. One needs to understand that sports entities are followed not just on the field, but off it too. When Gautam Gambhir and Brett Lee are off the field, what they wear and what they do is still of interest to people.

"So it made sense to launch a range of clothes that people could wear on regular weekends, to a pub, while playing any sport, or just while lounging around," Shah, who hopes for good visibility for his brand through the tie-up, told IANS.