 June 24, 2008
England not be left behind by IPL
The Npower Girls are not your typical cheerleaders. These girls know their cricket and are out to have fun at the match. The Npower Girls know their googlies from their doosras, something which even many international batsmen don't. They are more than cheer girls; they boost morale, help out photographers and are totally involved in the game. They keep the spirits of the crowds up whether rain or sun and distribute cheer cards to spectators to raise the fun quotient at the games.
Unlike the IPL, where some teams had professional cheerleaders thrown in to add sex appeal to the matches and bring the crowds to the grounds, the Npower girls are cheerleaders crossed with air hostesses, like match hostesses, a step ahead of just cheerleading. The IPL cheerleaders just danced silly whenever their team hit one over the ropes or bagged a wicket. They drove the crowds mad and according to some rumours even made some cricketers go crazy over them.
The Npower girls on the other hand are more dignified and they definitely know their cricket. They appreciate a ball well left as well as switch hit. They hand out those cards which say '4' and '6' to fans at the stadium, deliver water to the photographers along the boundaries and listen to the double meaning laced repetitive comments from man spectators all day long but still manage to look stunning.
They have become a powerful branding strategy for Npower and are popular in their own right. The Npower Girls page on their site sees heavy traffic and posters of these young lasses are hotly sought by the young crowds. The site puts up profiles of the latest Npower girls where they speak about their likes and dislikes, their favourite cricketers, the whole marketing hog.
But the reactions to the Npower girls in blogs haven't been very encouraging. Npower has tried to promote the Npower girls as mascots who are more than the looks, who know the game Npower seems to have offended feminists, conservatives as well as cricket purists. Blogs are talking about the sexing up of sporting events to raise attendance and get people watching on TV.
The sexual objectification of young girls and placing them at the field, something totally unrelated to sport traditionally has been earning the wrath of purists. The accommodation of such market driven tactics by sport is worrying trend and neither benefit from it they say. It remains to be seen how Npower and other imitators who are likely to spring up handle these claims.
Monish Moorthy, Hill Road Media
|
