India’s ace shuttler and Tokyo Olympics 2021 Bronze medal winner PV Sindhu is likely to file cases against twenty companies that have used her popularity in a branding concept called the moment marketing. This is in reference to her winning moment in the Olympics and cashing in on her popularity without her permission.

Baseline Ventures, the sports marketing agency that manages all commercial deals for PV Sindhu stated that these brands used PV Sindhu’s images and name on their posts and this is a clear infringement on the player’s privacy. They have also clearly flouted the norms of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has put together guidelines around advertising during the tournament.
Baseline Ventures is slated to be taking action against these 20 brands to court, out of which legal notices have already been sent to 15. The brands that have already been sent notices include Happydent (Perfetti Van Melle), Pan Bahar, Eureka Forbes, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Vodafone Idea, MG Motor, UCO Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Fino Payments Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Bank and Wipro Lighting.

Reports say that they will be sending legal notices, seeking damages worth Rs 5 crore to them. The company stated that such association with athletes is in complete breach of their IPR and privacy.

Kaushik Moitra, from the Bharucha & Partners law firm, explains the legal implications of trying to use the athletes' winning moments without their permission. He states that “The right of publicity has also evolved from the right of privacy, which is a fundamental right in India. Additionally, a celebrity holds copyright in their performance and is entitled to restrain others from exploiting their intellectual property for commercial purposes. Thus, a celebrity’s name, voice, image, or other personal attributes cannot be exploited without their permission.”

What is moment marketing?

Moment marketing brings together events to create a highly impactful strategy for business. It captures the micro-moment and creates maximum effect when a person opens the social media account of a company and seeks to act. Large companies are using moment marketing to create campaigns around a micro-moment. Advancement in technology has just shifted the medium from hoardings to online campaigns and has multiplied the effect of this tactic manifold.

It has created a trend among businesses because of the broad spectrum of opportunities it offers. There is a buzz among the companies as it holds the capacity to make a real difference. Brands are responding to advertisements, sports events, or other popular events by utilizing interesting videos and witty content to maximize customer engagement. (With inputs from ET, Business Insider and Quora)

Also Read: Olympic Bronze Medallist PV Sindhu To Start Academy In Vizag Soon