21.3bn reasons why TCS partners with the London Marathon
Partnering with the London Marathon has helped b2b-focused TCS grow its brand value tenfold, says the company’s chief marketing officer Abhinav Kumar.
TCS can point to plenty of reasons for partnering with the London Marathon and other endurance races – 21.3 billion of them, in fact.
That figure represents the global IT services and consulting giant’s brand value in US dollars, according to a new study published this week.
It is a tenfold increase since TCS entered marathon sponsorship 15 years ago and neatly distills why the 50,000 participants in Sunday’s race won’t be the only ones toasting a job well done.
“The growth has been phenomenal,” TCS chief marketing officer Abhinav Kumar tells Morning Wire.
“Marathons hold their pride of place as a major portfolio investment from our side in helping shape some of this.
“Of course, it’s not all of it. There’s a larger marketing strategy in terms of, you know, our presence at key industry forums, our partnerships with places like the World Economic Forum, increasing our digital footprint and really building our brand.
“But the marathons have been a very important play for us, undoubtedly, in taking our brand value to where it is today.”
One of the reasons is that participation events such as marathons offer a different engagement proposition to slapping branding on a hoarding at a large spectator sport.
The Brand Finance study appears to back that up. While only 27 per cent of non-runners said they would consider TCS, that figure rocketed to 67 per cent for marathon participants.
“Marathon is inclusive. And the key thing here is that our clients and our partners and other stakeholders are actually the athletes in the sport,” Kumar adds.
“You’re not going to the sport to watch it and have a Michelin star lunch. You’re participating and therefore your engagement with it and emotional investment in it is at a different level.
“Consumers don’t get emotional about b2b tech brands. But this is a moment where you do, and I think that creates a new space for our brand.
“A lot of our colleagues run together with their customers, and it’s a great moment of emotional bonding between them.”
Why London is among world’s top marathons
As well as a branding and staff wellness play, TCS’s 14 partnerships with marathons including London, New York, Paris and Sydney allow it to showcase tech advancements. It builds the official app and is using AI to hone the spectator experience.
In 2022 the India-headquartered company replaced Virgin Money as title sponsor of the London Marathon, which has been rated the race with the best brand strength.
“If you look at what’s behind London’s recognition as a brand, I think you can attribute it to Canada and its attractiveness for tourists, which also makes international runners come here in a big way,” Kumar says.
“But beyond that, I think the organisation of the London Marathon has always been phenomenal. It is a great experience. It is a very popular race. There is also a backlog of demand.
“The other thing which London has done, which is phenomenal, is becoming a more sustainable event. There is a downside to marathons: they do have both a high carbon footprint and there’s a lot of waste generated.
“London is on track to becoming a net zero event. They’ve made some practical changes – the official running shirts are made from recycled materials, mile markers are built from ocean-recovered plastics, even the medal has some recovered zinc in it, using electric cars. That’s been a space where London is doing really well.”