MAM
PMG signs five-year deal with Sehwag
MUMBAI: Madison World‘s sports marketing company, Professional Management Group (PMG), has signed a five-year deal with Virender Sehwag to kick-start its Sports Celebrity Management vertical. With the entry into sports celebrity management, PMG aims for a tremendous growth and activity in the next few years.
This deal puts Virender Sehwag amongst the league of the richest cricketers in world cricket today.The sports marketing company will look after Sehwag‘s brand endorsements and other commercial commitments worldwide with a special focus on image building and reputation management.
Said Madison World chairman and PMG director Sam Balsara, “We are delighted to have a phenomenon like Sehwag on board. These are the very same qualities which today‘s brands want to project to find respect and admiration among their target audience and therefore I am confident that there will be many brands who will want to associate with him and benefit from this association.”
With the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup coming up, collaboration between these two giants in the field of sports will mark a new high in the strongly emerging sports marketing discipline in India and give brands new opportunities to maximize their impact on consumers and help connect with them.
Commented Sehwag, “I am very excited to have signed the deal with PMG. I am elated that, I would be working with my childhood hero Mr. Sunil Gavaskar. And I am sure we are going to have a great partnership working together.”
PMG is chaired by Sunil Gavaskar and co-owned by Adman Sam Balsara and Outdoor specialist Noomi Mehta.
MAM
Star Sports under fire for ‘cringe’ India–SA Super 8 promo
Broadcaster accused of arrogance and disrespect as fans slam Super 8 promotion
AHMEDABAD: Star Sports is facing a wave of criticism after its latest promotional campaign for the India–South Africa T20 World Cup Super 8 match triggered a fierce social media backlash, quickly dubbed “Cupcakegate”.
The advertisement, released this week, hinges on a cupcake metaphor that many viewers have condemned as patronising and disrespectful. In the clip, an Indian supporter mockingly offers a pink cupcake to a South African fan, a visual jibe widely interpreted as portraying the Proteas as a soft, easily beaten opponent.
The backlash has been swift across platforms such as X and Reddit, with fans and commentators accusing the broadcaster of tone-deaf bravado at a crucial stage of the tournament. The criticism is sharpened by the context: both India and South Africa arrive in the Super 8s unbeaten, undermining any suggestion of a one-sided contest.
Online, the cupcake symbol has been read as carrying multiple barbs. Some users argue it alludes to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s domestic nickname, while others see it as recycling the long-running “chokers” trope associated with South Africa in ICC tournaments. The casting choice has also drawn scrutiny, with viewers noting the physical disparity between the actors playing the two fans, which critics described as a cheap attempt to belittle the opposition.
Even Indian supporters have joined the pile-on. Many warned that such chest-thumping marketing risks “jinxing” the team, pointing to past tournaments where aggressive campaigns preceded unexpected defeats.
Star Sports is no stranger to rivalry-led advertising, having struck gold with its earlier “Mauka Mauka” series. But analysts say the cupcake campaign misreads a fanbase that has grown less tolerant of overtly mocking narratives and more attuned to sporting parity and respect.
India and South Africa meet on Sunday, 22 February, at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium. With South Africa securing their Super 8 berth through a commanding win over the UAE, the fixture is widely billed as a heavyweight clash, not the walkover the ad appears to suggest.
