141 Sercon bags marketing duties for Chennai Marathon

141 Sercon has won the mandate to manage the eighth Chennai Marathon. Organised by the Sports Authority of Tamil Nadu, the marathon has got an agency on-board for the first time. 141 Sercon won the Rs 2.5-crore account following a multi-agency pitch, wherein five agencies participated.

"Our strong point, which helped us bag this account, was our prior experience in managing large format events. Our association with the Grand Kerela Shopping Festival, which has over 3,000 outlets, really helped us clinch this account. Additionally, we have a strong presence and understanding of the Chennai market," CR Prasanna, vice-president - sales & marketing, 141 Sercon tells afaqs!.

The marathon would be promoted through a 360-degree campaign, covering print, electronic, digital and outdoor media. The TV partner for the marathon is Kalaignar TV; the radio partner is Hello FM; while the print partner is Deccan Chronicle. The other sponsors for the event are Horlick Nutribar, Lucozade Sport -- an isotonic sports drink, and Bharath University.

141 Sercon, the activation agency under Bates 141, will organise an activity at several hot-spots, such as colleges and corporate houses, where individuals can get more information on the marathon and also register themselves for the run by paying the fee of Rs 100. A day before the event, there is a compulsory health check-up for participants of the full and half marathons.

Last year, about 17,000 people participated in the Chennai Marathon. This year, 25,000-30,000 participants are expected for the event, which will be held on February 21. Races will be organised in five categories -- corporate, kids, half, full, and mini marathon. Additionally, there are international, national and state participants, who will be awarded prizes in their own categories. Apart from this, there are men and women category prizes. Winners of the categories will get prizes worth Rs 20 lakh.