As India’s stature on the world stage is rising, its companies are signing on the globe’s best sports stars as their brand ambassadors.
After Byju’s and Tata Motors had signed on Lionel Messi as their brand ambassador, Infosys has now roped in tennis legend Rafael Nadal to represent their company. “Very excited to join Team @Infosys as their global brand ambassador. Infosys has brought its digital expertise to the global tennis ecosystem and love impact that Infosys is making to communities beyond the court. I am looking forward to this partnership to do something beautiful together,” Nadal tweeted.
“It is an honor to welcome Rafa – one of the world’s most respected champion athletes and humanitarians – as an ambassador for Infosys. We are inspired by his approach, and it reflects our own aspirations to continuously evolve and always remain relevant for our clients,” said Infosys CEO Salil Parekh.
This isn’t Infosys’s first association with the tennis world. Infosys is the digital innovation partner for the ATP Tour, Roland-Garros, Australian Open, and International Tennis Hall of Fame, and its logo is prominently displayed at these events.
“Over the years, I’ve experienced how Infosys helps players use technology on tour,” Nadal said of the association. “I think Infosys helped transform our sport, making it easy for every player to access data and analytics. Infosys is also creating a new technology using virtual reality to engage with fans, and that is something that can be super important for our sport,” Nadal said.
“Infosys and I are very focused on doing something good for the society. Infosys is bringing digital skills to the society for the new generations, and we are here working hard in the (tennis) academy with the new generations to help kids become better humans, and also improve their skills. We both care about people, and that’s why this new partnership is super exciting for me,” he added.
It makes perfect sense for Infosys to team up with Rafael Nadal. Infosys has clients all around the world, and tennis is a sport that’s popular amongst well-heeled businesspeople the world over. Nadal is one of its all-time greats, and brings with him immediate credibility and recognition. Infosys can leverage Nadal’s brand to push its products to global companies and businesses.
And Infosys’ signing of Rafael Nadal is the latest in a long list of sporting events that Indian IT firms are associated with. Apart from Infosys’ several tennis partnerships, TCS is the sponsor of the London Marathon, the Dutch Open Golf tournament, and the European cycling team Cervelo. Wipro is the sponsor of the Bangalore marathon, and back in the day, Satyam was one of the sponsors of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Indian IT firms serve mainly global clients, and have managed to successfully associate themselves with some of the planet’s biggest sporting events — and stars — to raise their profile.