In a MediaBrief exclusive, Yannick Colaco, CEO and Co-founder of FanCode, speaks about the collaboration between FanCode Shop and Hardik Pandya for the launch of his new exclusive performance wear line. Colaco discusses FanCode’s partnership with Hardik and what makes him special to FanCode.
He also talks about Hardik’s extensive involvement in producing the line and the marketing strategy for the HP performance wear range.
Colaco further discusses the sports merchandising landscape in India and FanCode Shop’s partnership with JSW for the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics.
Goal behind working with Hardik Pandya
Speaking about the goal behind working with Hardik Pandya, Yannick Colaco, CEO and Co-founder of FanCode, said, “Our goal was about bringing Hardik Pandya to life through this performance wear range. Right from the logo and designs to the type of fabric, everything was customized to feel like Hardik as a brand.
“We worked extremely closely with him at every step of the process, and he displayed a lot of commitment in working with us to carefully select each aspect of the line,” Colaco added.
Colaco outlined how Hardik emphasized the importance of the entire range to him and that he really wanted it to come to life and be something he himself would train with, and only then would he let his fans wear or train with it. “It’s been almost a year since we’ve been working on this, and we’re finally happy with the line and excited to launch it,” Colaco added.
Rationale behind FanCode’s collaboration
Outlining the rationale behind collaborating with Hardik Pandya, Colaco said, “FanCode Shop’s vision has always been to give sports fans in India access to fan gear and sports merchandise of brands, teams, and players that they love. When it comes to sports brands, we’ve already done it and continue to do it with events like the ICC World Cup and the NBA.
“We’re also doing it with sports brands that are clubs. We’ve featured all 10 IPL teams, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and have even featured products for the Indian Olympic contingent on our platform.
“When we moved into athletes, we wanted someone who represented both performance and a brand of his own that fans love. Being not only one of the world’s best cricketers and an all-rounder performance-wise but also evolving as more than just a cricket icon, Hardik seemed like the perfect fit.
Speaking about what Hardik brings to the table, Colaco said, “He was also extremely passionate about coming together and building this with FanCode, making him the perfect choice.”
Marketing strategy for Hardik Pandya’s performance wear launch
Decoding the marketing strategy behind the launch of Hardik Pandya’s performance wear, Colaco says, “The idea is to build an entire range, so we’re launching 30 products to begin with, and we’ll have multiple drops as we go along.
“We’re also doing a lot of stuff with Hardik himself. Hardik is only going to train with these products because the idea was that it has to be good enough for him to train in, and every time he’s training, he’ll feature a lot of content around it.
“We’re going to continue working with other fitness influencers and sportspersons to wear these products and train in them to help build brand awareness. We will feature the products on FanCode’s social platforms and will also market and promote it across the Dream Sports ecosystem,” Colaco says about the strategy going ahead.
Partnerships with JSW for 2024 Paris Olympics
Speaking about the other partnerships and launches that FanCode Shop has in the pipeline, Colaco comments, “We are partnering with JSW to support and bring an entire range of products for the 2024 Paris Olympics. For the first time, even Indian Olympic stars will have their own ranges on FanCode Shop.”
Sports merchandising landscape of India
Moving onto the broader sports merchandising landscape of the country, Colaco says, “Sports merchandising in India is still in a very nascent stage. Our vision is not just about taking brands and manifesting them into official jerseys, but also making them into complete range selections from casual wear to lifestyle wear.”
Outlining how it compares to the West and how FanCode is bringing it to India, he says, “We’ve been working very closely with a lot of IPL teams and global brands, and now with Hardik Pandya to try and build this, but it’s a very nascent industry.
“Every fan wear and sports merchandise range starts from the principle of passionate fans. We know for sure that passionate fans in India exist; it’s now a question of building the products, creating a selection, and getting the right price points, etc., so that we can allow fans to wear and show off what they are passionate about,” Colaco adds.
