Later this month Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going to receive a peculiar gift — 30 pillows bearing personalised notes and good luck messages from cricket-crazy fans in Chennai.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Chennai’s Express Avenue mall was a forum for the fans of the Chennai Super Kings to meet and show off their talents, at a promotional event organised by Gulf Oil, the champion team’s sponsor.

While the fans did not need too much cajoling to take to the stage and entertain shoppers at the mall, thousands of people walked up to the pillows and signed them. ‘Dhoni, my superhero’, ‘I love you, MSD’ were prominent messages on the pillows, branded with the CSK emblem.

“The pillow concept is themed on our current TV advertisement that has become very popular. The ad plays on the fact that our products are long-life lubricants that take care of your vehicle for a long, long time. The response has been great so far, especially since we also have a lucky draw contest, wherein five lucky fans will get to meet the Chennai Super Kings team at a meet and greet session when they come to the city,” said Ravi Chawla, president and COO of Gulf Oil.

Attempting a mall activation to attract youngsters in a city that loves cricket almost as much as shopping seems to have paid off — the stage was never left empty, with groups of young boys shaking a leg to typical Madras-kuthu, others attempting break dance, mimcry or beatboxing.

“This is our third year of association with CSK. The team is young and vibrant and they are the champions. CSK not only has a massive fan following across the country, but the Tamil Nadu market is important for us. We will continue such novel promotions at other cities CSK visits to play matches, like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore,” Chawla said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / Express News Service – Chennai / April 04th, 2013