By Bunty Sajdeh
India is a young, passionate and very emotional country. Only a select few exemplify these characteristics. At 27, Virat Kohli is among them. After Sachin Tendulkar, Virat has given not just India but the rest of the world someone to look up to, someone to be inspired by and perhaps even emulate.
Hard work & Commitment
His untiring hard work, commitment and dedication to his craft are the very things that define Kohli. Attributes that most brands would find very hard to ignore. Virat has become bigger than his sport.
Youth Icon
Virat Kohli has become a youth icon. He wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to call a spade a spade. Much like the youth of our country. Virat takes as much care of himself and his image off the field as he does on it. He is well-read, opinionated and is never afraid to voice his thoughts. All of this makes him an impactful athlete and a larger-than-life personality that brands can capitalise on very easily.
Balances time for business interests
Virat is also very cognisant and realises that his cricketing career will not last forever, and is therefore very mindful of the brands that he chooses to endorse (or not!) He is a smart businessman, too, and carefully balances his time off the field between endorsements, businesses and his love for sport in general. And after all this, he still manages to make enough time to support several social causes that are close to his heart.
Relevance Rules
Over time, we have developed brands and businesses that are relevant with Virat’s personality. With him, we have looked at a healthy mix of categories — fashion, licensing and merchandising, and sporting ventures, to name a few. Wrogn is quirky fashion; Chisel is about holistic fitness. Associating with sporting leagues, apart from being lucrative business opportunities, is also to promote a sporting culture in India. We have invested in these properties as they are a natural extension of Kohli’s personality and profession. Staying relevant is the key. The fans relate better with the brands as they are a seamless reflection of Virat himself.
Bunty Sajdeh is CEO, Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment which manages Virat Kohli’s endorsement interests. This article first appeared in dna of brands on April 4, 2016.