MxMIndia

Tag: Brand Sachin

  • The question on everyone’s mind is this: How will his retirement from ODIs affect the champ’s advertising career?

    Anil Thakraney: The challenge for Brand Sachin

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Okay, so Tendlya has finally decided to hang up his large boots. At least from the limited overs format of the game (though am certain his IPL ‘career’ will rock on, too much moolah at stake to let that one go). However, he still seems keen to play test cricket, though many (including me) believe he ought to have resigned from that too.

     

    Anyway, the question on everyone’s mind is this: How will his retirement from ODIs affect the champ’s advertising career? I think it will get hit big-time. For the simple reason that one-day cricket is where the crowds come in, it also allows a player to play a blazing inning. Advertisers would therefore be keener on this particular format. In any case I seriously doubt if at this old age Sachin will be able do anything spectacular in test cricket. All this therefore means there’s very little chance of bagging endorsement deals from here on. So then what can Sachin do to extend his brand franchise?

     

    Well, if he opts for the commentary box or if he turns into a cricket coach, that wouldn’t interest the advertisers one bit. Brand managers like to put their monies only on active players. This is the reason why ex-cricketers like Dravid, Ganguly and others have disappeared from the ads. Sachin’s role model therefore has to be Amitabh Bachchan. He needs to find a path which will either help him remain in the public eye, or the man is able to directly change lives. Just as Bachchan discovered KBC, Sachin needs to explore opportunities in that space. Or, since he’s already an MP, the newly minted politician can dive right into social work. As an example: The anti-rape campaign, which is on top of the agenda for the nation. That would help build the image of a hero who cares for the aam aadmi. That could also result in certain advertisers getting interested.

     

    The point is: Who’s advising the man these days? The right adviser will help Sachin extend his career for many more years (just like Big B). The wrong adviser will ensure Sachin becomes history as far as endorsement deals go. What is of no doubt here is that we are about to witness a terrific case study in human brand marketing.

     

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    PS: Yet another cool ad from Nike. In my books, amongst brands that have managed to captivate the junta’s hearts and minds by selling powerful attitude, Nike ranks tops.

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg[/youtube]
  • Despite a hundred 100s, Sachin Tendulkar scores a duck with new endorsements

    Is Sachin’s brand aura on the wane?

     

    By Binoy Prabhakar

     

    Even if you are cricket’s greatest overachiever, there is no escaping pressure. When Sachin Tendulkar recently collected his latest superlative – a century of centuries – the deed helped banish the pressure of ‘when’ that had been building up for a year. No sooner did he say “phew!” than a new pressure took the earlier one’s place: his retirement.

     

    The answer from the man himself, though “in a not Tendulkar-like way”, according to Mr Suresh Menon, editor, Wisden India Almanack, was: “When I retire is something I will decide…” Mr Menon broached the subject in a rather unflattering article earlier this week. “… the pressure on Tendulkar now is to keep playing so his minders can squeeze the last drop out of his huge commercial value,” he wrote.

     

    Mr Menon called this the “flip side of the millions”. “High earning sportsmen make a Faustian deal with the money devil; they are paid sums beyond the dreams of avarice for a decade or two… the devil demands his part of the bargain. Keep playing. Keep bringing in the money,” he wrote.

     

    Brands Tendulkar Endorses…All the deals are pre-existing, no new deals since the ‘Century of Centuries’Aviva, Adidas, Amit Enterprises, Audemars Piguet, Boost, Coca-Cola, Canon, Castrol, Sach (private label Kishore Biyani’s Future Consumer Products Ltd has created with Tendulkar), ITC Sunfeast, Jaypee Cement, Kaspersky, Luminous, RBS, Reynolds, S Kumars, Tohsiba

    Moot Question

    It still does not the answer the critical question: when will Tendulkar call it a day? But if endorsements were the deciding factor, as Mr Menon suggests, the answer would be 2014. All the 17 endorsement contracts in Tendulkar’s kitty run until then, according to his managers, World Sport Group (India) Pvt Ltd. Tendulkar remains among the highest-earning sportsmen in the country, second only to India captain MS Dhoni. But at least for now, there is no prospect of brands prolonging his career beyond 2014. No company has signed him up since his last milestone, belying the widely held expectation in the advertising fraternity.

     

    The only marketing event commemorating his achievement has come from beverages major Coca-Cola, which announced a rollout of 7.2 lakh cans featuring the cricketer. Sportswear major Adidas is preparing to launch a new marketing campaign featuring him in the first week of April. But both are existing sponsors of Tendulkar.

     

    Is it still early to rule out new sponsors, given that Tendulkar’s feat came about only on March 16? Advertising executives don’t think so. The buzz in the industry is that many companies were in talks with Tendulkar’s managers to make the most of his 100th century. Mr Harish Krishnamachar, senior vice-president and country head of World Sport Group (India) had said the feat will not have any impact on Tendulkar’s valuation. But no name has arrived on the scene.

     

    That’s because Tendulkar has always been selective about his endorsements, according to Mr Krishnamachar. “And we have never seen a milestone as a short-term opportunity given that our focus has been on creating a sustained long-term value for him,” he says.

     

    Tendulkar, says Mr Krishnamachar, has been very categorical about what categories he will be associated with and what he will not. “We have a very good assessment of what he is comfortable with and we have stayed true to that.” The brands that Tendulkar has said he will not endorse are tobacco and alcohol, says Krishnamachar. Tendulkar is said to have turned down a multi-crore deal with liquor baron Mr Vijay Mallya’s UB Group two years ago.

     

    …And Those That Haven’t RenewedContractsPepsi, Action Shoes, MRF, Britannia, Fiat, TVS, Airtel, G-Hanz, Colgate-Palmolive, Philips, VIsa, Ujala Techno Bright

    No New Deals

    Mr Krishnamachar says as far as any other category is concerned, it is something they “will consider as the opportunities present themselves”. But for now at least, there are few on the horizon.

     

    And all the existing contracts are many years old, even as much as 20 years in the case of Boost. The ‘newest’, if one can call that, is a deal with Coca-Cola signed in early 2011. Tendulkar’s last deals of note too were signed around then – a Rs 9-crore contract with Pune developer Amit Enterprises and another with apparel maker S Kumars for Rs 13 crore.

     

    Mr Prashant Singh, director of Octagon India, a sports and entertainment marketing company, says it is true that there has been no frenzy over Tendulkar’s latest feat. “There won’t be any until companies realise what his [retirement] plans are,” he says. Mr Singh says in one sense, Tendulkar, who turns 39 next month, is restricted by his own persona. “He has become the grand old man of Indian cricket… a la elder statesman than a player. That restricts more brands coming.”

     

    Mr Singh says what is keeping new brands away could also be the sheer number of endorsements. “He is endorsing 17; where is the scope for more?”

     

    Yet, many brands have not renewed contracts (see adjoining chart) with Tendulkar. He also now has few brands that cater to the young, except Coca-Cola and Adidas, an important segment for marketers. This is the upshot, says Mr Krishnamachar, of changing his portfolio of brands to reflect maturity and high-value categories.

     

    What about his brand value? Mr Santosh Desai, MD and CEO of Futurebrands India, says it isn’t what it was a few years ago. “Clearly, Tendulkar is in the evening of his career.” Mr Desai says the cricketer’s performance of late has been below par and because his century took a long time coming, there was fatigue associated with his feat. Taken together, it explains why Sachin hasn’t received new deals, he says.

     

    Whether Tendulkar wins new deals depends on how he evolves as a brand ambassador, says Mr Desai. “We have to wait and see… there is no clue from his current endorsements.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp

     

  • Sachin Tendulkar is one of today's top celebrity endorsers. But Brand Sachin's biggest strength is his ability to change with the times, MxMIndia finds out.

    Brand Sachin still on strong wicket

    Sachin Tendulkar launches G-Hanz Mobile

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    India collectively heaved a sigh of relief when Sachin Tendulkar finally reached his 100th 100. The long-chased milestone had become practically a national issue, and had also brought flak on the master blaster, especially speculation about his retirement. Sachin in his illustrious career has not only reached many cricketing milestones but along with that has also become the face of many popular brands in India. He has been seen in the ads of Pepsi, Visa, Aviva Life Insurance, Boost, Adidas, MRF, Britannia, Toshiba and Castrol India among others. In fact, Future Group has co-created the Sach brand along with Tendulkar which has products including toothpaste and bathing bars. The Sach brand proves the icon’s sheer clout, that a brand can be created with a varied range of products, and is considered a viable commercial option.

     

    Talking about brand Sachin, Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia said, “Brand Sachin is not just about cricket but it’s the persona that comes with the brand which is appealing. Sachin is a non-controversial, family man with high value systems. He is the son, father, husband, friend that one would want to have and his recognition is beyond the nation. He is a total package if one may say in terms of advertising jargon. He is a successful cricketer but along with that he is an endearing personality and therein lies his brand appeal.”

     

    Mr Pandey pointed out that Sachin has been able to last so long in his career and done so well only because he has been able to reinvent himself and adapted to changing times. The truth, after all, is that he is no more an 18-year-old and his reflexes will change with age but he has managed fantastically to adapt himself to this change. “Sachin is special and I can’t really think of any other person from cricket who has created such an impression. Rahul Dravid probably could come a close second. But Sachin is Sachin and beyond comparison. The only other name that comes to my mind who has successfully adapted himself with time is Amitabh Bachchan.”

     

    Looks like the naysayers can keep on debating on Sachin but the masses will continue to hold him in high regard despite the man himself saying: “I am not God, I am Sachin.” Prahlad Kakkar, ad filmmaker and CEO, Genesis Films who has worked with Sachin on many ad films said, “Sachin’s track record is impeccable and his dedication to cricket and the team is firm. His brand value lies in his courage, honesty and sincerity with which he plays. In fact, he is the real gentleman in this gentleman’s game.”

     

    He added, “Sachin is humble to the point of being irritating. There was a time when we had shot an ad with him knocking a ball with a fly swatter. When Sachin saw the final cut he was not happy with the use of the fly swatter and requested us to re-do the shot. We didn’t find anything wrong with the shot but Sachin had a point of view and we respected and understood his view and re-did the sequence. He has no ego and he is clear that the game always remains bigger than him.”

     

    Kakkar said that the Pepsi films, especially the one with the Sachin mask, “Sachin Ala Re”, remains his pick of the best Sachin film.

     

    Hemant Kenkre, former first class cricketer and communications specialist who has had seen Sachin play from close quarters, says that two qualities that stand out in Sachin’s personality is his ability to reinvent and his commitment to the game. Kenkre said, “Sachin delivers and that’s the bottom line. The cynics will be cynics and there will be talks of his retirement but I really can’t think of anyone from the younger lot who can replace him.”

     

    He added, “While people have been talking of the 100th ton, one should remember the 99 100s that he has scored before. I think his not getting the 100 was a minor bump towards this milestone. He is a man who is obsessed with the game and one can easily bank on him. His retirement is a personal issue and it will come the day he stops enjoying the game. In fact, his current brand value can be understood from the fact that his 100th 100 got 5-page coverage in TOI whereas the retirement of Dravid must have got him a one-page dedication!”

     

    So there could be speculation on Sachin getting old for the game, but people in the business vouch for his brand value which still remains consistent. Mustafa Ghouse, Head of Sport, Globosport categorically states that Sachin is still the most sought after cricketer in the country when it comes to endorsements. However, he has a point when he says that the brands that he will attract now will differ and will be for products that appeal to older age group like insurance. For youth brands he might not be appropriate.

     

    Manish Porwal, Managing Director at Alchemist Talent Solutions has a different view on the cricketer’s brand value. He said, “I think this is the first time but in the last two months brand Sachin has taken a beating. There has been criticism all across and this has taken a personal note than remaining professional. So there would have been some loss in terms of potential and revenues that would have come in from endorsements.”

     

    He added, “This however will be temporary. Indians have a skewed sense of loyalty and one success will again put him back on the pedestal. His equity so to say has fallen on account of his performance but this 100th 100 will give him the jolt and become a personal milestone because of so much speculation around it. However, in terms of his long-term brand persona and brand associations one should look at characters for brands that will express long-term maturity and consistency rather than stamina or performance.”

     

    Brand Sachin still remains strong and will remain strong in this cricket-crazy country. However, there is a feeling that the brand may have taken a temporary dip because of all the speculation and pressure on attaining the long-elusive 100th 100. However, the consistent view is confidence in Sachin’s ability to reinvent, hence his moving away from brands appealing to the youth, towards advertisers who look for traits like commitment and consistency. Qualities where Sachin fits the bill perfectly.

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp