While the nation awaits master blaster Sachin Tendulkar?s 100th international century, which has eluded him for almost a year now, most brands endorsed by him have created customised campaigns around the impending ?Century of Centuries? moment. The wait, however, has been lengthy for marketers and advertisers.
Sachin endorses about 20 brands cutting across segments, from food and beverages (Sunfeast, Boost) to cellular services (Airtel) and consumer electronics (Toshiba, Canon) to banking (Royal Bank of Scotland) and insurance services (Aviva Life Insurance), and charges
R6-7 crore per ad.
?It will be a monumental event and a record which probably can?t be broken,? says a spokesperson of Coca Cola India, which roped in Sachin as its ?Happiness? ambassador. In July last year, three months after Sachin scored his 99th century against England in the ICC World Cup, the beverage maker rolled out its ?100 commemorative cans series? with inscriptions of Sachin?s face on every can.
Once Sachin reaches the milestone, Coke is set to launch its ?Tenth Can? series ? picking statistics from one of out every ten hundreds scored by the master and inscribing it on the can. ?When the 100 is scored, the entire nation will be in a state of frenzy. We would like to cash in on that pulse,? says the spokesperson.
Japanese camera maker Canon, which created a ?100 Great Moments? campaign with Sachin four months ago, is yet to launch it in the market. ?The campaign is ready and we?re waiting for that one century,? says Alok Bharadwaj, senior vice-president, Canon India. ?It will inspire people to capture hundred great moments of their life with a Canon camera.?
The wait for this elusive 100th century has been lengthy for marketers and advertisers as Sachin has struggled to cross that final frontier. Though advertisers don?t stand to lose much monetarily, the wait has got frustrating, say brand experts and consultants.
?Celebrity endorsements normally have boring and predictable scripts; hence marketers are viewing Sachin?s 100th century as an excitement factor,? says Ramanujam Sridhar, chief executive officer of Brand-Comm, a brand building and consulting agency. ?They will use this opportunity aggressively and special campaigns will do the rounds on all platforms.?
Aviva Life Insurance, which roped in Sachin as its brand ambassador in 2007 to add trust and credibility to its brand image, plans to celebrate the moment through internal communication as well as a 360 degree media campaign.
?Sachin has been a great national fit for us and we have lined up something special for him,? says Gaurav Rajput, director ? marketing, Aviva Life Insurance. The company, however, declined to give specifics of the campaign. ?We have portrayed him not only as a cricket icon, but as a protective guardian of the family, and will persist with this sentiment,? Rajput adds.
While most brands are looking to seize Sachin?s moment of glory, some companies like Adidas, which has been associated with the iconic cricketer for over 15 years, plans to adopt a more subtle approach.
?We have not had any opportunistic relationship with Sachin and every run he scores is a special moment for us,? says Tushar Gokuldas, brand director, Adidas. ?So we are not hung up about the 100th century and will view it as any other milestone of his career.?
wait ?N? Watch
*Coke is set to launch its ?Tenth Can? series ? picking statistics from one of out every ten hundreds scored by the master and inscribing it on the can
*Japanese camera maker Canon, which created a ?100 Great Moments? campaign with Sachin four months ago, is yet to launch it in the market
*Aviva Life Insurance plans to celebrate the moment through
internal communication as well as a 360 degree media campaign
*Adidas, which has been associated with Sachin for over 15 years, says they have not had an opportunistic relationship and every run he scores is special
