Caught in the crosshairs now and then, the world of cinema and cricket might not be losing their lustre yet as the hunting ground for brand ambassadors, but advertisers certainly are scouting for younger faces that could launch or build salience for their brands. Indeed, the celebrity status of athletes from non-cricketing fields has generated interest among brands looking to stand out in the clutter.
Lakshya Sen, the new poster boy of Indian badminton, Nikhat Zareen, who won the Women’s World Boxing Championships this year, Mumbai Indians opener Ishan Kishan, and Simran Bahadur, who got a lot of praise for her heroic effort in the final of the 2022 Women’s T20 Challenge, have certainly caught their attention. Will that convert into blockbuster endorsement deals? Not immediately, but experts say consistency of performance will go a long way in determining their brand equity and shelf life.
While Nikhat Zareen is an Adidas endorser and is in talks with a soft drink brand, Lakshya Sen already is the face of Herbal Life and is in talks with a handful of energy brands that cater to young people. The endorsement value for both, according to Vishal Jaison, co-founder, Baseline Ventures India, is in the range of `50-60 lakh per advertisement. The two have been recently signed on by the sports marketing and brand licensing firm.
Jaymin Shah, managing director, Scott Sports India (the company is associated with motorsports athletes Harith Noah, CS Santosh, and Aishwarya Pissay), suggests that athletes including Sen, Zareen, Kishan, and Bahadur embody the spirit of sports and live their passion and hence wellness, fitness, and outdoor active brands would be the right fit. These youngsters are building inspiration among the youth today to engage in sports other than cricket. Mimi Deb, SVP, Zenith, adds that marketers should leverage the new-age sports stars as influencers rather than endorsers. It’s a symbiotic relationship, the sport gains from the brand, and the brand gains from these rising stars.
Brands and advertisers rarely looked past cricket in the past, but with the glory that these young athletes have brought to the country, brands are very seriously investing in them, opines Arun Pandey, CMD, Rhiti Sports Management (which has on-boarded Chess Grand Master Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa recently). All new talent is welcome as it expands the choice pool for brands but warns Sandeep Goyal, MD, Rediffusion Brand Solutions, the newcomers need to cross a minimum threshold in terms of visibility and recognition before they become potent choices for brands.
More than cricket
Cricketers dominate the celebrity-endorsed segment of the `88,334 crore advertising pie in India. A TAM AdEx report on celebrity endorsement says such ads saw a 44% growth in 2021 as opposed to 2020. In terms of ad volume share on television, 27% constituted celebrity endorsed ones. Of this, film stars cornered more than 80% share in 2021, followed by sports persons and TV stars, at 13% and 3% each. Among sports personalities, over 90% share would have gone to cricketers, say analysts; the balance would be non-cricket celebrities.
Ujjwal Anand, executive vice-president, Dentsu Impact, says this year will see a surge in sports celebrity endorsement, along with non-cricket endorsers. He expects the the cricket and non-cricket endorsement ratio to settle at 80:20 or even 75:25 in a few years.
The signs of change are for all to see. Neeraj Chopra toppled most Indian cricketers in terms of brand endorsement fee after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Dentsu’s Anand makes a pertinent point here: Advertisers must stop using individual sports champions as a quick revenue churner after their latest win and chart out a long-term plan for them instead.
Will the new curbs on celebrity endorsements put a spanner in the works? Not if they show the same sense of responsibility and diligence off the field as they display on it, say analysts.
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