After creating history by scoring a double hundred during the Gwalior ODI, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is racing ahead in the brand endorsement space in India. Cashing in on Sachin’s recent achievements, a number of Indian companies are planning to launch new advertisement campaigns to promote their respective brands in competitive markets.
According to sports marketing agencies in India, the brand value of Tendulkar is likely to go up by 20-25% after his swashbuckling knock on Wednesday against South Afrcia. Very soon, Sachin will become the poster boy for many brands, starting from biscuits to mobiles, in the Rs 800-crore brand endorsement sector, predict analysts.
At present, Sachin has endorsement deals with 10 brands which include ITC (Sunfeast), Adidas , Future Group, Cannon, Reynold’s, Aviva Life Insurance and JK Cements. Currently, Sachin charges Rs 5 crore per brand and his brand value is pegged at Rs 55 crore, according to analysts. In addition to brand endorsements, Sachin also features in Mumbai Indians’ (IPL) power packed ad campaigns since last month.
On the growing popularity of Sachin, Mahesh Ranka, general manager, Relay India (the sports marketing division of Starcom MediaVest Group) said: ?Sachin’s brand value will now certainly go up. More importantly, many more brands will now want to be associated with Sachin after his spectacular performance against South Africa on Wednesday?
A few years ago, Sachin was endorsing brands such as Pepsi and Boost among others.
Sharing similar sentiments, Melroy Dsouza, COO of Professional Management Group (PMG), sports marketing unit of Madison World, said many Indian brands who want to be leaders in their respective fields would now opt for Sachin as their brand ambassador. ?With his spectacular performance in Gwalior, Sachin has added yet another feather to his cap. Of course, his brand value will go up rapidly. We will see many new ad campaigns featuring him in the next two-three months,? he added.
Echoing similar views, R Balki, chairman of Lowe Lintas, said Indian advertisers would surly capitalise on Sachin’s success by launching new ad campaigns to popularise their brands. ?Sachin’s brand value is already at an all-time high. And he already has many endorsement deals under his belt,? he added.
According to industry sources, ITC Foods is planning to launch a new ad campaign featuring Sachin Tendulkar to promote its brand Sunfesat.
?Like ITC, other companies are expected to join Sachin’s brand wagon,? said a leading advertising practitioner based in Mumbai.
According to Sam Balsara, chairman of Madison World, Sachin’s brand value has weakened because of age and familiarity in the last few years, ?But now, his brand value has become firm once again. Existing brands will get fatter bills when they renew Sachin’s contracts. Capitalising on his recent success, companies will soon launch new ad campaigns highlighting his power and energy,? he added.
In the brand endorsement race, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is just a wee behind Tendulkar (Rs 5 crore per brand) in terms of durability.