Sachin Tendulkar spells aspiration. A young boy’s aspiration to become a master blaster, a father’s aspiration to see his son grow up into a Sachin, and of course, with things as they are with the Indian cricket team, there is a need for many ‘Sachins’. Even after all these years, brand Sachin remains strong and corporates still make a beeline for getting Sachin Tendulkar to endorse their products. ‘Brand Tendulkar has eroded’, ‘His change of style from an attacker to a subdued player has affected his brand’, ‘Non performance and defeat have reduced his brand value’ – there has been much speculation, and may be some of it is justified too. However, Hansa Research’s Celebrity Track Study clearly indicated that Sachin Tendulkar, like Amitabh Bachchan is right on top of people’s mind. Statistics show that he commands Rs. 6.5 -7 crore per endorsement, compared to Rs. 1-1.5 crore charged by Dravid, Sehwag, and Ganguly. That Sachin Tendulkar is a great cricketer is a universal fact. But he is also a magnificent brand. He does come under the scanner as expectations are high on field and one sees the curly haired, chubby face of Sachin dominating hoardings and television screens off the field. It is no accident that he endorses top brands like Adidas, Pepsi, Boost, MRF, and Sunfeast. He has captured the imagination of marketers like no other cricketer or any other sportsperson. Can you imagine Beckham endorsing biscuits or Michael Jordan selling tyres? Sachin does all this and with aplomb. His rise as a brand has gone hand in hand with the surfeit of television and a frenzied fan following for the game and the man himself in India. Brand Sachin is big and it will only get bigger if coupled with great performance on field. Is Sachin really good? Or is he just a product of hype that surrounds our times? What are your views on the Sachin’s brand recall value? |
