Is it curtains for ‘Brand’ Sachin after retirement?

Sachin Tendulkar’s success is not just due to his own efforts, but partially due to the era in which he debuted for India. His peak period came almost at a time when the Indian economy experienced a major boom, following Manmohan Singh’s policy of LPG (liberalization, privatisation and globalization) in order to remove the country from bankruptcy. The western trend of consumerism was on the up in India.

When business houses wish to sign a sportsperson as their brand ambassador, they generally look for two things – Consistent on field performances and the values that the person possesses which are similar to their brand. Looks could be another factor, but not everything. According to a survey in the 90s, Sachin was considered to be the most recognized face in the whole of India with SRK coming second.

World Sport Group’s late Mark Mascerenhas was way ahead of his time when he offered Sachin 25 crore rupees for 3 years, wishing to be his business manager. It turned out to be a deal which changed Indian cricket for good, as he endorsed unknown products and made them popular such as Boost and Action Shoes as well as well established brands such as Pepsi and MRF.

Tendulkar for the most of his career has been perhaps the most trusted figure and the pride or hope of a billion people to lead a contented life. As a result, he has generally endorsed products meant for the masses rather than the classes. 

However, the inevitable has happened. Now that Tendulkar would no longer be seen hitting those delightful straight drives or the upper cuts, life without cricket would be hard for him to live for a while at least. His only hope perhaps, is to cash in on his name and past glory.

Businesses at the end of the day want to mint money after spending so much on ads, even if someone like Sachin is their brand ambassador. Nowadays, they look to target the youth which is the largest segment of population in the country. With Sachin being the granddad of Indian cricket, he may not attract many to consume as much as MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli.

For him, the best option could be endorsing either real estate firms or services such as airlines, insurance, banks, education and healthcare for example which appeal to a mature audience or to people who want a safe return on investment in the long run. His earnings will reduce drastically since out of all companies, FMCGs spend the most on advertising.

So, Brand Sachin is likely to suffer after November since a saying goes ‘Who is seen the most, sells the most.’