A brand called Dhoni

Take a quick look at some of the biggest new brands created in India over the past decade. Airtel, Sunfeast, Indigo Airlines, IPL, Fastrack, Big Bazaar, Tata Sky.…and, of course, M.S. Dhoni. The handsome cricketer who will lead us into our World Cup chase later this month has, within a short span of 10 years, also become one of our country's most admired brands.

In the mad world of cricket, he has conquered virtually all frontiers that he has gazed on. In a recent survey of Indian youth (HT Youth Survey 2011), he has emerged as one of the best living role models, rubbing shoulders with the likes of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Gandhi. His name enjoys universal and positive recognition across our vast and diverse nation.

What makes Dhoni such a powerful brand? In this brief article, we attempt to understand his phenomenal brand appeal.

Core value of Brand Dhoni

As marketing professionals, we know that every successful brand needs to have a very strong core, which appeals greatly to its target consumers. For instance, the desire for “real beauty” is the core value of Dove, one of the strongest brands in the Unilever portfolio. In a very different sphere, “leadership with trust” is at the core of Tata, one of India's finest and most respected brands.

Similarly, we believe that the core of brand Dhoni is a “cool determination to win, overcoming all odds”. Millions of fans have seen him lead the Indian team into the most challenging circumstances, and emerge victorious time after time. Most importantly, he has done so with a remarkably unflappable temperament. Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands, once said about Dhoni: “There is a Neanderthal, almost eerie sense of cool about him which says, I back myself and my team without fear.”

This cool determination to win against all odds is visible not merely on the cricket field, but in virtually all aspects of Dhoni's life, which makes him a brand with a very consistent core. He hails from the small town of Ranchi, in Jharkhand — certainly not a place known for its cricket infrastructure or heroes.

Despite the lack of strong support systems which a Mumbai or Bangalore may have offered a budding cricketer, he rose to win big-time by becoming Captain of the Indian cricket team. When one of the authors of this article met Dhoni in Mumbai earlier this month, he spoke about how he once rode a motorbike on an airstrip, competing against a fighter aircraft, and determined to win. Once again, the same determination to win, whatever the odds.

This core value of brand Dhoni appeals greatly to all of us in India, cutting across socio-economic groups and regions, because all of us want to win in life, and most of us face significant odds in this journey — whether it be lack of infrastructure, inadequate resources, or corruption at so many levels. No wonder Dhoni has become such a big brand!

Brand Promise

The core value of a brand has to be anchored in its brand promise, which represents what the brand delivers to its consumers at all times. Brand Dhoni offers three clear elements of promise, completely aligned to its core.

First, Dhoni delivers to all of us the pleasure of victory far more often than the pain of losing. His record of captaincy speaks for itself. He has led India in 24 test matches, winning 14 and losing only three. In one-day internationals (ODIs), he has won 52 encounters for our country, losing only 27.

He has led us to winning the T-20 World Cup in 2007, India's most heralded triumph since its 1983 World Cup victory. He has achieved these victories by inspiring his team to perform at peak levels, and putting the team's performance above his own. Indeed, brilliant players such as Sachin Tendulkar have achieved their best test batting averages while playing under Dhoni's captaincy.

Second, his own consistent performance has always reflected his determination to win. With an amazing batting average of 40 runs in 54 test matches, and an ODI average of 49 runs in 177 matches. What makes his performance record even more impressive is that his batting averages have become better after he has assumed the privileged but onerous responsibility of captaincy.

In his 24 tests as Indian Captain, he has averaged 50.16 runs, and in 93 ODIs as Captain his average is 52.87. Not many Captains can boast of such numbers. Once again, this is fully aligned to the core value of brand Dhoni — the drive to win, overcoming all pressures or odds.

Third, he has delivered these results in a manner which has always been exciting and energising to watch. Big hitting, flamboyant captaincy and the penchant for taking risks have made this possible.

This combination of consistent delivery and constant excitement makes any brand appealing to consumers, and so it has been in Dhoni's case.

Contrast this with excellent cricketers such as Virendra Sehwag (who is equally exciting to watch, but nowhere as consistent) or Rahul Dravid (consistent performer, but nowhere as exciting), and you understand why Dhoni is such a big brand. Perhaps only giants such as Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev can be compared on the same count.

Of course, brands can never rest on their laurels or core values however appealing these are, they have to necessarily live up to their promise year after year. This will also be true for brand Dhoni in the seasons ahead.

Brand Personality

The personality of a brand has to sit very well with its core values and promise, and it also has to be very aspirational to consumers. Here again, brand Dhoni scores brilliantly. At the outset, Dhoni symbolises vibrant youthfulness, which is aspirational across age-groups in our country.

A large part of India is young, and the rest of India wishes to look and feel young. Therefore, his youthful appeal cuts across India's demography.

He is physically very fit, again an aspiration for most Indians — and which also perhaps explains why he is not too worried about a second wicketkeeper not being included in India's World Cup team! He also has a naturally macho image, with his love for bikes and guns and fighter aircraft, his changing hairstyles and his friendship with the likes of John Abraham.

On the cricketing field and out of it, Dhoni comes through as carefree and cool in all his interactions, which adds directly to his core brand value. Earlier this month, at an event organised by our Sonata brand of wrist watches, he was interviewed on a range of topics by the Managing Director of our Company, Bhaskar Bhat, and he answered every question with great aplomb, even breaking into a Hindi film song with absolute ease! It was a pleasure seeing him handle every question deftly, which demonstrated yet again that part of his cool is because he is so intelligent and quick on his feet.

Very importantly, Dhoni's penchant and capacity for risk-taking in challenging situations adds directly and significantly to his brand image. You only have to reflect on that single moment when he gave Joginder Sharma the ball in the T-20 World Cup finals. And many more such occasions which have reinforced in our minds that success is what really matters to him, whatever be the risky road that leads to victory.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dhoni's brand personality is the respect and humility which he displays, not merely to the cricketing fraternity, but towards everyone he meets and interacts with.

This reflects his strong middle-class values, his origins in a part of the country which has been the crucible of Indian culture and civilisation, and, of course, the simple person that he is. It enhances the esteem and love which Indians have for him, and as marketers we know that when consumers love a brand so much, it is always on a winning wicket.

Harish Bhat is Chief Operating Officer – Watches, Titan Industries Ltd. Somprabh Singh is Senior Manager – Marketing, Titan, and a cricket buff. These are their personal views.

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