Cricket ain't the only gal in town

It is said of commandos that even if they can't strategise if you held a gun to their heads, they will always find a tactic to get it removed.

Marketing is a bit like that: you spot the opportunity and move in. That perhaps explains why cricketer's eyelashes are drooping while that of non-cricketers are fluttering so coyly.

Firm after firm is responding to the come-hither look. The line of suitors seeking endorsements from them grows by the day.

In mid-April, Jaypee Cements signed up three hockey players as brand ambassadors even as it continued to bat with Master Blaster Sachin, its star endorser. Hockey stars Sardar Singh, Sandeep Singh and Shivendra Singh reaped rich rewards with their fluent stick work. According to industry sources, the three together have netted a cool Rs 1.5 crore from this deal and will be soon seen in an ad campaign. Earlier, Jaypee had turned to shuttler Saina Nehwal to announce the company's entry in Andhra Pradesh where it commissioned a cement plant.

London dreams

With less than 90 days left for the London Olympics, the buzz around athletes who have qualified for the Olympics is growing as corporates are eyeing some of the medal hopefuls for brand endorsement deals. The buzz might not be as high as it is for our cricket stars, but team managers and advertising professionals believe this is just the beginning of a change.

Jaypee Cements said Nehwal is known for her consistent performance and has been ranked in the top few slots on the global ranking charts unlike some of the other well-known sports stars or glamorous faces.

Talking about the company's decision to rope in the hockey players, Askari Zaidi, Senior Vice-President, Jaypee Sports, says, “We want to connect with the youth through these hockey players who are the backbone of the Indian hockey team.

We also wanted to support the game as after many years the Indian hockey team is performing well.”

Stick it to them

IOS Sports and Entertainment Company is managing three other hockey players along with Sandeep Singh, Sardar Singh and Shivendra Singh. They are S. V. Sunil, Bharat Chettri and P. R. Sreejesh. It says it is in talks with a host of other companies keen to cash in on the growing buzz around hockey and the Olympics.

For instance, when Reebok launched its Cross-Fit trainers, besides cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Bollywood celebs Kunal Kapoor and Sarah Jane Dias, hockey players Sandeep Singh and Sardar Singh all stood on the same dais for the promotional event.

“The hockey players who we are managing are already associated with Jaypee Cement and sports apparel brand Reebok. We are in talks with a host of companies from soft drinks and juices to automotive companies who are interested in associating with them,” said Tarun Mehrishi, chief operating officer, IOS Sports and Entertainment.

Boxing doesn't come up short

While hockey players are trying to leverage the brand attention, boxing champion Vijender Singh and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal have already established themselves as hot properties on the brand endorsement circuit.

A senior talent manager says Saina Nehwal now commands the same price as a mid-ranking cricket star and she has as many as seven to eight endorsement deals. It's a big leg up for badminton.

Saina has endorsed Airtel, cooking oil Fortune, Herbalife as well as P&G's Whisper and is now said to charge around Rs 80 lakh-Rs 1 crore per endorsement.

Boxing champions are not far behind. Vijender Singh has earned endorsement deals for Mountain Dew, Nike, Gillette and Nestle while Sushil Kumar has endorsed brands such as Eicher trucks and Mountain Dew.

M.C. Mary Kom, the woman boxing star, has endorsed brands such as H&K Rolling Mills Engineering and P&G's Proud Mom's Olympic Campaign.

Joji George, CEO, Percept Sports & Entertainment, is behind various sports properties such as Flight Night for boxing and manages boxers Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar says, “As a talent management company we took a decision to sign some of the athletes based on their capability and groomed them. We also put efforts into making boxing popular through various sporting initiatives and got brands like Monnet Ispat to support the sport.” But he admits it's still not enough and “we need to have more corporate and Government support behind our athletes”.

While sporting stars from boxing, badminton, tennis and hockey have managed to get a place in the sun, other athletes still have a long way to go before they can garner brand endorsements.

Bunty Sajdeh, CEO, Cornerstone Sports & Entertainment, said, “More and more corporates are looking at alternative sports as affordable options for branding. They also want to break away from the clutter and invest in non-conventional sports. But it also depends on the attention around a sport and its players.”

Added Viren Rasquinha who heads Olympic Gold Quest, “There is a growing corporate interest to support athletes as well as non-cricket sports. But there is still a gap between interest and actual implementation.”

Goals to score before they earn

All this said, the fact remains that the amount athletes earn compared to film stars or cricketers is vastly lower. Lesser known hockey stars, for instance, get about Rs 8 lakh-10 lakh but better known hockey stars can each earn about Rs 20-25 lakh. Talent managers say this is lower than what B-list actors or mid-rung cricketers make from endorsements.

But sports managers believe this could all change as India is expected to do better than before at the London Olympics, as the preparation of the Indian contingent is far better and there are expectations that the country could win 6-8 medals.

“Since there is potential for medals in shooting, boxing and wrestling among others, all eyes are set on how players perform at the Olympics and better performance could lead to better eyeballs and more endorsement deals,” adds Mehrishi.

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