Sachin Tendulkar@50: Brands bowled over as ‘God of Cricket’ approaches half-century

On April 24, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar turns 50. It will not be a quiet celebration for the master blaster as an adoring nation is already pouring out its love, paying tributes in unique ways to the ‘God of cricket’. Tendulkar’s golden birthday will be studded with solitaires, statues, books and more even as his own brand valuation soars high this year.

Tanishq has launched a solitaire collection ‘Celeste x Sachin Tendulkar’. The collection crafted with the same precision and perfection that marks the cricketer’s brilliant strokes pays tribute to the legend’s remarkable achievements, which include a 100 international centuries.

“Sachin, Brilliant by Design!”

Tanishq says it is presenting 100 limited edition “Sachin x Celeste’ solitaires in the D-Flawless 1 Carat category, which is prized for exceptional colour and clarity. Every Sachin x Celeste special edition solitaire comes with an exclusive coffee table book, “Sachin, Brilliant by Design!”

To mark Tendulkar’s milestone birthday, the Mumbai Cricket Association will install a life-size statue of the cricketer inside the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, his home pitch. This is likely to be unveiled during the World Cup later this year, according to reports.

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Publishing house Simon & Schuster is paying tributes in rich prose to the global icon with a special book Celebrating a Maestro – Sachin@50. The book has original essays and pieces by his wife Anjali Tendulkar, his brother Ajit Tendulkar, cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, David Warner as well as big names from other fields such as Abhinav Bindra, Farhan Akhtar, Prahlad Kakkar and Viswanathan Anand.

“The idea was to capture the enigma of Sachin Tendulkar through the eyes of a select list of people who have known him closely over the years. While it seems like a monumental task, it’s through the anecdotes and experiences of his colleagues, opponents, family members and friends, that we aimed to understand the phenomenon and how one man has been able to deal with the expectations of a billion people for so many decades,” says Sayantan Ghosh, executive editor, Simon & Schuster.

Sachin Tendulkar stepping in to bat during his last and 200th cricket Test match between India and West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15, 2013 | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

The former India captain who retired from cricket ten years ago after his 200th Test match still commands a massive fan following – indeed, ever since the star began posting endearing vignettes from his life on Instagram – from cooking to travel to his love for dogs – the adulation has only increased. Brand Sachin is hitting it out of the park now.

According to Kroll’s Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022, Tendulkar climbed up to the eighth rank with a brand valuation of $73.6 million in 2022 from the 11th rank in 2021.

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Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Valuation Advisory Services, Kroll says, “His brand position in the industry has been built on his exceptional cricketing ability and world records, humble and approachable personality, and his unwavering commitment to promote sports culture. And this has helped him garner significant engagement on digital platforms as well, with more than 115 million followers on social media platforms.”

A darling of brands

Tendulkar is as sound a bat on the advertising pitch as on the cricket ground. And he has played a long innings with several brands. Take Luminous Power Technologies.

Neelima Burra, Senior VP and Chief Strategy, Transformation and Marketing Officer of Luminous Power Technologies, describes how Tendulkar has been a significant brand ambassador for the company since 2010.

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“With his powerful brand image, Sachin has helped Luminous to gain credibility, reliability and trust among its customers. Moreover, Sachin’s association with Luminous has helped the brand to enhance its visibility and attract new consumers with every new launch of category and business. He is a valuable asset for Luminous, and his contribution in creating brand awareness and engagement is one of its kind in the industry,” Burra said.

According to Jain of Kroll, “Brand Sachin is seen as a symbol of unity and national pride, and often associated with values such as hard work, dedication, and trustworthiness.”

Strong endorsement portfolio

He points to how Tendulkar has built a strong endorsement portfolio over the years with more than 15 brands ranging from financial services to consumer durables to personal care. He is also the face of several new age companies like Rario and Spinny.

“These partnerships have helped him cement his position being amongst top 10 brand ambassadors in our country,” says Jain.

According to sources, Reliance Industries is planning something big on the occasion of the birthday of Tendulkar, who was the first captain of Mumbai Indians.

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As Ajimon Francis, Managing Director of Brand Finance, says, “Sachin has deftly preserved his goodwill amongst audiences and brands by being a deep repository of cricketing knowledge and insight. Sachin is Mumbai’s golden boy in many ways. He is still a living and breathing mascot for that team, and the owner of Mumbai Indians, Reliance, has also been in consistent collaboration with Sachin, lending him considerable support and providing opportunities.”

And as Sandeep Goyal, President of Rediffusion, sums up, “Sachin is greying with grace. He continues to be seen to be ‘expert’, ‘trustworthy’, ‘dependable’ and ‘honest’. This means his personal brand continues to be relevant and relatable even today.”

(With inputs from Ayushi Kar)

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