Brand Kohli sizzles after Ind-Pak T20 World Cup thriller

NEW DELHI : After clinching a win against Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup thriller, brand Virat Kohli is likely to rise up the endorsement rankings further, advertising consultants said.

Despite ruling the rankings, the former Indian cricket captain’s brand value dipped 21% from $237.7 million in 2020 to $185.7 million in 2021, said a report by Kroll , formerly Duff & Phelps, a consultancy.

Artimas Fashions Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Lux Industries, which retails inner-wear and sleepwear under Kohli’s One8 brand, said it witnessed a 15% spike in sales after the match.

Kohli’s performance may ensure more brand endorsements, said industry experts. In fact, brands that were considering dropping him will be forced to retract their decisions at least in the near future, said Sandeep Goyal, advertiser and managing director, Rediffusion.

Independent consultant Harish Bijoor said if King Kohli continues with his form for the remainder of the tournament, he will have more brands vying for him. “All brand endorsers are as good as their game. New brands will queue up for him as they tend to punt on such developments. Therefore, one can expect brands to lay advance bets on him.“

Communication strategy consultant Karthik Srinivasan said Kohli will be in greater demand at least for the short-term with brands like MRF, which shot an ad featuring him on the following day.

While a certain section was predicting the end of the road for Kohli, the masses had not lost their respect for him. “One of the brands he endorses was quick to ride on his success to release an ad campaign. Other brands will be quick to ride on the wave," said Deepak Kumar, country head, The Story Lab - dentsu India.

“His brand value is not conditional on one good performance or one bad performance; it’s his consistency and ability to stay positive even in adverse situations that defines him," said Artimas managing director, Nischal Puri. However, since the win against Pakistan was during the weekend and Diwali was on the following day, client interest can’t be gauged in such a short time, Rediffusion’s Goyal said.

Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, e-sports and sports, GroupM South Asia, said brand Kohli has remained resilient in recent years, despite his lean patch.

According to GroupM’s 2021 edition of Sporting Nation in the Making report, Kohli led sports endorsement in India with a value of over ₹250 crore and added four brands to his list.

To be sure—by value, cricketing sponsorship cornered an 87% share of the overall sports sponsorship in 2021. In cricket, the top endorsers for the year were former skippers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni followed by Rohit Sharma.

Karnik said in 2022 the number of brands endorsed by Kohli have likely gone up. “I don’t believe that his brand got impacted—because if you look at the endorsement numbers they have only gone up; if you see the investments he has done they have only multiplied over the last few years," he said. The recent win against Pakistan will be a “big boost" to brand Kohli, he said.

In March, Kohli joined packaged coffee brand Rage Coffee as an investor and brand ambassador. Then in September, Kohli and his partner Anushka Sharma joined oral-care start-up Toothsi as brand ambassadors.

“In the mid-to-long term, brand Kohli with this innings will go to a different level altogether. But in the short-term this will benefit the Team India campaign in the World Cup as well the following series," he said.

There are not many categories left for Kohli to endorse, explained Karnik. However, several of his endorsement deals are coming up for renewals. “These are long-term relations and they will all come up for renewal soon," he added.

To be sure—Kohli can charge anywhere between ₹5 - 8 crore per day as part of an endorsement deal. Over the years, he has also invested in a clutch of start-ups.

Based on the previous Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2021 titled, Digital Acceleration 2.0, the Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps said the India versus Pakistan victory came unexpectedly from a cricketer who not many were expecting would deliver a winning performance in the match.

“His celebrity presence had seen a downward trend last year. But overall he added new endorsements in 2022 including brands like Blue Tribe, Livspace and Rage Coffee. His social media presence, too, is fairly strong and growing with more than 320 million followers across platforms. For now, brands would want to know if he can take the team to the finals or not. He is also projecting a more mature cricketer image, mirroring that of MS Dhoni’s who had similarly left captaincy. With bat talking, he should be able to stem his brand value loss," said Jain.

Brands that engage with the cricketer allude to Kohli's appeal among a wide set of consumers that cuts across categories he endorses.

Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, at sportswear company Puma India & Southeast Asia, said having Kohli promote the brand has played a crucial part in the brand's success in the Indian market. Kohli has endorsed brand Puma since 2017. “He has been a key member of the Puma family since 2017 and has played a crucial part in our success in the Indian market. He has connected the PUMA brand with a wide set of consumers because of his broad-based appeal. Virat’s popularity is unparalleled, making him one of the most marketable Indian personalities ever. Virat has once again proven that he continues to be a champion on the pitch. His popularity will keep soaring," he said.

Meanwhile, Bharat Sethi, Founder & CEO, Rage Coffee added that consumer affinity for Virat Kohli remains strong. Kohli is both an investor and brand ambassador for the coffee brand. “From our lens, his brand value is currently at the highest. The knowledge of consumers in India about Kohli is also at an all-time high. He has a huge audience and following on Instagram, people connect with him and look up to him for all that he does for the game and the country," he said.

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