(Priyanka Gupta, Intern Journalist)New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, former captain of Team India may have said goodbye to international cricket but his brand value is not only intact but is continuously increasing. Since January, Dhoni has entered into endorsement agreements with the Association of Mutual Funds in India, digital accounting platform Khatabook, smartphone company Oppo, and Isle of Man-based online poker company PokerStars.
Dhoni is also the brand ambassador of Dream 11, Bharat Matrimony, ITC’s Yippee Noodles, MasterCard, Snickers, Indigo Paints, TVS, and many more. He is also being well-liked in TV commercials during the current season of the Indian Premier League.
The brand has also shown advertisements for them in the prestigious T20 League to be held in the UAE this year. AdEx India, a unit of TAM Media Research, which ranks celebrity endorsements, ranked Dhoni second in its July ranking. It is up to six places from its previous month, higher than Bollywood actors (including Amitabh Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor). The current captain of Team India, Virat Kohli is only ahead of him.
It has also not been affected by the announcement of his retirement from international cricket in August. The brand value of the small-town boy who made India a 2-time world winner is very high. People aware of this said that he (Dhoni) currently supports 30 brands and charges an average of Rs 5 crore for a year from the brand associations.
Arun Pandey, promoter of Reeti Sports, said, “Dhoni has gone far beyond being just a cricketer, he is a brand that symbolizes aspiration and inspiration.” Pandey said that despite not appearing on the field in the last one year, Dhoni’s endorsement agreements have increased.
Dhoni last played for the Indian team in the World Cup semi-finals last year. He is currently heading the Chennai Super Kings captaincy in the 13th season of the IPL. Pandey said that three new agreements were to be announced during the IPL. Although they did not reveal the brand names.
Brand consultant Santosh Desai said, ‘People remember Dhoni in different ways. People know that he will not be able to play after IPL and on that basis, people are watching and liking him emotionally in the ads. He looks calm and like a leader.
Some advertisers are spending a lot of money on advertisements featuring the cricketer during the IPL. Some companies, including TVS and ITC, managed to shoot new spots during the tournament, while some other companies are running old advertisements. Indigo Paints, which signed Dhoni in early 2018, said the company had given ‘signs’ to the cricketer that they wanted to enter into an endorsement agreement for a further three years. The current agreement expires next April.
“There are many brands that are popping up during the IPL, but what do you do is popular,” said Hemant Jalan, founder of the company with a revenue of Rs 700 crore. Digital accounting platform Khatabook said they were looking for a person who would appeal to small shoppers on his customer base and Dhoni fit that profile.
Khatabook founder Ravish Naresh said that Bollywood stars are confined to the Hindi belt and do not have a pan-India appeal. The company had tied up with the cricketer earlier this year. ITC’s Divisional Chief Executive (Food Division) Hemant Malik said the association of Sunfeast with Dhoni will continue.
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