Brand Team India on sticky wicket for now

MUMBAI: Just a few months back he was being touted as the one with the Midas touch, but things have changed dramatically for Indian skipper M S Dhoni and his World Cup-winning side after the Test series debacle in England.
The brand value of the team and that of some players may take a big knock if Dhoni’s men continue with their downward slide in form.This could have a long-term impact on the brand perception of the team, said experts. Cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina saw their endorsement price soar after the euphoric World Cup win in April this year.
“There needs to be a complete change in the processes as far as managing the game goes. We are relying on the top guys who will retire soon. There needs to be a re-haul in the system. Brands are already looking at other options away from cricket,” said Indranil Blah, vice-president, Kwan Entertainment, a sports & celebrity management firm.
The four-match Test series will be followed by a five-match one-day series, which many think will hold the key to the team’s overall perception. “The euphoria will return if the team wins the one-day series. So it’s too early to write off the team,” said Jeet Banerjee of Gameplan, a sports management agency.
Kapil’s Devils had suffered a thrashing at the hands of the West Indies just after lifting the 1983 World Cup. Clive Lloyd’s side had dominated the newly crowned world champions in a home series soon after suffering a shock defeat in the finals of the Prudential Cup.
But the present day cricketers are bound to face backlash in a more volatile world of business and sports. Shailendra Singh, joint MD, Percept, said, “It was a spine-less loss. While cricket, the sport, will not get affected, the business of cricket is going to get hurt. Brands are not emotional about cricket and are rightfully looking for good returns on investment. The recent defeat will have an impact on cricketers’ ratings. When we won the World Cup, Dhoni’s ratings had gone up. Now, when we have lost, the same should come down as well.”
A lot of the blame for India’s loss is also being directed towards the BCCI, which is responsible for the back-to-back schedule of the team resulting in injuries and a poor performance from players. The big brands, with a lot at stake in the game, may ask tough questions on the way the sport is being managed, said experts. Mobile services brand Airtel recently pulled out of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament citing low viewership ratings and, instead, ploughed in money into Formula One.
But brands like Canon and Dabur, with Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni as their respective brand ambassadors, have a long-term view on the game. Japanese imaging and optical products major, Canon, which had plans to unveil a campaign to celebrate Tendulkar’s 100th century, is still optimistic. “It would have been great to break the campaign now considering it is the festive season, but the respect for a player like Sachin is not inter-twined with his performance,” said Alok Bharadwaj, senior VP, Canon India.
Praveen Jaipuriar, marketing head, health supplements, Dabur India, said, “We should look at the big picture and that shows that Dhoni’s achievements far outweigh this single series loss.”