Brand Sindhu ushers in a new era for sportswomen as brand endorsers

It is turning out to be girl power at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 – Mirabah Chanu, PV Sindhu, Lovelina Borgohain, the women’s cricket team...all have done India immensely proud, with some high expectations lined up. Such a mix of diverse sports augurs well for the sports sponsorship landscape, wherein there are more non-cricket stars who can power brands’ engagement.

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PV Sindhu has emerged as a strong face for brands with her blazing performance on the badminton court. Winning a Bronze in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and a Silver in the Rio Olympics 2016 makes Sindhu the only Indian woman double Olympic medallist. This has increased her brand valuation, which according to Duff & Phelps’ Celebrity Brand Valuation 2018 report stood at $21.6 million.

While she might still not be in the league of the female movie star endorsers such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhat, etc., Sindhu currently endorses 10 brands, which include Visa India, Stayfree, Bank of Baroda, Bridgestone Tryes, Google India, PNB Metlife, among others. In 2019, Sindhu had signed a near Rs 50 crore deal with Chinese sports brand Li Ning.

What further makes Sindhu a perfect choice as a brand ambassador is her strong following across social media platforms of over 7.5 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Bridgestone is one of the brands that has roped in Sindhu as a brand Ambassador. Commenting o the brand’s association with the badminton player, Deepak Gulati, CMO, Bridgestone India, said, “When your brand ambassador makes history, it is indeed a moment of glory and pride. Padma Vibhushan PV Sindhu’s record-breaking performances, back-to-back, at two Olympics will definitely have a positive rub-off on Bridgestone’s visibility and brand recall. Ultimately, it also depends upon how brands leverage the opportunities and amplify the moment.”

He further said, “PV Sindhu’s journey personifies endurance and performance, key attributes of Bridgestone Tyres as well. And this is where the alignment has helped us for it is a unique situation, where the personal attributes of a brand ambassador align with the products attributes and offering.”

Neha Kant, Founder, Clovia, believed that the sports talent in India deserved all the laurels and luxury. “Sindhu’s remarkable contribution towards national pride must drive the best of brand associations for her and others as well. Acknowledging and getting recognition for ace sportswomen or men should not just be confined to cricket rather achievement in all the sports should be given equal importance and appreciation. We need it for younger talent to come up.”

Commenting on Sindhu’s second consecutive Olympic medal win, Ambika Sharma, MD & Founder, Pulp Strategy, remarked, “The stellar performance of PV Sindhu will, of course, have a positive rub-off effect of the brands she endorses. She is amongst the most marketable athletes globally and brings her stellar ethic and credibility to the brands associated with her. Her 2^nd Olympic medal will add to the brand attraction and we can hope to see her associated with a few more brands soon. She has a diverse set of brand partnerships already – we could see Software, automobiles, healthtech, fintech amongst others queuing up to strike gold with her.” 

Sindhu’s strong performance is expected to grow the portfolio of brands that she endorses in the coming weeks as she continues her winning streak. We will let Amul have the last word here, as the dairy brand called her ‘Windhu’.

(Edited and Additional Inputs by Shanta Saikia.)