The rise of Hardik Pandya – the new swag factor for brands

The last time when we had a great all-rounderwho created a buzz in international cricket was almost two decades back when Kapil Dev ruled the Indian cricket scene. For an allrounder to perform well in the cricketing world with consistent performance in the last few seasons from Hardik Pandya has been a tremendous feat. As we write this story, the fan following of Hardik stood at over 22 million on his Instagram account, 12 million on his Facebook account, while his followers on Twitter numbered at about 7.9 million. This figure will only climb if he continues to perform well.

With the big T-20 World Cup to follow in Australia next month, Pandya has a bigger canvas to prove that and he will be the most watched international cricketer in action Down Under, where we will have same great stars in action. Both the current brands whom he is aligned with and the new brands who want to leverage his potential will be closely observing his performance in the T-20 World Cup. His good performance will only further push up his endorsement fees.

The 28-year-old cricketer from Vadodara has been part of the India team for almost 6 years in both the test and the one-day teams. The recent Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan, which was a tight finish, has put Pandya on a high pedestal by the cricket followers and his popularity has really shot up to be the finisher of the team. What makes him more premium is also his leadership skills, which he proved in the last IPL by taking Gujarat Titans to win the IPL title. Currently Gulf Oil, D: FY, Eume Bags, Star India, Dream 11 and Sin Denim are some of the brands that Pandya endorses. More brands are likely to join the band wagon.

Pandya’s aggressive approach and his cool and agile characteristics can connect with many brands, starting from consumer technology to engine oils or a car battery. Over the last one year, he has also emerged has a good leader and his self-belief to bounce back after his injury has been appreciated by everyone who is following his cricketing ability and his acumen closely. According to industry reports, Pandya charges a minimum Rs 2 crore a day as his fees. Pandya is also highly active on social media and the confidence that he has developed in the last 6 to 8 months has made him key member of the current Indian team. While many critics were pointing out at his fitness, but he has managed that with lot of patience, and if he keeps focusing on his fitness and his performance, Pandya will be a super star where brands will just line up to leverage his brand equity.

Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and Marketing Expert who earlier headed marketing at PepsiCo, Motorola & HP Asia, remarked, “Over the past couple of years, Hardik Pandya has emerged as one of the cricketing world’s finest all-rounders with the ability to deliver in all formats of the game. He has been able to make his mark both with the bat and the ball with consistent performances and has also struck a chord on leadership with the way he spearheaded the Gujarat Titans in their maiden IPL appearance. His astute captaincy clearly stood out in their IPL triumph.”

Mathias further said that, “Given that he’s a star on the ascent, being just 28 years and with many of India’s seasoned stars on a relatively lean patch, he is emerging as a favourite among brand custodians – who typically look at least 3-year association with an ambassador, to ensure longevity of messaging.”

Pandya’s flamboyant personality is an added plus for brands as it lends itself to sharp communication combined with the fact that he tends to make news both on and off the field. “Over the next few years, he is clearly poised to be among the leading Indian cricketers on the brand ambassador roster,” Mathias added.

According to Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru &Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., Hardik Pandya is the new Virat Kohli as far as brand-endorsement money is concerned in India. “Yes, he will take 3-4 years to build his corpus of brands and their attendant monies, the way Kohli built and sustained. The important caveat is, however his game. A brand-endorser is only as good and popular as his game is. To that extent, it is important for Hardik Pandya to concentrate on his game and form.”

Nisha Sampath, Managing Partner, Bright Angles Consulting LLP, felt that Hardik Pandya could polarize the public opinion. She noted, “He loves to flaunt an expensive lifestyle, and he has loads of attitude and ‘swag’. This definitely captivates the younger section of the audience. On the other hand, Indians are culturally attuned to love sport stars who are humble, authentic and focused on their craft. Pandya’s attitude can backfire if his fitness or performance become issues in the future. The public may be less forgiving of him, than they are of a much-loved Rishabh Pant.”

Pandya’s larger-than-life persona makes him a perfect endorser for any lifestyle, fashion or luxury brand, and youth-focused brands like colas. His colourful Instagram account with huge fan following adds to his clout. But in the long term, his success will depend on evolving a more mature personality, and letting his performance speak louder than his lifestyle.