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Tag: Indranil Das Blah

  • KWAN realigns its management team, readies itself for the next level of growth

    KWAN realigns its management team, readies itself for the next level of growth

    MUMBAI: In a major management reshuffle, KWAN Entertainment, India’s largest entertainment marketplace connecting investors, brands, and artists, has announced the appointment of its founding partners Indranil Das Blah and Vijay Subramaniam as its Co-CEOs. In the new role, the veteran duo will manage the day-to-day operations and the agency business at KWAN. The move is aimed at leveraging their combined extensive experience in the fields of entertainment, media, sports, and music to drive the company to the next level of its growth.

    The latest development will also see KWAN’s Founder Anirban Das Blah take on a more evolved strategic role, in which he will guide the firm’s long-term vision, strategy, and growth as its promoter. The move will additionally give Anirban, a prominent name in the entertainment and media landscape, the opportunity to diversify his professional interests to other business ventures such as Mojostar (cofounded with Jiggy George) as an investor, promoter, and mentor.

    Other members of the KWAN senior leadership team will continue in their current roles. Co-founder Madhu Mantena will continue to drive the evolution of KWAN into a diversified media and entertainment company, along with Anirban. Founding partner Dhruv Chitgopekar continues to spearhead its brand and consumer incubation initiatives.

    Indranil Das Blah, Founding Partner and Co-CEO – KWAN Entertainment

    Having started out as an Assistant Manager (Sales & Marketing) at sports marketing firm TSM in 2002, Indranil has since carved a name for himself in the fields of brand sales, celebrity endorsements, and sports marketing. He joined tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport as the Head of its Delhi office in 2004 and worked closely with him on all sports-related initiatives for Globosport. By 2008, he had risen to the rank of Head of Sales and Sports at Globosport and, by 2015, had played an instrumental role in some of India’s biggest sporting events. This included getting sponsorships for 3WTA and 2 ATP tennis events, as well as initiatives aimed at the grassroots level, such as the Apollo Tyres Mission.

    Indranil co-founded KWAN Entertainment in 2009. Under his leadership, the sports division at KWAN today manages many leading sports franchises in India, including Ranbir Kapoor-owned Mumbai City FC and Sanjay Dutt’s cricket franchise Leo Lions (part of the Masters’ Champions League in the UAE). The team manages multiple athletes and has been instrumental in securing over 200 sponsorship and endorsement deals in the last five years.

    Vijay Subramaniam, Founding Partner and Co-CEO – KWAN Entertainment

    A mechanical engineer by education, Vijay came to realise that his real passion was entertainment. As a result, he joined Globosport as an intern and swiftly rose up the ranks to head the company’s business in South India. During his tenure at Globosport, Vijay established the company’s LIVE touring business and spearheaded sales across brands and corporates in the southern region. He also successfully managed several big-ticket events, including the WTA Sunfeast Open in 2008, and the countrywide Royal Stag Saif Ali Khan Rock Tour.

    As a co-founder and partner at KWAN, Vijay has been responsible for running various business verticals such as brand sales, live entertainment, television, music, and content. His in-depth knowledge of brands, live events, and films, coupled with an analytical business approach, have played a critical role in identifying several key growth and expansion opportunities for KWAN, and established Vijay as one of the experts in the entertainment industry. He also manages some of the country’s biggest and most talented Bollywood stars such as Deepika Padukone, Pritam, Shraddha Kapoor etc.

    Speaking on the management rejig, Anirban Das Blah, Founder – KWAN Entertainment, said, “Having helmed KWAN for almost a decade now, I feel the time is right for me to hand over the reins of its day-to-day operations to Indranil and Vijay. They’re both extremely talented individuals who’ve been associated with KWAN from day one, and have proved their business management acumen time and again by driving exponential growth for their respective verticals. With them spearheading KWAN’s business operations as Co-CEOs, I have no doubt that the firm will continue to grow at a rapid pace, evolving and expanding in sync with the rapidly-changing entertainment and media ecosystem of the country.”

    Indranil Das Blah added, “This is a big moment for me, personally and professionally. The KWAN family is extremely close to my heart and has been a big part of my professional endeavours over a large part of my career. I am eager to take on this new role and the responsibility that it brings, and uphold the faith that the team at KWAN has bestowed upon me.”

    Vijay Subramaniam said, “For me, the KWAN journey has been nothing short of a dream fulfilled. I feel honoured and privileged to be able to continue the good work that we have achieved as a team over the years. I am confident that, with Anirban guiding the company’s strategic vision, Indranil and I will add more milestones to KWAN’s ongoing success story by leading the company into the next phase of its growth.”

    Since its inception, KWAN has created an extensive popular culture universe in India comprising leading Bollywood and regional celebrities, native digital content creators, musicians, prominent fashion & lifestyle personalities, and specialist influencers. It works across multiple domains such as celebrity management, live entertainment, sports, TV, licensing, movie packaging, music, and regional cinema, and has also invested in and run various media-related businesses. KWAN is currently associated with several top Indian celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, Sonam Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sania Mirza, Rana Dagubatti, Mahesh Babu, Pritam, Shraddha Kapoor, and Sushant Singh Rajput, to name a few.

  • Mumbai City FC’s sponsorship amount up by 50 %

    Mumbai City FC’s sponsorship amount up by 50 %

    MUMBAI: The fourth edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) is all set to kick-off in a day. From this year, ISL has moved from a three-month season to five months.

    Last year’s semi-finalist Mumbai City FC has upped the ante on its marketing and sponsorship this year. Talking to Indiantelevision.com Mumbai City FC CEO Indranil Das Blah says, “Sponsorship has been significantly better than the last three seasons. We sold our entire inventory and the sponsorship amounts have been increased by 50 per cent compared to last year. Mumbai City FC has added a whole bunch of new sponsors this season.”

    A close industry source informed Indiantelevision.com that the teams in the smaller markets have a sponsorship range of Rs 50-60 million and the teams in big markets including Kerala, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai and Kolkata have a sponsorship range of Rs 120-150 million.

    The title sponsor for Mumbai City FC is Ace Group since three years, back sponsor is Spicejet and on the right chest the jersey has OkSir, one of Indias advanced app-based service aggregators. The team is expecting to close four other sponsors. It is planning to increase sponsor list through licensing deals that will not be on the jerseys.

    Mumbai City FC is planning to go with outdoor and digital marketing this season. “We are concentrating a lot on digital marketing because our young audience spends more time on internet than on TV. For football, digital will be of paramount importance.  Our marketing is not focused towards generating revenue but to improve the Mumbai City FC brand,” says Blah.

    Globally, merchandising plays an important role in contributing to revenue. A report by Transparency Market research pegs the global licensed sports merchandise market to rise at a 6.2 per cent CAGR from 217-2025. It will hit a value of $49.6 billion by then from $29.26 in 2016. But the Indian market is yet to involve and overcome barriers like price sensitivity and piracy.

    This season, the team will increase fan engagement activities. Despite Mumbai’s propensity to pay more, the stadium tickets have been kept affordable so that students and children can come to watch the games. This season, Mumbai FC has launched a loyalty programme too. This apart, meet and greet with team members, contests and access to training sessions are on the anvil.

    The state of Indian sports being cricket-centric five years ago has today paved way for many others. “Today we can see more non-cricketing events doing well like football and kabaddi. Badminton, as a sport, is growing. Brands, sponsors, people in the federation and fans understand the development of the ecosystem. Globally, Brazil and India are the only two developed markets with one sport focus, football and cricket respectively,” says Blah.

    This year’s ISL has 10 teams with the first game between Kerala Blasters FC and defending champions Atletico de Kolkata, which is now called just ATK.  The latter surprisingly has no major sponsor.

    Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC and Goa FC club ownerships are backed by their own business entities. Jamshedpur FC is backed by Tata Steel (title sponsors), Tata Trust and Tata Motors. Bengaluru FC owners JSW have yet again retained the title, with Puma being the main associate. FC Goa is backed by Deltin Hotels, Goa. The hospitality group sponsorship brand owner Jaidev Mukund Modi is a 65 per cent stakeholder in the club.

     

  • Nestled in controversy, brand Maggi in a soup

    Nestled in controversy, brand Maggi in a soup

    MUMBAI: Nestled in controversy over the presence of lead beyond permissible limits in its popular noodle brand Maggi, Nestle India has found itself in a soup. As Barkha Dutt tweeted, it could well be “The Two Minute death of a brand #Maggi.”

     

    What’s more, a domino effect followed immediately with the recent detection of creepy-crawlies in Nestle’s other food product Nan Pro-3.

     

    A brand being embroiled in controversy is not something new with the likes of Cadburys and cola companies having faced similar problems in the not so distant past. About a decade ago, there was uproar over worms being found in Cadbury chocolates. On that note, the company said that most stores in India at that time didn’t have refrigerators and that had affected the product. Similarly cola brands were hit with the pesticide crisis in early 2000, which wiped off their growth for over two years.

     

    In testing times like these for brand Maggi, the big question on everyone’s lips is… could this hullabaloo well sound the death knell for the brand, which has been around in India for decades?

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the controversy, Kwan Entertainment & Marketing Solutions COO Indranil Das Blah strongly believed that if Maggi is being held accountable, so should the government, for the simple reason that it has been approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is a government body.

     

    “I don’t think it’s the death of the brand in India. They’ve been around for about two decades now. A lot of brands have faced similar controversies, be it the cola brands or various food companies. Having said that, it has been approved by the FSSAI, which is why it is available in the market in the first place. Maybe a certain batch had certain excess content of lead and that is something that the judiciary should decide,” Blah said.

     

    Harish Bijoor Consultants CEO Harish Bijoor opined, “It’s a big shock for Maggi. The trauma is for the consumers as well because they love the brand so much.”

     

    According to Blah, while the controversy will definitely cause immediate damage to the brand, in the long run the brand is strong enough to survive if the allegations are proven false. “Unless there is firm evidence and a court order is passed, which is not in favour of Maggi, I don’t think it’s the death of the brand,” he added.

     

    Pertinent to note here is that all FMCG products especially food items go through stringent manufacturing processes as well as government approvals. Blah is of the opinion that it never hurts to be extra careful and hence the Maggi fiasco should serve as a wakeup call for other FMCG giants.

     

    While there have been discussions about the nutrition value of Maggi for years now, it hasn’t really hurt the brand and Nestle India has gone about producing it without a hitch riding on its taste quotient.

     

    What’s more, with the involvement of big celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit as brand endorsers, the matter has been highlighted even more. It is a well-known fact that celebrities are soft targets whenever there is a controversy brewing.

     

    When queried about whether it was fair to drag celebrities into the controversy, renowned photographer and founder of celebrity management firm Bling! Entertainment Solutions, Atul Kasbekar said, “I believe it’s an irrational act to go after the endorsers. While stars and their managers question the brand fits and ask relevant questions at the beginning of any relationship, it’s unreasonable to hold an endorser responsible for episodes like this. Already contracts have strong two way indemnity clauses in place; I guess they’d be stronger now and spend more billable legal hours in the process. I cannot imagine that there’s a single celeb out there who would’ve declined a Nestle brand to be honest. I don’t imagine that’s going to change very much.”

     

    Concurring with Kasbekar, Blah said, “When a celebrity is endorsing a product, he is lending his name and his image to it. He is not involved in any other activity of the product. All he is doing is attracting eyeballs for the brand. If he were involved in the making of the product, then it would have been justified. But after they endorse a finished product, one can’t hold them responsible. If one batch goes wrong then it is not the celebrity’s responsibility, it is the company’s and the government’s responsibility as they have approved the product. It’s not fair to drag celebrities in this,” he said.

     

    Bijoor is of the opinion that the first thing that Nestle India will do is sort out the issue with the regulators and various states. “After that they will start addressing the consumer and that is when a lot of credibility building advertising will come from Maggi. Maggi is a highly evolved brand in India. They need to communicate with a different degree of tenacity with the consumers and they will do that,” he voiced.

     

    While celebs have been a part of the controversy, Bijoor thinks that the first thing celebs will do and have done in the past is to indemnify themselves from any collateral damage that the brand faces. “Without doubt they will be more careful and diligent henceforth,” he added.

     

    Will this one controversy also open doors to other and put other brands under the scanner? To this, Bijoor said, “This is just one category. If you look at the other categories like tea, frozen food, fresh vegetables, fish, poultry and meat that we eat; you will be shocked to find that the content of chemicals and metals is much higher than permissible limits across the world. So this is a major reaction on Maggi. This paints the entire industry with the same brush.”

     

    Sharing her thoughts on the controversy, PromaxBDA Africa and Asia Pacific country head Rajika Mitra said, “For the brand Maggi, it has created a huge setback and for Nestle, the brand integrity has been hugely impacted. The brand image of Maggi has witnessed a major dent in its popularity.”

     

    Mitra further added that Nestle would have an uphill task to build customer confidence and re-launch the brand in a completely new avatar, which might take years.

     

    “Celebs have been drawn into this controversy in a big way. Big brands and celebrity associations have always been a popular feature and they do feel responsible for the brands that they accept and endorse. Henceforth, they will be more cautious when accepting such brands in future,” she said.

     

    It may be recalled that as part of its damage control exercise after the worm controversy, Cadburys India came up with new packaging, which would keep the product fresh and intact without refrigeration. However, it is a known fact that chocolates need to be refrigerated, the question is: Why did Cadbury wait for the worm controversy to change its packaging?

     

    While Kasbekar believes that this controversy will be a blip in the progress of this superbrand, the fact remains that the communication path that Nestle India will have to take for brand Maggi following this unprecedented controversial blaze will no doubt have to be powerful enough to dowse the flames.

  • Saina Nehwal’s brand value set to soar with World No. 1 title

    Saina Nehwal’s brand value set to soar with World No. 1 title

    Soon after being crowned with the international title of World No. 1 badminton player, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal went on to bag her maiden India Open Super Series title by defeating former world champion Ratchanok Intaton from Thailand.

     

    The two titles have indeed placed the Hisar born player on the global map as the game receives its due in the country. A swell up of her performances is also likely to contribute to her existing brand value, say sports marketers and celebrity marketers. However, not without adding a word of caution. Nehwal will have to continue with her existing pace to command a fat paycheck in the endorsement world.

     

    While prior to her consecutive wins, Nehwal commanded a price of Rs 70 lakh- 80 lakh for a one period deal according to industry experts, it could now easily touch up to Rs 1 crore–Rs 1.5 crore depending on how deep the brand’s pockets are.

     

    Celebrity and sports management firm, CAA KWAN COO Indranil Das Blah says that it is not just becoming the World Number one but also winning the Indian Open, which is a pinnacle no Indian born woman has achieved. “If you look at the current crop of female sports persons, there is no one remotely close to her in terms of achievement. So it will have a significant impact on her brand value, pricing and overall brand image,” he says.

     

    According to Blah, Nehwal has a strong story to tell because of her middle class back ground and therefore brands with a pan India appeal would latch on to her. “I don’t see her endorsing glamorous and niche brands but it could be brands that have a national interest and look at achieving women’s empowerment or women’s issues in the country,” he opines.

     

    Nehwal currently endorses and has been a part of brands across segments like Yonex, Fortune Cooking Oil, Indian Overseas Bank, Whisper sanitary napkins, Emami Fast Relief ointment, Herbalife health products, Top Ramen Noodles and Airtel 3G.

     

    According to media reports, Nehwal was signed by the telecom Airtel when she was world number three for less than Rs 1 crore. She had then won the Gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

     

    Asset managing director at assetfzc.com Sanjay M Lal, a veteran with over 20 years of expertise in the field of brand building and sports management, says that in order to have a reasonably impactful brand value, Nehwal will have to maintain her present status for the next nine to 12 months. “While she has been consistently performing and is a star in Indian badminton, but to be world number one is a different ball game altogether,” informs Lal.

     

    For brands that are fence sitters and were wondering to choose between female sports persons like Sania Mirza or Saina Nehwal, the wins will make it easier to settle and close the deal for Nehwal. However, some feel that the cash jump will not be very significant unless a large brand that has not matured comes into play. This will be the first step for Nehwal on the brand value chain.

     

    Impact of her win on the game? Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) CEO and former captain of Indian Hockey team Viren Rasquinha states that OGQ has been supporting the champion since 2009 and looked after the training aspect of Saina Nehwal. “Obviously its important to have  a role model and a great figure like Saina in every field. Because of her acheivement we hope that thousands of parents across the country will encourage  their kids, especilally their daughters to take to badminton.”

     

    Eureka Mobile Advertising senior vice president Viswanathan Ganapathy says, “There will definitely be a jump in the brand value. In the last few years, she has given global recognition to the game, which has happened after Prakash Padukone in 1980. Saina is a very good mix for an international and local brands as well and would be an ideal fit for a fitness product.”

     

    Ganapathy is of the opinion that Nehwal could ideally endorse brands like Complan and Horlicks, where the brand fit is perfect. Her consistent winning performances including the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics could make her as a relevant face for insurance brands too.

     

    It is important to note that when sports athletes and players sign an endorsement deal, they also ask the brand the kind of visibility they would gain. While Nehwal has placed Indian badminton on the global map, the domination of cricket continues as former cricket players like Kapil Dev still bag endorsement deals. It’s akin to how an industry expert, having worked with the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan and was associated with Percept India, puts it, “Anything other than cricket is like a great Bollywood movie breaking even. But it will not belong to the Rs 100 crore club that the Khans belong to. She was signed with Herbal Life, which is American brand but what have they advertised? For a player other than in the field of cricket, you need an advertiser who gives you Rs 5 lakhs but does promotions worth of Rs 50 lakhs.”

     

    When the visibility falls flat, it goes against the marketing grain of celebrities. However, on an optimistic note, Lal adds that her winning titles consistently have proved that brand ‘Saina Nehwal’ holds great promise. Only time will tell the brands that will sign Nehwal for her promise in the future. For now, take a breather girl. You deserve it and thank you for giving India its due recognition.

     

  • ICC Cricket World Cup: Experts give thumbs up to Star’s geo targeting strategy

    ICC Cricket World Cup: Experts give thumbs up to Star’s geo targeting strategy

    MUMBAI: Beginning 14 February, the ICC Cricket World Cup is going to be this year’s biggest sporting spectacle to be jointly held in Australia and New Zealand. As national brands scurry to invest and make their presence felt, official broadcast network Star India has extended the opportunity for brands with a regional presence too. Star has created multiple sponsorship and spot buying options tailor-made for different feeds allowing advertisers for the first time ever to buy different cuts and air creatives in different languages to target their audiences sharply. The network is evidently looking at geo targeting.

     

    The World Cup this year will be telecast on 12 channels and in six different languages. While eight sports channels from the network’s stable will broadcast the event, the others are Star Vijay (Tamil), Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Asianet Movies (Malayalam) and Suvarna Plus. 

     

    A Star official said that the network is looking at exploring two options. Firstly, brands with higher budgets can pick for national advertising, which will have different ad spot rates. Secondly, if a brand wants to communicate to only a select audience in markets like Chennai, West Bengal or Tamil Nadu, it can advertise on these regional channels of the network. The network is currently in talks with more than 100 brands especially those from the e-commerce segments, in different markets including tier II and tier III markets.

     

    Geo targeting advertising firm Amagi co-founder Srinivasan K.A says that sports feed in limited languages was one of the biggest problems for brands who were keen on investing in cricket. “They were unable to invest due to lack of structure in geo targeting and languages. If a particular brand had to run a Hindi ad campaign, most of South India would not comprehend it completely,” he says.

     

    While ad rates on the national channels are being sold for close to Rs 4.5 – 5 lakh for a 10 second slot, the regional channels will command a price tag close to Rs 1 lakh or less for a 10 second spot. Brands like Nestle, Marico, Yepme.com, Paytm, Raymonds, Pidilite and Lloyd have already come on board.

     

    Srinivasan finds the strategy as a wonderful opportunity for local brands. “This allows specific brands with limited budgets to come up with specific campaigns in particular markets and advertise for this massive property. At the same time they can seek to tap the audience that they want,” he adds.

     

    How well could this strategy work? “This was previously tried and tested by Sony Six during last year’s FIFA World Cup and was a massive success on Sony Aath, which provided Bengali feed for the matches. Viewership too shot up,” he informs.

     

    Celebrity and sports management firm, CAA KWAN COO, Indranil Das Blah finds the move welcoming too for brands that do not have a huge pocket and want to look at advertising in specific markets. “While the price of advertising on Star Sports Tamil feed for example could probably be one tenth of what the national feed would be, the strategy makes sense for both Star and the local brands because it gives you less spill over,” he says. 

     

    But will brands look at team India’s current performance in the tri series before investing? “Yes there is a bit of a worry about India’s performance. However with the format of the World Cup, unless there is a huge unmitigated disaster, the top eight nations will make it to the next phase. Besides, the World Cup gives you highs that no other cricket tournament does. So that gives some surety to advertisers to go ahead and invest in the World Cup,” concludes Blah.

  • Will Brand Sachin take a beating?

    Will Brand Sachin take a beating?

    Sachin Tendulkar has had his way with the BCCI after all. His legions of fans and his family will be able to watch the Master Blaster bat one last time on his home ground as he plays his 200th and final match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium next month.

     

    While this is a small compensation for millions of cricket-crazy Indians who look up to him as almost God, one might argue that they can continue to watch him on television, post retirement, as the face of the many brands he endorses. And, others might question if advertisers will continue to cough up astronomical sums to have Sachin advertise their brands even after he retires from all form of international cricket.

    Watch the video: Boost pays tribute to Sachin’s 23 years of stamina!

    GroupM national director of sports and live events Vinit Karnik feels Sachin’s retirement will make no difference to his brand value. “Sachin appeals emotionally to at least four generations if not more. These are the people who have grown up watching him play and do not mind more of him. Post retirement, if he is seen endorsing a brand, these people would love ‘catching up’ on him, even if it is in the ‘brand’ space,” he says.

    Harish Bijoor feels post retirement Sachin’s brand value will diminish

    On the same thoughts, CAA Kwan’s COO Indranil Das Blah, thinks that though there will be a decrease in number of brands he endorses, his brand value won’t get affected. “Brands will continue to associate with him, especially the ones with older target audience. Post retirement, they will be known for stability, loyalty etc.”

    Having said that he adds that there can be a marginal decrease, around 10-15 per cent, on the brand value. However, this will and shouldn’t impact the price he charges for endorsing a brand.

    Brand consultant Harish Bijoor says: “Sachin’s retirement means a setback to Sachin’s brand endorsement money value for sure. Sport stars are always evaluated on the basis of the last three matches they have played. Add to that the heritage value of the bat that has been wielded.

     Despite it all and despite Sachin being the God of Cricket, endorsement money is bound to go just one way… south.”

    Indranil Das Blah feels that though there will be a decrease in number of brands he endorses but his brand value won’t get affected

    Whichever direction Sachin’s brand endorsements may be headed, most of the industry agrees that it doesn’t get any better than the cricketing legend’s current brand value. “Statistically speaking, with earnings in the range of $18 million, solely from endorsements across categories, even at the age of 40, he is ranked 51 on the Forbes World’s Highest Paid Athletes List for 2013. This places him ahead of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Serena Williams, Neymar, Sebastian Vettel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Gerrard – all of whom are younger than him,” emphasises Karnik.

    Independent communication consultant Ganapathy Viswanathan, says: “Boost, the beverage drink, is one of the early brands that he endorsed which was followed by several other brands as he grew popular. One of his longest associations has been with MRF Tyres. Sachin almost had a 10-year long relationship with MRF, which proves the trust the brand reposed in him. Besides, there are several other brands he has endorsed that just went well with his personality and fit the brand well.”

    Ganapathy Viswanathan points out that after Boost he endorsed several other brands as he grew popular

    Collectabillia.com that sells Sachin Tendulkar’s memorabilia, informs that post his retirement announcement, the sale of Sachin merchandise and personally autographed products has increased significantly. “Sachin autographed products are selling like hotcakes. A personally signed cap by Sachin which costs Rs 7,500 provides a great investment opportunity for avid collectors and lovers of the game. Besides, Sachin branded T-shirts which starts from Rs 699 onwards are selling very fast,” adds a spokesperson from the portal.

    The overall view is a brand ambassador must fit the bill as he/she is the best way to put a human face to a product or service. Hence, brands must be careful about choosing their ambassadors rather than just going for famous faces to advertise their products. For instance, Virat Kohli is the hottest name right now and most brands want to cash in on him, feel many.
    In Sachin’s case, brands have just about a month to cash in on the phenomenon. Only time will tell which brands choose to stay in action and which try to get away from the clutter…

    Brands endornsed

    Boost (1990–present)
    Fiat Palio (2001–03)
    G-Hanz (2005–07)
    Pepsi (1992–2009)
    TVS (2002–05)
    Sanyo BPL (2007–present)
    Action Shoes (1995–2000)
    ESPN Star Sports (2002–present)
    Toshiba (2010–present)
    MRF (1999–2009), Adidas (2000–10)
    Sunfeast (2007–13), Canon (2006–09)
    Colgate-Palmolive, Philips, VISA, Castrol India (2011–12)
    Britannia (2001–07)
    Airtel (2004–06), Reynolds (2007–present)
    Ujala Techno Bright and Coca-Cola (2011–13)
    He has also been a spokesperson for National Egg Coordination Committee (2003–05),  AIDS Awareness Campaign (2005) and Luminous India (2010–present)