Companies shun Brand Sachin

The list of companies which believe that Brand Tendulkar doesn't work for them anymore has grown further. After Fiat, TVS and Airtel, beverages and snack food maker PepsiCo has decided to end its long relationship with the 35-year-old cricketer.

Tendulkar still has an impressive list of brands – Adidas, Aviva, Britannia, Boost, Canon and Visa. But the list is getting shorter.

Industry insiders believe that his recurring injuries which keep him off the field as well his age are working against him.

"He may not continue with cricket for long and in such a scenario potential advertisers would want to replace him with younger faces," said a senior executive of an advertising firm who did not wish to be named.

Most companies sign a brand ambassador for three years. Clearly, companies have begun to wonder if Sachin Tendulkar has that much of a career left in him.

Experts are quick to point out that half the country's population is below 30 years. Tendulkar, clearly, is overage. More so, when younger men such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and now Ishant Sharma have turned in more consistent performances in the recent past.

The current campaign for PepsiCo, for instance, is centred around youth.

Its tagline is "Ye hai Youngistan, Meri Jaan." (This is the nation of the young, my dear.) Clearly, the celebrities it needs have to be young and fresh – it kicked off with actors Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapur.

Another problem cited by the industry is that of high annual endorsement fee associated with Tendulkar. While he is said to charge around Rs 3-4 crore for endorsing a brand annually, the younger cricketers charge much less.

"The price equation associated with Tendulkar may prove a deterrent in the way of bagging endorsements since the younger cricketers who are performing well prove to be a better value proposition," said Latika Khaneja, director, Collage Sports Management.

According to industry observers, many of the big advertisers of consumer products go by the topical nature of cricket celebrities, opting for the performers of the season.

"Many companies believe in the 'what's hot and what's not' policy and they have to keep in mind that the players who are not playing may have lesser recall value which may not work for the brand," added Khaneja.

On their part, companies which are still associated with Tendulkar disagree. "What was of paramount importance to us was to find a complete fit between our brand value and the value of our brand ambassador and Sachin fits the bill. While money may weigh upon our decision, having the right person to endorse our product is more important," said Alok Bharadwaj, senior vice-president, Canon India. Tendulkar currently is half way through his 3-year contract with Canon.

While Tendulkar's absence from IPL matches due to injury may have thrown newer names on the forefront, some companies are skeptical about the value these young players have to offer.

"While the younger players may have found favour with the masses, I believe that one needs to play for the nation before one can actually attract national level endorsements. Only two or three people have found the opportunity in youth-oriented brands," said Shailendra Singh, joint managing director of Percept Holdings, a big name in celebrity and talent management.

The moot question is whether Tendulkar is still value for money.