Brand Ambassador: A long lasting impact

India is one country where there is huge fan following for the Bollywood stars and cricket players. Apart from their profession, there are indulged in other activities as well. I still remember how the Indian government decided to use Aamir Khan and Mohammad Kaif in their pulse polio campaign to fight this problem in Uttar Pradesh.  If we talk about cricket, the players are all-rounders as they switch gears from one format to others that too without any hesitation.  Apart from their cricketing activities, they are put in the areas which are completely different from the game. Their services are used in diversified areas. Indian cricketers are signed by big corporate houses to promote their respective brands. Much like successful film stars, they are considered role models from every section of the society. Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer in India, who was signed by different brands in order to gain mileage for their products. After him, we saw another megastar in form of MS Dhoni, who wrote new chapter in the world of endorsements. These two had the nerve of the entire nation in their hands and were successful whatever they did outside the cricketing field.  MS Dhoni is still active in the sport and is promoting various brands.

Virat Kohli, the vice captain of the Indian team, followed in their footsteps and is part of the multiple brands at the moment. Such cricketers were or are famous for selling soaps, soft drinks, shoes, mobiles and cars. It is standard practice in India to use cricketers as brand ambassadors and pay them handsome amount to boost the profile of the company and the products. A top star getting lots of money because of their corporate alliance is a normal practice in the country. It happens all the time. It is also a routine procedure for the cricketers to make themselves a part of the social campaign concerning health, environment, education and much more. However, there are several social campaigns, which are designed or made for some serious business. These are not put in practice to gain financial mileage or raise the volume of a particular brand but have a clear aim of leaving impact in the society. Sachin Tendulkar is associated with several such campaigns. In it continued endeavor to help build sustainable communities, Coca-Cola India and NDTV in association with their NGO partners, UN-Habitat, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and Sulabh International had embarked upon a unique initiative - 'Support My School' campaign. The campaign is aimed to develop over 100 healthy, active and happy schools in rural and semi-urban towns by improving basic amenities and subsequently generating monetary resources, hence benefiting over 50,000 students across the country. Apart from this, he was also appointed UNICEF’s first brand ambassador for South Asia and is all set to work in promoting hygiene and sanitation in the region.

We don’t have data about the improvement in these fields after Sachin Tendulkar took over as the brand ambassador. However, there is one hundred percent surety that changes have taken place. Virat Kohli was hired by Election Commission to campaign for them in Delhi urging youngsters to vote in the election, which was held in 2013. His appeal had an effect as the voting percent increased. I won’t say that it happened just because of drafting Virat Kohli but atleast there was some change in the mindset of the young crop of the capital. Many feel that cricket stars can improve image, help reach out to the public and can produce positive impact.  It is not easy to calculate the final and the whole outcome of social campaigns featuring renowned cricket players but the choice and the contribution of the brand ambassadors can’t be debated. Nobody can argue about the pan India popularity of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and many other cricketers of the past. This trend should continue in the near future as our country needs to fight with several evils by riding on the shoulders of the cricketers.