New Delhi: Virat Kohli, all of 26, is striding towards the Rs.100 crore club in brand endorsements, a milestone that has been crossed by only two cricketers before him, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Indeed, in 2014, Virat Kohli’s Rs.30 crore three-year deal with Adidas and Rs.6.5 crore deal with MRF made him the top sportsman in terms of annual earnings per endorsement according to a report by GroupM, a media buying agency and SportzPower, a sports business news website.
Virat Kohli carried that form into 2015, and recently struck a Rs.5 crore 18-month deal with Audi India.
Prior to Audi, Kohli, a carhead, was the brand ambassador of Japanese automaker ToyotaKirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd. Parked in his garage are a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Range Rover Vogue, an Audi Q7 and now a limited-edition Audi R8 LMX (gifted by the company).
Kohli also appears in ads for Pepsi, Nestlé Munch, Boost and Oakley.
Sports marketers see Kohli as a fitting successor to Tendulkar and Dhoni.
Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer at Kwan Entertainment and Marketing Solutions, says that cricket always has one dominant brand endorser. It was Tendulkar for about 10-15 years, followed by Dhoni for the last six-seven years, he explained. “Virat has picked up over the last few years. He’s finding his feet… Brands see him as a good alternative for Dhoni and Tendulkar because they are looking for the next big thing,” said Blah.
Dhoni is almost at the end of his career and has retired from Test cricket. Analysts say Dhoni may retire from shorter formats by the end of this year.
Virat Kohli’s performance is impressive across all formats of the game, said sports commentator Ayaz Memon. “He is already the (next) big thing that has happened to Indian cricket. He was remarkable against Australia in the last Test series, scoring almost 700 runs in four Test matches. I would count him among the top three batsmen across all formats in the world,” added Memon.
What’s more, he’s brash, enthusiastic, and aggressive. Kiran Khalap, co-founder, chlorophyll, a brand and communications consultancy, said. “What’s unique about Virat is he is interesting both as a cricketer and as a human being. For instance, while Sachin was a phenomenon on the field, he was not able to communicate well off the field. And since Kohli is now the captain, that is the route for his brand evolution.”
According to Kohli’s agent, Bunty Sajdeh, chief executive at Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment, the cricketer works for brands that suit his personality.
“Virat and I discuss and work very closely with the brands that he endorses. He needs to be able to relate to a brand. The commercial aspect, though important, has always been secondary,” he said.
Sajdeh claims Kohli‘s personality appeals to young people. “He does not mince his words ever. This is something the young of today admire and appreciate. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is never afraid to call a spade a spade.”
A PepsiCo spokesperson agrees: “Kohli’s personality strikes a chord with fans.”
Kohli and he aren’t looking for numbers, Sajdeh said, and are very choosy about the brands they work with.
Meanwhile, Kohli, whom his agent describes as very driven and goal-oriented, is also quietly building a business empire.
Last week, he announced the launch of sportsconvo.com, an online platform for sports lovers. He already owns fashion label Wrogn. And there have been media reports that he is considering setting up a chain of gyms.
