With brands looking beyond cricket stars, Sindhu’s achievement is set to fetch her many more endorsement deals, say industry experts.

PV Sindhu’s feat of becoming the first Indian to win Gold at the World Badminton Championship has elevated her position in the sporting world. Sindhu has earned a place of pride in the sporting arena, thus sending her brand value soaring.

The athlete is already associated with more than a dozen brands, with some big ones being with Japanese sports merchandise group Yonex, Stayfree, Flipkart, Gatorade, Bridgestone India, Moov, Boost, Nokia, Himalayan Honey, Bank of Baroda and Panasonic.

The 24-year-old athlete was also seen advertising about GST. She was also appointed as the brand ambassador of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant soon after she won a medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

According to Azazul Haque, Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas, in a country greatly influenced by Bollywood movies like ‘Chak De’ and ‘Dangal’ and ‘Mary Kom’ have evoked considerable interest in other forms of sports. “It is also because of sports stars like PV Sindhu, the Phogat Sisters, Sania Mirza and Mary Kom,” he said.

Haque said that this victory will take Sindhu’s career to the next level of success. “Being the first Indian to win Gold at the World Badminton Championship is a great achievement. She won’t just get plenty of more endorsements soon but even a Bollywood movie will be written on her. Very soon brands will want to ride on this gigantic achievement of hers.”

On her endorsement kitty, Haque said, “Certainly there will be a great hike in her price. She is the first Indian and because she is a woman that makes her achievement even more applaudable. So many women brands, many sports brands, many fitness brands and many brands that stand for grit, determination and women power will be ready to pay her any price to tell her story.”

Talking about her other winning attributes, Haque said, “She is a powerful personality, an extremely approachable person, an attractive, strong women. And she is one of the biggest non-cricket stars of India. This also makes brand Sindhu extremely desirable for many brands as there are not many strong non-cricket sports celebs in India.”

According to Tinu Cherian, Marketing and PR professional, this historic win will surely boost Sindhu’s brand value. “She is already being seen in a lot of TVCs. It is a good thing that brands are now slowly moving beyond traditional cricket to stars of other sports, thanks to champions like Sindhu.”

“In a cricket-obsessed country like India, such brand endorsements will also motivate youngsters to take up alternative sports. It is good for both brands and other sports,” Cherian added.

Sindhu has a diversified list of sponsorships and brand endorsements, ranging from JBL headphones to Stayfree.

Dr Ashavaree Das, a brand expert from Media Division, UAE's Higher Colleges of Technology says, it is because of India excelling in a range of sports in recent years sportspersons from non-cricket disciplines are also becoming popular.

“Sindhu is a star with lucrative endorsement deals. She has even made it to Forbes’ magazine for being among world’s highest-paid sportswomen in 2019. Sindhu is India’s most marketable female athlete and with her recent achievements she will bag more celebrity endorsements soon,” Das said.

“Sindhu is currently endorsing around 14 brands. She is young and hardworking and someone who made a cricket-loving nation enjoy badminton. There is value in that,” Das added.
(Courtesy: Exchange4media)