Daily News & Analysis   
 
MUMBAI, Nov 13: If cricket is religion in India, then the gods of the game are no longer worshipped the way they used to be. Sounds blasphemous? Well, in the world of ads, blasphemy isn’t an unpopular word. It could even be an idea.

The fact is cricket stars have never been quite as unpopular as brand endorsers as they are now. After a dismal Champions Cup performance, it didn’t come as a big surprise when Airtel dropped Sachin Tendulkar from its prestigious celebrity roster.

Now, some quick questions come to mind. Does the non-performance of cricketers put actors more in demand? Is there a shift in the valuation of cricket icons in the market? Will cricket deals of the future be completely performance-linked? Will there be a contract clause like ‘you perform well, and the brand performs well, and hence you get a bonus’?

Agnello Dias, executive creative director, JWT (handling the Pepsi account), says, “Endorsements are not performance-linked. What happens on the field has little to do with the adoration that comes the way of cricket stars in this country. A prime example of that would be Saurav Ganguly’s projection of Pepsi. In spite of his not being a part of the Indian team at the moment, the commercial has touched the hearts of many. ”

Isn’t JWT’s heart-warming Pepsi rendition an apology for a bad performance and a failing cricket star?

Says Navin Shah, CEO, Percept P9 (specialist in celebrity endorsements): “Winning brands will hesitate on riding on the back of failing performers. Till a few months ago,
cricketer M S Dhoni was clearly the rock star as far as endorsements were concerned. He was cornered by brands as prestigious as Pepsi, Reebok and Reliance. Today it has all changed. Brands have begun to re-think. Do they really want Dhoni as a brand ambassador? The brand world, however, comes with its own little caste system. While cricketers like Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan would have to put up with drought in terms of endorsements, Sachin Tendulkar would still be King. In spite of Airtel, that is. Because here is a star who is bigger than the game. He has that special connect with the consumers.”

Shah believes that the valuation for most cricket stars (with the exception of Sachin) could stem down to a few lakhs from the crores that they were reaping earlier. Where’s the money going?

In all probability to tinsel town, maintains Shah. He says, “While the cricket curve is moving downwards, Bollywood has never had it so good. Thanks to malls and multiplexes, a mushrooming home-video market, successful Karan Johar films and revived brand-entertainment tie-ups, the valuation for prized stars like Shah Rukh Khan could go up considerably: as much as 30-40%.

Says Harish Bijoor from Bijoor Consultants: “There is no doubt in my mind that the valuation of cricket stars will go down. Those who have invested — like Reebok, Pepsi and Reliance — will feel cheated. With big blockbusters like Umrao Jaan, Don and Baabul; Bollywood has never had it this good. Brands negotiating with cricket stars would probably look the other way: Bollywood stars.

But in the same breath, Bijoor also states that the entire process is cyclic, and it would take only one winning performance from the men in blue, to set the record straight.

Sanjay Bhutiani, Business head, BR Chopra Films has another point of view. He says, “Its high time brands have performance-based clauses in their contracts. As a cricket star, if you give a winning performance, you get an added amount (like an incentive.)  If you are performing badly on the field, we reserve the right to free you from the contract, and yes you will bear the losses.” Bhutiani agrees that Bollywood stars (especially second-rung ones) will have greater worth in a flagging cricket market.