Thomas Cup triumph: Are brands queuing up for the new champs?

Brand associations with sports champions have started going beyond cricket in the past few years. Be it badminton ace PV Sindhu or Olympian boxer Mary Kom, or Olympics track and field champion Neeraj Chopra, the new blue-eyed boy for brands. Each of them has wooed brands with their stellar performances on the field resulting in some solid brand deals and associations coming their way.

The historic maiden Thomas Cup win has now turned the spotlight on the new badminton champions in town: Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Can their victory over 14-time champions Indonesia translate into noteworthy brand associations? We asked industry experts the same.

#Amul Topical: India stuns Indonesia 3-0 in World Men Team Championship in Badminton! pic.twitter.com/kv1Kpd7opf

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Tough road for team sports

While DDB Mudra Sr. Strategy Director Prakriti Pushp hopes some creative marketers and storytellers find a way to include the new badminton stars into their brand stories as there is no better way to build new sports role models for the next generation, he thinks it is highly unlikely that they would get the immediate attention of marketers.

Explaining why he is doubtful, Pushp says, “The Thomas Cup win is a momentous occasion for Indian sports but I don’t see marketers making a beeline for the deserving sports stars for two main reasons. First, despite the enormity of the win for the sports fraternity, much of consumer India hasn’t heard of Thomas Cup or known of its significance even after the Indian win made headlines. Marketers are not going to do the job of introducing a sports star to their audience; the expectation is usually the opposite.

“Secondly, and more importantly, celebrity advertising seeks out stand-out, individual personalities for a brand association. Team sports and team wins rarely get the kind of marketing attention they deserve. A recent recipient of this apathy is Indian hockey. The stellar performances of both the women’s and men’s hockey teams in the Olympics last year did not translate into brand endorsements as much as it did for a strong individual performer like Neeraj Chopra.”

Short-term media heat likely

Brand-Nomics MD Viren Razdan feels that much like Neeraj Chopra, the badminton team will kick up some media heat but that will eventually die down. “Maybe at a regional level or some PSU banks or companies will support the team - sorry but unlikely beyond that,” he remarks.

However, if they maintain the winning spree in the coming months, they can build a strong brand personality for themselves. “Charisma built beyond the sport builds superpower brands, the aggressive raw energy of a Kohli / the understated supremacy of Sachin. We know hardly anything about our badminton boys, and a handful would have the knowledge about the importance of this great achievement. Hope the Baddy Boys can sustain their winning streak and break the dominance of cricket or create their own new territory,” Razdan added.  

Small viewership opens doors                                          

Pointing out reasons for staying hopeful, Dentsu Impact Senior Vice President Arvinderjit Singh believes that there lies a great opportunity for brands ahead as these players will carry a lot of hope and excitement towards the build-up to the 2024 Olympics, and will also dial up the strong sentiment of “India’s pride”, on which the brands can cash in and get better ROI. “While Thomas Cup may not have a large viewership in India, it certainly does attract a sizable audience that consumes brands/products in the field of sportswear and health & fitness. Therefore, while they may not be the right fit for all product/services categories, as it usually happens in cinema and cricket, they would certainly be an asset if engaged by the right brands on a long-term basis.”