AB: Ace of brands
Shiv Kumar

IN the mad ad world, sponsors are always on the lookout for saleable icons. Sachin Tendulkar was dethroned long before Pepsi unceremoniously dumped him. Neither Vishwanathan Anand nor Narain Karthikeyan could hold the spotlight long enough to be labelled as youth icons. The pinnacle was rather empty with a nation of a billion plus people throwing up just one flamboyant Mahindra Singh Dhoni who gave company to the glamorous Sania Mirza at the top.

Now the sponsors need not worry. Literally shooting his way to the top is Abhinav Bindra, whose crack at Olympic glory came aided by his trusty Walther PPK. The weapon, popularised by the mythical James Bond, gave India its only Olympic Gold in the individual category in 108 years.

The makers of the handgun were among the first to spot the potential in Bindra. Wannabes, who hope to replicate Bindra’s feat, will make the Olympic champion richer every time they buy a Walther PPK. The gunman, who missed the bronze by a whisker at Athens, is the Indian representative for the gun manufacturers.

Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was the first to capitalise on Bindra’s ‘gold finger’ when he made Bindra the Indian Railways’ brand ambassador.

But how the corporate world handles Abhinav depends on the Collage Sports Management, the agency that represents him. As media outlets sought the reaction of the second-tier celebrity management company, its director Latika Khaneja couldn’t help remarking that her client is now in the A-list for corporate endorsements. "He should make at least several crores now," Khaneja has been quoted as saying. Others like Shailendra Singh who heads Percept, another celebrity management company, told a trade website shortly after the winning announcement that Abhinav could do with some flamboyance a la Dhoni.

"If Abhinav treads the path of Vishwanathan Anand, he would be under-utilised," Singh told the website.

Indian sporting stars command big bucks to endorse brands. Despite being seen as an ageing star and even after being jettisoned by Pepsi, Sachin Tendulkar is still the top moolah raker, earning more than Rs 3 crore from every brand he endorses. Dhoni follows close behind though he endorses fewer brands. Others like Karthikeyan are known for their niche endorsements (cars, tyres etc) while Sania Mirza exudes youth and glamour.

Executives handling celebrity management agencies feel that Abhinav’s looks, youth and his public school background could be useful for promoting apparel, watches, eyewear and lifestyle products.

Bollywood, too, is taking note of this shy bespectacled lad though its toasts are confined to film premieres and parties yet. At a bash to celebrate the success of Singh is Kinng, hero Akshay Kumar, producer Vipul Shah and others like Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Prakash Jha, Mukesh Bhatt, Kunal Kohli, Aadesh Shrivastava raised a toast to Abhinav.

But will the reticent ‘Monk’ become brand India’s new poster boy?