New Delhi: The newest superstars on the pitch, the women who lifted the World Cup on Sunday, have also lifted their brand value, sharply narrowing the gap with their male counterparts overnight.
The new poster girls - including Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma, among others - have seen their endorsement fees jump between 25% and 100% since the win, with brands queueing up to sign them, talent management executives said.
India defeated South Africa to clinch the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup for the first time, triggering celebrations across the country and a flood of congratulatory messages from corporate leaders and celebrities, even as the cricketers' Instagram followers doubled or tripled in less than 24 hours.
"Since this morning, there's been a rush of brand queries - not just new endorsements but also renegotiations, with fee increases upwards of 25-30%," said Tuhin Mishra, managing director of Baseline Ventures.
Demand across Categories
Baseline represents Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Pratika Rawal and Radha Yadav.
Rodrigues, who played what many called the innings of the tournament to help India knock out defending champions Australia in the semi-final, has seen her brand value shoot up 100%, said Karan Yadav, chief commercial officer at JSW Sports that represents her. “We’ve been flooded with requests almost immediately after the match against Australia was completed,” he said. “We’re in conversation with brands across 10-12 categories.”
The 25-year-old Bandra girl’s endorsement fees are now in line with India’s leading female athletes. Her signing fee ranges between ₹75 lakh to ₹1.5 crore, depending on longevity of the association and deliverables, Yadav said.
Rodrigues’ candid account of her struggle with anxiety and that she cried almost every day of the tournament went viral, breaking internet records. She currently endorses Red Bull, Boat, Nike, SG and Surf Excel.
Mandhana, the highest-paid female cricketer, endorses 16 brands, including HUL’s Rexona deodorant, Nike, Hyundai, Herbalife, State Bank of India (SBI), Gulf Oil and PNB MetLife Insurance, with annual endorsements of ₹1.5-2 crore per brand.
Darlings of the Nation
Google Gemini, Rexona, Nike, SBI, Red Bull and Puma, which are already associated with some of the winning players, are planning to extend their deals with the winning 12, two industry executives said.
Women’s health, lifestyle, gadgets, wellness and automobiles are among the categories that have taken the lead to sign fresh deals with the new icons, executives said.
Apart from almost all top cricketers, including Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, people across fields applauded the win.
“They didn’t just lift the trophy. They lifted the game of women’s cricket itself. And while doing so, inspired whole new generations of young Indian champions,” Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, posted.
Sundar Pichai, global chief executive of Google and cricket enthusiast, called it “a nail-biting women's World Cup cricket final, with memories of 1983 and 2011 indeed, which inspires a whole generation.”
Priya Nair, managing director of Hindustan Unilever, wrote on LinkedIn even before Sunday’s final, tying in with full page ads of Surf Excel’s ‘Daag Acche Hain’ campaign and Rexona featuring Rodrigues: “The maidan belongs to every woman who shows up, stands tall, and plays her heart out.”
The trigger was Rodrigues' breakout semi-final match against Australia, with a photo of her dirt-smeared jersey trending online. HUL responded by sending her an empty detergent bottle, along with a message that urged her not to wash but to frame the jersey. “A victory so special, maybe skip washing this one,” Nair wrote.
Former India captain Diana Edulji called it “the proudest moment of my life. Fifty years of my being on the cricket field as a player and an administrator, I am just absolutely thrilled. What I wanted to see, that star on the jersey, it's now come true and it's a proud moment for me.”
Coca-Cola, beverage partner of the tournament, activated its Thums Up XForce and BodyArmor Lyte ORS brands, with its Halftime campaign and blended it with a live Coke Studio Bharat concert.
“Every doubt. Every headline. Every heartbreak. Burned. Harmanpreet Kaur is a World Cup-winning captain,” Puma, which sponsors Kaur, Sharma and Ghosh, said in its social campaigns.
Swiggy Instamart put out a series of posts across social platforms, including some of Verma, 21, the player of the final. “Queen served so good, the entire stadium couldn’t sit still,” one of the posts said.
Pepsi played on its blue logo colours with a congratulatory ad, “From one blue team to another.”
Asian Paints has started a ‘Har Ghar Blue’ campaign.
The new poster girls - including Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma, among others - have seen their endorsement fees jump between 25% and 100% since the win, with brands queueing up to sign them, talent management executives said.
India defeated South Africa to clinch the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup for the first time, triggering celebrations across the country and a flood of congratulatory messages from corporate leaders and celebrities, even as the cricketers' Instagram followers doubled or tripled in less than 24 hours.
"Since this morning, there's been a rush of brand queries - not just new endorsements but also renegotiations, with fee increases upwards of 25-30%," said Tuhin Mishra, managing director of Baseline Ventures.
Demand across Categories
Baseline represents Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Pratika Rawal and Radha Yadav.
Rodrigues, who played what many called the innings of the tournament to help India knock out defending champions Australia in the semi-final, has seen her brand value shoot up 100%, said Karan Yadav, chief commercial officer at JSW Sports that represents her. “We’ve been flooded with requests almost immediately after the match against Australia was completed,” he said. “We’re in conversation with brands across 10-12 categories.”
The 25-year-old Bandra girl’s endorsement fees are now in line with India’s leading female athletes. Her signing fee ranges between ₹75 lakh to ₹1.5 crore, depending on longevity of the association and deliverables, Yadav said.
Rodrigues’ candid account of her struggle with anxiety and that she cried almost every day of the tournament went viral, breaking internet records. She currently endorses Red Bull, Boat, Nike, SG and Surf Excel.
Mandhana, the highest-paid female cricketer, endorses 16 brands, including HUL’s Rexona deodorant, Nike, Hyundai, Herbalife, State Bank of India (SBI), Gulf Oil and PNB MetLife Insurance, with annual endorsements of ₹1.5-2 crore per brand.
Darlings of the Nation
Google Gemini, Rexona, Nike, SBI, Red Bull and Puma, which are already associated with some of the winning players, are planning to extend their deals with the winning 12, two industry executives said.
Women’s health, lifestyle, gadgets, wellness and automobiles are among the categories that have taken the lead to sign fresh deals with the new icons, executives said.
Apart from almost all top cricketers, including Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, people across fields applauded the win.
“They didn’t just lift the trophy. They lifted the game of women’s cricket itself. And while doing so, inspired whole new generations of young Indian champions,” Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, posted.
Sundar Pichai, global chief executive of Google and cricket enthusiast, called it “a nail-biting women's World Cup cricket final, with memories of 1983 and 2011 indeed, which inspires a whole generation.”
Priya Nair, managing director of Hindustan Unilever, wrote on LinkedIn even before Sunday’s final, tying in with full page ads of Surf Excel’s ‘Daag Acche Hain’ campaign and Rexona featuring Rodrigues: “The maidan belongs to every woman who shows up, stands tall, and plays her heart out.”
The trigger was Rodrigues' breakout semi-final match against Australia, with a photo of her dirt-smeared jersey trending online. HUL responded by sending her an empty detergent bottle, along with a message that urged her not to wash but to frame the jersey. “A victory so special, maybe skip washing this one,” Nair wrote.
Former India captain Diana Edulji called it “the proudest moment of my life. Fifty years of my being on the cricket field as a player and an administrator, I am just absolutely thrilled. What I wanted to see, that star on the jersey, it's now come true and it's a proud moment for me.”
Coca-Cola, beverage partner of the tournament, activated its Thums Up XForce and BodyArmor Lyte ORS brands, with its Halftime campaign and blended it with a live Coke Studio Bharat concert.
“Every doubt. Every headline. Every heartbreak. Burned. Harmanpreet Kaur is a World Cup-winning captain,” Puma, which sponsors Kaur, Sharma and Ghosh, said in its social campaigns.
Swiggy Instamart put out a series of posts across social platforms, including some of Verma, 21, the player of the final. “Queen served so good, the entire stadium couldn’t sit still,” one of the posts said.
Pepsi played on its blue logo colours with a congratulatory ad, “From one blue team to another.”
Asian Paints has started a ‘Har Ghar Blue’ campaign.
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