Decoding Rahul Dravid’s rising popularity among brands

• It is after a long time that we have consistently seen Rahul Dravid in the brandverse.
• After his association with CRED, Dravid has signed up a few more brand deals with Piramal Realty, Practo, Orchids, to mention a few.
• According to TAM sports, Dravid had about a 4% share in television advertisements during the first half of 2021. He was also the eighth most-loved sports celebrity in India this year.
• So, as the Former Indian captain dons a new role in Indian cricket history and bags more brand deals, we speak to brand custodians to find out the reasons behind his comeback and decode his equity as a brand endorser.

Rahul Dravid, team India’s newly appointed head coach, has found his space back into the brandverse after his clutter-breaking and memorable performance in CRED’s campaign. The brand had unleashed Dravid’s unseen side and the audience was astonished! Apart from breaking other bowlers’ patience, we have never seen Dravid break anything or lose his calm at all. We certainly did not expect the zen Rahul Dravid to react as we do in traffic. This Indiranagar ka Gunda won millions of hearts with his acting skills and his ad went on to become the most viral ad during IPL 2021.

Since Dravid’s association with CRED, his popularity seems to be growing steadily. He has signed up a few more brand deals with Piramal Realty, Practo, Orchids, to mention a few.

On the field, he was fondly referred to as ‘The Wall’ or ‘Mr Dependable’ for acting as the team’s silent saviour and guiding them out of troubled waters time and again. He was also known as one of the most disciplined cricketers with a sound technique and at one point, he was a bowler’s nightmare. However, he lived under Sachin Tendulkar’s shadow during his entire career and in the last decade, after he resigned from international cricket, he was replaced by MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in the marketing world too. After experiencing a dry spell in the ad industry for years, he has finally made a comeback. According to TAM sports, Dravid had about a 4% share in television advertisements during the first half of 2021. He was the eighth most-loved sports celebrity in India.

Telling us the reasons behind Dravid’s rising popularity, Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former marketer at HP, Motorola and PepsiCo, said, “Rahul has always been a thinking cricketer known for his poise, balance and maturity and his batting best described by the moniker ‘the wall’ have always been the mainstay of India’s cricket through the late nineties and 2000s. So even after his retirement from international cricket, his association with the game as the captain of IPL team Rajasthan Royals and as the head of the National Cricket Academy NCA continued. Another reason for the renewed brand interest is the fact that Dravid is now the Head Coach of the Indian cricket team, one of the key positions in Indian sport. This brings him Centerstage as he helps navigate India’s cricket team over the next few years.”

Athletes and sports personalities disappear from the limelight once their sporting career comes to an end. However, Dravid has managed to stay relevant.

N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA is confident that Dravid’s brand value will only rise in the coming years.

He said, “Rahul Dravid has kept his brand relevant, but not over-exposed, and therefore even at 48 years, he is likely to see his brand value grow over the years.”

So, what’s the secret behind this? Chandramouli says, “Sportspersons usually have a short shelf-life for endorsements, and it declines sharply after their sporting careers are over. However, the two-decade career of Rahul Dravid has had glittering successes and his dependability on the field is legendary. His calm, non-controversial demeanor is at its batting best off the field too. He is a brand’s dream as an endorser, especially for those who want to show dependability.”

Shashwat Das, Founder and Director, Almond Branding said that The Wall of Indian cricket will never go out of fashion and the CRED campaign has only strengthened his position as an endorser.

He said, "Just last week the batting legend has been officially appointed the head coach of the Indian cricket team. That clearly shows that he has miles to go as far as his contribution to Indian cricket is concerned. The same holds true for the brandverse! I would say his PR team has been doing a commendable job and is a big force behind not only his comeback to the brandverse but also pushing him beyond his typical gentlemen arena. Jammy’s act of breaking things as “Indranagar ka Gunda” was clearly breaking the internet. After CRED, we suddenly are ready to see much more from him. I am sure we will see many more of his brand endorsements in the coming year."

With 18.9k followers on Instagram, Dravid’s social media following also adds to the potential consumer base for the associated brands, especially during the lockdown when most of the brands had little to no access to the traditional channels of advertisement.

Over the years, Dravid has also managed to stay clean from any controversy -- making him a safe bet for brands. He has endorsed everything from grooming products to insurance brands, staying four feet apart from pan masala brands. In fact, he was a part of a Tobacco control campaign that helped him reiterate his principles and ethics to consumers. It is his charming personality and tactical acumen that he has always held a special place in India’s marketing world. He has emerged as the perfect option for brands who want to establish themselves as the ‘pillar of strength and trust.’

“Dravid’s allure for brand is his mature and untarnished reputation who has always played fair both on and off the field. A player who despite his awesome achievements has remained controversy-free, stayed low profile and shunned the limelight. This archetype is generally rare among sportspersons and movie stars and makes for a brand endorser that many stable brands would opt for. I think his personality makes a great fit for categories that work around tradition, and value trust and dependability - BFSI, Technology, FinTech and Education/EdTech,” said Mathias.

He also said that Dravid’s equity might see a hike after his recent appointment as India’s Head Coach.

Mathias added, “Dravid's brand equity should see an upsurge with the Indian cricket head coach role. Brands may see the appeal of someone who’s nationally revered, had a great playing career, morphing into an astute administrator and coach combined with a positive and untarnished reputation as a great rub off.”

While we all know that brands chase numbers, some celebrities live forever. Dravid, the wall of Indian Cricket Team, is one of those stars who will shine for years to come. His brand image, relatability and followership continue to remain strong and experts expect the same trend going forward.