Brand Kohli sizzles after Ind-Pak T20 World Cup thriller

After clinching a win against Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup thriller, brand Virat Kohli is likely to rise up the endorsement rankings further, advertising consultants said.

Despite ruling the rankings, the former Indian cricket captain’s brand value dipped 21% from $237.7 million in 2020 to $185.7 million in 2021, said a report by Kroll , formerly Duff & Phelps, a consultancy.

Artimas Fashions Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Lux Industries, which retails inner-wear and sleepwear under Kohli’s One8 brand, said it witnessed a 15% spike in sales after the match.

Kohli’s performance may ensure more brand endorsements, said industry experts. In fact, brands that were considering dropping him will be forced to retract their decisions at least in the near future, said Sandeep Goyal, advertiser and managing director, Rediffusion.

Independent consultant Harish Bijoor said if King Kohli continues with his form for the remainder of the tournament, he will have more brands vying for him. “All brand endorsers are as good as their game. New brands will queue up for him as they tend to punt on such developments. Therefore, one can expect brands to lay advance bets on him.“

Communication strategy consultant Karthik Srinivasan said Kohli will be in greater demand at least for the short-term with brands like MRF, which shot an ad featuring him on the following day.

While a certain section was predicting the end of the road for Kohli, the masses had not lost their respect for him. “One of the brands he endorses was quick to ride on his success to release an ad campaign. Other brands will be quick to ride on the wave,” said Deepak Kumar, country head, The Story Lab - dentsu India.

“His brand value is not conditional on one good performance or one bad performance; it’s his consistency and ability to stay positive even in adverse situations that defines him,” said Artimas managing director, Nischal Puri. However, since the win against Pakistan was during the weekend and Diwali was on the following day, client interest can’t be gauged in such a short time, Rediffusion’s Goyal said.

Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, e-sports and sports, GroupM South Asia, said brand Kohli has remained resilient in recent years, despite his lean patch.