IT'S ALL IN THE NAME

SPORTING ICONS ARE NOT ONLY SPRINTING ON THE FIELD, BUT OUTSHINING BOLLYWOOD IN THE BRAND ENDORSEMENT RACE.

- VINOD NAIR

“WHAT'S IN A NAME?” Juliet may have wondered but in the world of celebrity endorsements, brand experts insist—it's everything. A single controversy can dim the brightest star overnight.

Traditionally, brand endorsements have been associated with movie stars, across all ‘woods’. Yet, sporting icons like Sachin Tendulkar and M.S. Dhoni proved to be a force to reckon with.

Now, it seems Indian sporting icons are not only sprinting on the fields, but also in the brand endorsement race. Once dominated almost entirely by Bollywood, the list of India's most valuable celebrity brands now has a powerful presence from cricket, almost levelling the field. Last year, Virat Kohli topped Kroll's Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023.

‘King’ Kohli, at a whopping $227.9 million, was followed by Ranveer Singh ($203.1 million), Shah Rukh Khan ($120.7 million), Akshay Kumar ($111.7 million), and Alia Bhatt ($101.1 million). Deepika Padukone, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan followed. Most of these brand icons are likely to retain their spots when the report for 2024 comes out, says Kroll India MD Aviral Jain. The report is expected soon.

Ranveer, Shah Rukh, Akshay, Alia, and Deepika are expected to be in the Top 10 as well. A couple of new faces may feature in the Top 25, he adds.

There will be one major change though: more actors from the South will make their debut on the list, courtesy the new-found popularity for regional films pan-India. “Over the years, the Bollywood pie started shrinking but their overall brand value hasn't gone down. The share of sports icons and stars from the South has started to increase,” Jain says. Last year, Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna made their debut on the list.