The 2011 World Cup could be an endorsement war between cricketers.
The last time the Cricket World Cup was played in the subcontinent, in 1996, Coca-Cola opened its purse strings to sponsor it and attach its logo to television transmission — in short, be the official drink of the tournament.
Those were the early days of the Cola War in India. Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola had entered the market a few years earlier and the battle for market share was fierce. The Cricket World Cup was meant to be a coup for Coke.
But Pepsi wasn’t about to throw in the towel. It put up huge posters of Sachin Tendulkar, easily the most popular cricketer, in every nook and corner, proclaiming that he only drank Pepsi. Not done yet, it bought all the remaining advertising spots on television and launched the “nothing official about it” commercial. The campaign, starring a posse of cricketers, tried to convey that one had much more fun if one were not official and, of course, if one drank Pepsi. It stole Coke’s thunder and walked into advertising case studies with aplomb.
Around this time, celebrities came to be much in demand by advertisers, who, learning from Coke’s burnt fingers, began to insist that players must not endorse a rival’s products for the duration of the tournament they sponsor.
Fourteen years later, the Cricket World Cup, which starts in February, is back in the subcontinent. Much has changed since then. The Twenty20 format, with its own World Cup and IPL, has emerged as a threat to the 50-over World Cup. Roughly two generations of players have come and gone. The rules have evolved, with the review of the umpire’s decision adding a new twist.
However, there is continuity in the form of the Cola War. Going by reports, Tendulkar, Pepsi’s weapon against Coke all those years ago, may be on the other side this time. If his magic works again, and it has been working on the field like a charm, Pepsi will have no one else to blame but itself. Seeking to capture the young consumers — God knows, everyone wants them without quite knowing how to net them — it dropped Tendulkar a couple of years ago.
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This time, the Cola War is fast becoming an endorsement war between Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a Pepsi man, and Tendulkar. There is no shortage of reports saying that Dhoni has supplanted Tendulkar as the highest paid endorser. Dhoni recently made news for signing a big deal with liquor house UB. Soon after, other reports appeared saying Tendulkar had refused a more lucrative deal with a liquor maker because he wouldn’t support alcoholic beverages. And now the buzz about him endorsing Coke.
In the past there has been talk about players endorsing the same brand being more close-knit than the others. It’s not inconceivable. If a bunch gathers to shoot a commercial, it means more time spent together off the field. It is not unnatural to feel a bond with a fellow player if you both get a fat cheque from the same guy. Hopefully, the Dhoni versus Tendulkar battle will be played out only in the media.