IPL Salesman of the Year

The burdens of being a great cricketer are many. They have to be consistently exceptional and exceptionally consistent while playing and they have to deal with the pressure of being watched always, whether on or off the field. Their place in the eyes of the public and media makes every cricketer realise that the celebrity status brings with it the responsibility of being a role model to many. Whether they live up to the image required is secondary. But their role model status is of much use to others, especially as a medium of advertising. So while the big brands spend some time on deciding who they can pick as brand ambassador following the performance of players from the world over at the IPL 2012, I compiled a few of my own ideas that might help their selection procedure.

Starting with the player that’s making it big in the news, not necessarily for his playing, we have Sachin Tendulkar. Most people are enthralled more by his mop of long hair than his performances and maybe they are rightly so. And since The Man has decided to be a little fashionable, for reasons he knows best, maybe Clinic Plus can use his endeavours to their advantage. They do make a claim of having the formula that helps hair grow faster – and what better than Sachin’s sudden hair growth spurt to make them even more believable? All they need is to get him to say that he’s a patron.

Next you have Chris Gayle who’s ever popular for his effortless smashing that puts the ball into smooth sailing far into the stands. His shots are like he never tries – as though he’s got some inbuilt superhuman energy, making him the role model for almost every aspiring young cricketer. One brand that can use his ability to their advantage is Boost – the milk drink powder that claims to be the secret of every sportsperson’s energy. In all the possible explanations for Gayle’s never ending energy, Boost can stake a believable claim.

While there may be many arguments and debates about the pitches and conditions that players have had to play in during the IPL 2012, not many will disagree that the heat has been almost unbearable. While spectators watch their teams through a television seated in an air-conditioned room, the players stand in intense heat and sunlight so bright, your eyes have a hard time staying open. Here, you have Daniel Vettori, one of those rare cricketers who prefers wearing spectacles instead of contact lenses that most players opt for. That makes him the perfect candidate to advertise (and use of course) the Transitions Lenses that claim to make spectacled life so much easier. He’ll no longer be forced to face discomfort while playing in the hot sun and while he won’t need sunglasses, Transitions won’t need any better ambassador.

In a world where being metro-sexual is gaining acceptance, you have a new trend where the popularity of a man is directly proportional to his fairness. It may be going against the traditional attraction of the tall, dark, handsome stranger concept, but that’s the way it is. The new trend often calls for the help of cosmetics to attain the social standard. Have you paid close attention to the players of the Pune Warriors India when they’re fielding? Most of the men are dark skinned, some natural, thanks to the harshness of the Indian summer sun. And then there’s Steven Smith who stands out like a beacon due to his fair – almost white – complexion. Even the sun can’t dampen that quality much and that gives Steven Smith the ability to pick his choice from the large number of fairness creams available in the Indian market and be their brand ambassador. There aren’t many metro-sexual men who wouldn’t buy that product.

Where products and brands need brand ambassadors, there are also those players that could use the product more than the brand could use them. One such example is Robin Uthappa. You may wonder why anyone would hire him as a representative given his slow and lethargic performance. The answer is simple – he can be the most believable ambassador for a brand like Revital. He just has to actually use the product, and assuming it works, record the results. Not many people will question its authenticity after that.

The burdens of being a great cricketer might be many, but the perks are no less. And as long as players keep their acts together, the possibilities and opportunities are theirs for the picking.