Fair play on and off the field: Women athletes score record brand deals

As an increasing number of Indian women excel in cricket, boxing, badminton, hockey and other sports, the number of deals and the endorsement fees they’re getting have hit an all-time high, executives said. The rising star power of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Nikhat Zareen, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Lovlina Borgohain, Mirabai Chanu, Rani Rampal and others has seen brands eager to sign them up for endorsement pacts.

Brands such as Hyundai, Boost, Himalaya Wellness, Puma, Ceat, Lotus Herbals, Dream11, Amul and Tata Group are signing long-term pacts. Among the latest achievements – Indian boxers bagged four golds in the world championships and the first Women’s Premier League (WPL), which just got over, was a ratings hit.

Hyundai Motor has signed five women cricketers -Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues – for its Drive Within campaign.

Brand value also rising
Hindustan Unilever’s Boost, which has had male sports stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Virat Kohli as endorsers for decades, is now being championed by Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the Mumbai Indians to victory in the WPL. She’s also associated with sports and footwear brand Puma, lifestyle gadget company Hapipola, Ceat Tyres, ITC’s B Natural juices and fantasy sports gaming platform WTF Sports.

“We have seen a positive tectonic shift in endorsements for women athletes. They are now the first choice when it comes to social influencer deals and brand collaborations,” said Neerav Tomar, managing director of IOS Sports, which represents boxers Lovlina Borgohain and Mary Kom, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and hockey player Rani Rampal. “Even the brand value of every woman athlete has increased in the last two years. I believe their brand value and demand for endorsements will further increase in the coming days.”

Brands are also looking to break gender stereotypes.

Puma said it signed Kaur after a social media experiment that asked audiences to guess its next brand ambassador and 80% assumed the person would be a male cricketer. “We are committed to support, celebrate and empower women in sports,” said Abhishek Ganguly, managing director, India and Southeast Asia.

After Puma announced Kaur as its new endorser, cricketer Virat Kohli, who also endorses the brand, tweeted: “Passion for cricket should know no gender.”

The trend that began with the Tokyo Olympics two years back – women athletes becoming top draws for brands – has only accelerated since then.

“The rise in the number of high-performing women sports celebrities is guaranteed and so is the return on investments for brands,” said LV Krishnan, chief executive of TAM Media Research.

The surge in women’s sports celebrities as endorsers of brands is being led by their performance and extensive social media presence, which makes them easily recognisable by the new generation. Mandhana has more than 7.6 million followers on Instagram, and was the most expensive acquisition at the WPL auctions, picked up for ₹3.4 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Rajesh Krishnamurthy, business director at Himalaya Wellness, which has partnered WPL’s Royal Challengers Bangalore with a campaign themed #NotFair, said: “We hope this will inspire people to break down stereotypes around beauty.”

Brands are also leveraging the popularity of women players overseas.