Can women’s sports in India hit the advertising gold?
Take the year 2023, which has been, for all practical purposes, a breakthrough year for women athletes in India. Besides the start of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and BCCI announcing its first step towards pay parity, the women’s cricket team clinched its maiden Test victory against England. In the Asian Games 2023, Kiran Baliyan became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the shot put, Annu Rani bagged gold in the women’s javelin throw; Harmilan Bains won silver in the women’s 800m racing event.
One would have thought we will see some new faces in the brand endorsement firmament besides Sindhu-Saina-Sania, and occasionally Harmanpreet Kaur, who led the Mumbai Indians to victory in the inaugural edition of the WPL, and Smriti Mandhana, who lead RCB to WPL 2 victory.
Far from it. Rohit Varma, founder, Narrative, rues that in India, every other sport is under the shadow of men’s cricket. “It is relatively easy to convince a brand to engage with male athletes as most of the time brands are looking for ambassadors with mass appeal,” he adds.
A look at the deal value of women sports personalities makes the picture even more sombre. The captain of the Indian women’s cricket team Harmanpreet Kaur takes home about a crore per endorsement; Virat Kohli rakes in up to `10 crore; 2021 Olympic gold medal winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra charges a fee of `4 crore annually; Mirabai Chanu, who snagged a silver at the same event, takes home a fourth of that.
There might just be a glimmer of hope though. “Sports advertising has always felt like a boys’ club, filled with cars, razors, and the whole ‘manly man’ vibe. The WPL can change that,” says Ramya Ramachandran, founder & CEO, Whoppl India. There has been a surge in viewing figures and engagement across women’s sport properties, such as in hockey after the women’s contingent won the Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
Things can only get better from here, say experts. “Brands are waking up to the fact that women’s sports have grown both in popularity and performance over the last few years,” says Divya MS, business director- ITW. “It’s also a fact that brands associated with women’s sports enjoy a more favourable public perception.”
Among the fresh faces, 27-year-old boxer Nikhat Zareen, who won world championships in 2022 and 2023 as well as a Commonwealth Games gold and an Asian Games bronze, signed up at least two endorsement deals last year — PSU National Mineral Development Corporation and Lifespan, manufacturer of nutraceuticals, herbal, ayurvedic and personal care products. Equitas Small Finance Bank roped in hockey player Rani Rampal in 2023.
Some time back, Tata Tea Agni launched its Josh Jagaye Har Roz campaign featuring Indian women’s hockey team players Vandana Katariya, Gurjit Kaur and Neha Goyal.
Financial Express