Coke signs Sachin for Rs 20 cr; to feature in corporate ads

Ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar has finalised a three-year endorsement deal, estimated at around Rs 20 crore, with Coca-Cola India.

But he will not feature in Coca-Cola brand campaigns, said company executives, who declined to be quoted. Instead, he will be used in corporate campaigns, they said. "This is because Sachin symbolises trust, reliability and responsibility. We can leverage these qualities in our corporate campaigns and CSR initiatives," an executive citing anonymity said.

PepsiCo had dropped Tendulkar about two-and-half years ago as part of its strategy to phase-out aging brand ambassadors.

Coca-Cola, like PepsiCo, has been focusing on the youth to push up sales. While PepsiCo roped in younger celebrities including actors Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone as part of its Youngistaan campaign, Coca-Cola has actor Imran Khan on its rolls. The year 2010 saw three ads with Khan, which were well-received.

Coke will shoot a new television commercial early next month for Tendulkar, which has been scripted by Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman & chief executive officer, McCann-Erickson Worldgroup India. Joshi could not be immediately reached for his comments. McCann-Erickson handles the creative account of Coca-Cola in India.

A Coca-Cola spokesperson said the company had not entered into a contractual agreement with Tendulkar yet. "We are always in discussions with any number of leading celebrities with regard to their support of our brands and initiatives, but we only announce formal agreements after they are signed," the spokesperson said.