Can Yuvraj Singh remain relevant for brand endorsements post-retirement?

As Yuvraj retires from the game and brands swoop in around the fading aura of the superstar, is there a chance to reclaim his influence off the pitch?

After nearly 20 years around the 22 yards, Yuvraj Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. While he had become a pale shadow of his former self both on the field and as an endorser, for a few years now, his announcement has been met with a flurry of farewell messages from brands and trending hashtags on Twitter. For brands this is a way to reap marketing miles off a significant moment, say experts, but can Yuvraj leverage their interest and redefine his role in the age of influencers?  

Brands stepping into the Yuvraj moment cater to a wide range of customers—from IndiGo (airlines) to Fevicol (adhesive) and Puma (sportswear and shoes) and Pulse (candy), they cover a diverse set of products and services too. Dairy brand Amul, known for its topical hoardings, and now tweets/social media posts, also ran a retirement message, following the majority of the brands in using the memorable Yuvraj feat of hitting six sixes in an over to express its opinion. Even Netflix, a brand that has not engaged with the player or cricket in the past, waded into the celebratory moment, tweeting titles that the cricketer could binge now that he has some free time on his hands.

Yuvraj’s list of brands had run dry for a while now. “Yuvraj peaked during the 2011 World Cup, leading India to an unimaginable victory. His endorsement career graph also peaked with that until he was diagnosed with cancer which he successfully defeated. Since then, it has been start-stop for him as far as his cricketing career and endorsements are concerned,” says Saurabh Uboweja, chief executive officer, Brands of Desire, a management consulting firm.

The retirement announcement has had brands and fans refreshing his story, on and off the field, on social media. While everyone has used his phenomenal six sixes in a farewell message, some have simply doffed their hat to an entertaining career. So what does this mean for the newly retired cricketer? 

“What happens to Brand Yuvi depends on the route he takes. If he wants to continue his association with cricket, then the route is different, and if he wants to step away from cricket, then it's a different case. I personally feel that his personality is multi-dimensional, but so far, the focus (by brands) has been on one dimension--the on-field performance.” 

Goyal cites the examples of M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli, both of whom have developed a brand narrative that goes beyond their on-field performances. Yuvraj, he believes, can do the same. Indranil Das Blah, co-CEO, Kwan, a talent management firm says, "Yuvraj is an interesting case because he has a very strong personal story. As long as he keeps himself visible and relevant, he should be able to reinvent his brand. The retirement could actually help with this.” He sees Yuvraj finding new ground on digital media where he could become an influencer for brands reaching out to audiences across age groups with an inspirational story. 

The projections for Yuvraj on the endorser/influencer circuit come with a caveat thought. There is no way he can step into the league of a Kohli or a Dhoni who command a fee of Rs 2 to 2.5 crore a day or the second rung such as Shikhar Dhawan (Rs 30-40 lakh a day), experts say. He could ask for Rs 15-20 lakh a day, thereby presenting brands with a more affordable entry into the game of cricket.

Even that is no easy feat however. “Once you retire as an international sportsperson, you are no longer in a position to create equity for the country through your performance, and therefore, it becomes difficult to monetize through endorsement deals. Yuvraj will be looking at establishing an alternate career rather than depend on endorsements. He is already heavily engaged with his foundations and has been investing in potentially high growth startups,” Uboweja says. He expects Yuvraj’s post-cricket career would circle around his cancer fund, YouWeCan, rather than brands and bats.