For Brand Virat Kohli to rule, Batsman Kohli must score and emerge strong

He’s been among India’s most resilient brands. But Virat Kohli’s decision to step down from Test cricket captaincy could shake that image given the events of recent months. For one, the cricketer was also removed from One Day International Cricket captaincy after he decided to step down as T20 captain. And then his exchanges with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), coupled with his weakening on-field performance, could have an impact on his brand image.

That said, brand experts believe that Kohli’s brand value is also tied to his performance as a batsman and if he is able to return to his peak performance, it will likely prevail.

Kohli, who is associated with brands such as Vivo, Puma, Uber India, to name a few, had in 2020 emerged as the most valuable celebrity in the country for a fourth straight year, according to Duff & Phelps’ “Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2020”. At $237.7 million, his brand value had remained almost unchanged from 2019. Compared to the second-most valuable celebrity, Akshay Kumar ($118.9 million), he was miles ahead.

In his statement on Instagram and Twitter, Kohli said: “It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now.” He also said that there have been many ups and downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. He also thanked the BCCI and said, “I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful.”

His decision, however, could cost him new brands wanting to associate with him and also

lead to existing brands revisiting their marketing strategies with him as brand ambassador, image consultants say.

“Virat Kohli is known for his leadership and aggressive on-field performance, and brands have associated their market leading products with that image. With his controversial resignation from the ODI and T20 captaincy and associated exchanges with BCCI, and recent on-field outcomes, Brand Kohli had fallen in a concerning zone for marketeers,” Aviral Jain, MD, Duff & Phelps, told Business Standard. “Now, with a sudden step down from Test captaincy, there could be a material impact on signing up new endorsements in the near term. Brands that have portrayed Kohli as a successful leader would have to revisit their marketing strategies and campaigns,” he added.

Jain, however, pointed out that the cricketer has the strongest social media following — 265 million followers in 2021, a whooping 60 per cent over 2020. “With the reduced workload after stepping down from captaincy, Kohli can focus on what he is known for — his batting — and continue his journey to becoming the world’s best batsmen,” Jain said, adding, “With the right on-field outcomes, Brand Kohli might be able to manoeuver through these speculative and difficult tracks ahead."

Rediffusion Managing Director Sandeep Goyal, too, is of the view that Kohli’s brand value will take a hit given the recent developments and he will lose out on brands wanting to associate with him. 

“Kohli’s decision to step down as the captain of India’s Test cricket team will willy-nilly have some impact on his brand value, and he will necessarily lose out on some brand endorsements over a period of time,” Goyal said, adding, “To add to it, Kohli is also not in the best batting form and failed to post a single century in South Africa and also lost the series 2-1, which pushed him to take the difficult step to resign.”

Now, if his batting does not return to peak performance, his celebrity value will be affected, said Goyal. If Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara can be on the doubtful list, so can Kohli, he added. “It is not unthinkable. If that were to happen, however slim the chance, it would be a catastrophe for Brand Kohli.”

Not everyone agrees, though. Brand expert Santosh Desai said captaincy is one part of the brand and that there’s more to Virat Kohli than being captain. “If he keeps performing as an independent player, he will continue to keep his brand value intact as a lot of his brand is built around his performance, and he is one of the world’s best batsmen.” Sportspersons, after all, go through ups and downs and hit a bad form, Desai said while cautioning that if the cricketer is unable to pull himself out of the slump, then Brand Kohli could see an impact. That said, Kohli’s persona is strong and his brand value will not take a hit, he added.

With Captain Kohli out of the picture, Batsman Kohli must emerge strong for Brand Kohli to rule on.