Reports say that Pepsi is not renewing its contract with Sachin Tendulkar. As part of its strategy to ‘connect with the youth’, they have decided against signing him on again – almost 10 years after they signed him on. It was a matter of time, wasn’t it? Sachin was getting expensive even for the deep-pocketed Pepsi and younger stars offer a better long-term bet. Imagine signing on one of the rookies of Indian cricket team and betting on him to become another Sachin.
Among the zillions of brands Sachin endorsed, Pepsi offered the best strike rate in terms of memorable ads. The mask ad and the ‘Main kaun hoon?‘ ones being the most popular. Sachin has enough and more categories to match his status and personality now. He will always be an icon for the youth. Given that he has been around for 18 years as a cricketeer, 10-year olds would have seen a patchier side of Sachin recently. When he started off, he was electrifying and later switched to a more subdued mode. He may not be as reverential to the kids nowadays- I don’t have any research to prove this, just a hunch.
Sachin is now a senior statesman, a voice of authority – there are enough and more brands & categories that will suit this personality. Categories that call for some adult influence: insurance, credit cards and the like. I guess Pepsi needs to go after the Youngistaanis now.
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