Gatorade ropes in Hardik Pandya; first cricketer to endorse the brand
Hardik Pandya to endorse its sports drink Gatorade -the first time the sports brand will be endorsed by a cricketer. Previously, badminton player PV Sindhu and javelin star Neeraj Chopra have been associated with Gatorade.
Ankit Agarwal, associate director, hydration & energy at PepsiCo India said the partnership with Pandya will help “deepen the brand’s connection with the sports, fitness and active-lifestyle community.”
The cricketer is associated with over a dozen brands.
Brand valuation and analytics firm Kroll estimated the cricketer’s brand value at $34.8 million in year 2022.
The sports and hydration category is seeing surge in consumer traction. IMARC group estimated the domestic sports and energy drinks market at US$ 2.7 billion in 2022.
The group forecasted this market to reach US$ 5.7 billion by 2028.
Companies have responded by scaling up presence in the category. Reliance Consumer Products, which recently launched the cricket-themed lemon-flavoured carbonated Campa Cricket, is planning to also launch a sports drink, according to industry executives.
Rival Coca-Cola has announced a partnership with the upcoming ICC World Cup for its hydration drink Limca Sportz as official sports drink partner of the tournament.
Amul is also escalating its sports drink with multi-media campaigns.
Last month, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) further tightened guidelines for celebrities endorsing brands, revising its existing norms. ASCI said the definition of celebrities would include those with social media following of over 5 lakh on any one platform, or those who receive a fee of more than Rs 40 lakh annually for endorsing brands in ads.
