PremiumNew Delhi: Neeraj Chopra, who created history on 7 August by winning India's first athletic Gold in the men's javelin throw with a best effort of 87.58m at the Tokyo Olympics, will be wooed by advertisers. The 23-year-old athlete is likely to see a massive surge in his brand endorsement fee and value, said sports marketing executives.
At least two experts in celebrity management field said Chopra, who currently charges ₹20-30 lakh annually per deal, is expected to witness over 200% jump with brand endorsement fee touching ₹1 crore. This jump justifies his accomplishment. Chopra is the first Indian in over 120 years, and the first athlete from India, to win an Olympic medal in a track-and-field discipline. It is also the second gold medal by an Indian in the individual category of the Olympic Games after Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Parth Jindal, founder, Inspire Institute of Sport and director of JSW Sports that manages Chopra said he is thrilled that the spark they saw in him almost five years ago is now being recognized by the entire country and the world.
“Even before the Olympics, Neeraj was an established athlete having won Commonwealth and Asian gold medals. He’s already sponsored by a number of brands and since last night, our team's phones have not stopped ringing," Jindal said.
A senior sports marketing executive said Chopra could easily command ₹1 crore per shooting basis. “There will be so many brands that would be interested in him, but he needs to be careful how he’s managing his time and how his commercials are being priced," the person said declining to be named.
He’s also good looking and comes across as carefree and fresh, the executive quoted above pointed out. “He’s not exposed so people don’t know what to expect from him. In terms of brand value, it won’t be a hyperbole to say that if he does things right and positions himself well then he can be as big as a Virat Kohli," the person added.
So far, Chopra has received cash rewards from various state governments, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and edtech firm Byju’s. Companies have also offered freebies—IndiGo offered unlimited free travel for one year, while auto firm Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd has said it would give a brand new XUV700 to him.
Chopra, a junior officer in the Indian army with the Rajputana Rifles, made his first mark on international athletics stage with a world junior title in 2016. Two years later, he became the first Indian athlete to win a medal in javelin throw at the Asian Games and at the Commonwealth Games, and was the current national record holder with 88.07-metre throw.
He had also won a gold medal in Junior World Championship and set U-20 World Record with 86.48-metre throw. He is also a 2018 Arjuna Awardee.
Chopra has already worked with brands such as Mobil India Lubricants, Gillette India, P&G, Amstrad AC, Country Delight Natural and Chinese smartphone maker iQOO India, Exxon Mobile, sports drink brand Gatorade and nutrition and supplement brand MuscleBlaze.
Celebrity managers also said since age is on his side, Chopra has another decade to go to reach at the top. His Olympic win has also translated into popularity in the virtual world with his social media following skyrocketing to touch over two million across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Jigar Rambhia, national director-sports, Wavemaker India said his agency is receiving multiple queries for digital only activations from brands with winning athletes especially after Mirabai Chanu win.
“That’s one opportunity that can be explored well, but I personally feel that if a brand is looking for creating a sustained impact then signing such athletes for long-term makes more sense especially in Chopra’s case. He’s only 23-year-old, I see him participating in at least two more Olympics (Paris and Los Angeles). If I was a brand manager, I would look at him from a long-term perspective as he brings a lot of value," he added.
Rambhiar also argued that since athletics is something that youth in the country plays and follows, Chopra would make a perfect sense for a brand that is targeting the youth.
“In fact, he will appeal to even slightly mature brands as well that are targeting consumers around 35-year of age as well," he added.
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