What makes the little big fella tick?

GROUND ZERO

BRANDING SACHIN

Hyperbole is very much part of sports writing and commentating. Itcomes very easily to call someone great, legend or champion. It rollsof the tongue so smoothly or magically appears on the screen as onepunches in the keys. But in Sachin Tendulkar's case it is welldeserved. The sheer weight and volume of runs, their quality and ofcourse the joy and entertainment that he has provided to millions ofcricket savants makes him one of the greatest servants of the game. On and beyond the cricket field, the sincerity, integrity, humility the little big fellahas displayed make his achievements taller. Undoubtedly the biggestbrand in Indian brandscape, enduring and luminiscent; Sachin Tendulkarhas metamorphosed from a gawky teen to a personable young man. The manhas an aura about him, his boy man looks help ing immensely. RaviShastri understood the genius of Tendulkar very early on. He probablyrealised that this boy is a real lambi race ka ghoda. Sachin hasplayed his cricket as a transformational agent, a game changer. Wellbehaved and immaculately dressed, Tendulkar has remained controversyfree, a near impossible feat as we recently discovered Tiger Woodsfoibles, one is reminded of how strongly the Bombay Bomber is groundedin his middle class values imbibed from his loving parents in SahityaSahawas, a tree lined conclave in Bandra East.
That is where I met Sachin for the first time when he was readying tofly to Australia for a Test series to be followed by the World Cup.Tendulkar was always born ready when it came to real cricket. DrivingWaqar Younis to the boundary after the tyro had given him a bloodynose, or swinging his bat for maximum returns against the alchemistAbdul Qadir in an exhibition game on the same tour or taking head onthe pace of Craig McDermott and Co on pacy Australian wickets. Whatwas always visible about him was his confidence. His coach RamakantAchrekar once told me that the boy oozed confidence from an early age.A student of New English School, Bandra, young Sachin had to changetwo buses to reach Achrekar at Shivaji Park. Achrekar recommended thatSachin switch schools to concentrate harder. So, Ramesh Tendulkar sentyoung Sachin to live with his brother Suresh in Shivaji Park and thatis how he came to join Shardashram.
If Sachin the brand has all the attributes necessary, it is because hestill lives his life with the same simplicity and humility that madehim a champion at 16. The brand Sachin has enormous equity because heinspires trust, it has survived the vagaries of time because it hassalience of the kind not seen in Indian sport. Sachin remains amarketable commodity. Ravi Shastri saw this potential and took him tothe late marketer Mark Mascarenhas. Together, the two planted theseeds of a boy man who has endorsed the biggest brands at the highestprices. When I was writing my second book - Guts & Glory: The BombayCricket Story - Sachin was kind enough to give me time. At 16 in hisdebut series when he was struck by a vicious Waqar bouncer, blood wasdripping on to his shirt. But let Sachin take up the narrative - "Ihave never liked being a loser. When I was on my face in Sialkot, whatangered me was what I heard around me - arre, arre bachche ko chot laggayee. I had misjudged the length and lost the ball against thesightscreen. It obviously didn't feel nice, blood flowing from mynose, but I couldn't walk off, my side wasn't doing well." So Sachinapplied ice, fought the pain and regained his composure. In thebackground he could hear - come on Wicky, hit him again. He didn't getcowed down, two more bouncers followed. No fear, no emotion, Sachintold me that he pumped and psyched himself up by saying - aaj mujheisse marna hai. And in a display of derring do, smashed the next threeballs to the boundary. He had earned the respect of the Pakistanis.That is the way he has played his cricket.
At Gwalior, the same steely glint was visible in his eyes, the samemerciless intent was driving him. He wanted to teach the SouthAfricans a lesson for doubting the veracity of his crucial save on theboundary in the previous game. A save which determined the course ofthe game. Brand Sachin has rejuvenated itself in the last 12 months.This has happened in a dramatic rebound. Brands always need constantrefurbishment and reinvention. Golfer Jack Nickalus did so by turninginto a golf course designer. Sunil Gavaskar reinvented himself as acommentator. Henri Lacoste became a famous clothing line. Sachin hasthus managed to to stay relevant. Twenty years is a long time tosustain a brand. When he and Mark in tandem with Shastri started thisjourney, sports marketing in India was in its infancy. In many ways,the first big leap of faith was taken by the Mark-Sachin combine. Inthe last couple of years, M S Dhoni, Yuvraj and many others haveemerged as younger brands with resonance with a younger audience. TheDhonis and Yuvrajs emerged when brand Tendulkar was on the wane. Butif you study Tendulkar's batting graph over the last 12 months, thenit is nothing short of admirable. As an ageing Tendulkar realises thattime is of the essence, he is producing his best cricket. Trying toright whatever he can. Maybe, all his unfulfilled dreams have to beturned into reality.
The best example of burnishing a brand in India remains AmitabhBachchan. He has retained a mystique, an amazing gravitas and hemanaged this turnaround with Kaun Banega Crorepati. Now Brand Bachchanis bigger than ever before and that is a difficult thing to achievegiven that he has been a star for 40 years. Sachin is walking the samepath of self discovery, but in the process he is emerging as a durableelder statesman of gold standard. With his performances in recenttimes, Sachin is at 36 going on 37 once again ready to transcend abarrier. When one's stature is such that admiration gives way to awe.He thus becomes the first sportsman in India to acheive this feat. So,you have an Adidas replacing MRF on his bat face after 10 long yearsor a Jaypee Group lapping up the opportunity to be associated withhim. Vishy Anand may have been able to do this, but I guess he ishandicapped because of the nature of the sport that he plays. Sachinnow symbolises durability, longevity, family values and all thequalities that make for a solid brand. On his return to Mumbai afterhis gravity defying innings at Gwalior, he slipped into the role of afather and husband at the airport lounge so seamlessly. These are thevalues that Sachin represents. Along with enormous discipline, down toearth attitude, skill sets and of course trust, the ability to beconsistent and an overarching reputation management strategy. He hasrealised that his brand is about his batting, so he has forsakencaptaincy because it hindered his performance standards.
Come one, come all. As marketers went looking for people like us akayounger cricketers for a greater rub off with younger audiences, theelder statesman has made a telling statement. That he is here to stay.Imran Khan played till he was 39, Jaisurya till he was 40, Sachin'swork ethic and commitment is such that he surely can play till the2011 World Cup. By April next year, he will be 38, but that will notdeter him as long as he enjoys the game that has brought him and hiscountry so many laurels. Sunny Gavaskar once told me that Sachin willscore 50 Test hundreds and 15,000 Test runs. Sachin now stands aloneon the pinnacle, he is the first among equals and I won't be surprisedif marketers and brand gurus make a beeline to his door all overagain. The positioning may well change, but the brand is still themost sought after. Mark and WorldTel created one of cricket and infact modern sport's most saleable commodities. A commodity which isbeing stoked by the fires that Tendulkar himself is leaving behind onevery cricket field that he graces. Three of his most destructiveinnings in one day cricket have all come in the last 12 months - 200not out against SA, the monumental 175 against Australia recently andthe epic 163 retired hurt at Christchurch against New Zealand. Whatdoes that tell you, there is a lot more left in the tank.