Virat Kohli
world sports hardly holds a candle to bigger draws like
Football, Golf, Swimming, Racing, Basketball, Tennis,
Track Field events …
To begin from the beginning, what is a brand? It is an
identity, an image, a humanisation of traits & attributes
that define a personality. In Bollywood – for example
– the ruling troika, the Khans all offer distinctive brand
characteristics. SRK is Mr. Romance. Aamir is Mr.
Perfectionist. Salman, the sexy Bad Boy who exhibits
masti & mischief beneath a golden heart. Virat Kohli, for
his turn, has zonked popular imagination by carving a
very distinct face of his own … an image that has clearly
caught fire. He is many [seductively] attractive things, to
many people … A fearless, aggressive, gifted cricketer;
a fashion icon; a sex symbol; half of a hi-profile
celebrity Power couple; a dynamic Captain who
leads by example and hates to lose; a cool dude who
expresses his youth through his impish, mischievous
body language … His appeal also crosses gender
lines because it is non-threatening – he is adored by
females and lionised by males, especially Gen X. His
brand equity travels well because his popularity is huge
in every cricket-crazy country he has played – from
Australia to Bangladesh. The camera too loves his
hairstyle & expressiveness – on and off the field –
making him instantly PR friendly brand celeb – a blank
canvas on which smart marketers can ink their deals.
Another very interesting aspect to Kohli’s raging
popularity is his being there at the right time & right
place regarding the shifting perceptions in the public
domain of what contributes a good image and translates
to desirable brand equity. Purists are not amused at
his exhibitionist goings-on – showing finger to the Oz
crowds; going eyeball-to-eyeball with the opposition;
screaming abuses while celebrating a victory, century
or an opponent’s dismissal; nudging umpires & arguing
with them during a recent IPL match – and wonder
whether decency, decorum & the spirit of a gentleman’s
game has at last found its final destination & resting
place and the endpoint of human ideological evolution
in the sports arena has arrived. To be brash, bold &
combative is one thing but to make mockery of decency
on the playing field is another … something totally
unacceptable. Ever seen Dhoni, Kumble, Dravid,
even Ganguli misbehave on the field or opposition,
no matter how grave the provocation, they ask? His
new-age fans dismiss these allegations summarily
and wonder what kind of time-warp or world these
guys reside in! They insist that we live in a fiercely
competitive, stress-filled world where there are no
free lunches and no quarters given or taken. Unlike
Bollywood or politics, bloodline too doesn’t matter a fig
and performance is the key; results the main driver. In
today’s hi-stakes world, where there is no space for
second best and the winner takes all, to be cute, polite,
politically correct or diplomatic is nonsense because
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Another very interesting aspect
to Kohli’s raginf popularity is
his being there at the right time
and right place