Hima Das is continuing to make waves across the nation as well as the globe. Her consecutive 5 gold medal wins at the Nove Mestro nad Metuji Grand Prix have not only elevated India’s pride but have also elevated the brand ‘Hima Das.’ The Indian sprinter has apparently hiked up her endorsement fee as well and charges around Rs.65 lakh annually.
Such mass adulation and euphoria was witnessed when Dipa Karmakar won the 4th position at the Women’s Vault Gymnastics Event in Rio 2016. There are many similarities between the two. North Eastern, from Underprivileged backgrounds. No formal coaching and no facilities. Only hard work and perseverance. Nobody had expected these unsung heroes to win on the global stage.
With brands shifting their focus from cricket to other sports, Hima Das has climbed the brand endorsement ladder quite high with her splendid achievements in the past few days. Known as ‘Dhing Express’ popularly, Hima Das already has a myriad of brand endorsements to her name, particularly Adidas, who signed her up in September 2018 after contemplating on big names such as Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. She is also known to represent Edelweiss and SBI’s e-banking platform, YONO and has been appointed as the sports brand ambassador of Assam as well.
Hima Das will be back soon to a hero’s welcome. There will be media coverage, lots of social media commentary on her as well as her coach. One would even expect brand marketers to queue up and sign the new sensation.
However, this is where the story changes. Dipa Karmakar post Rio received a lot of brand endorsements and brands considered to use her in their campaigns. But after the initial euphoria, there was no mention of Dipa anywhere. Star Plus and Tata Tea featured her but her stardom soon faded away and was taken over by leading Bollywood actresses.
There even lies a fear amongst people that Hima Das also might be headed the Dipa Karmakar way. But Brand Marketers shouldn’t consider that. They need to keep an eye out for upcoming big sporting events and sign her strategically. The best way to leverage her right now would be through targeted digital media spends and as she climbs up the ladder & becomes the next P.V. Sindhu, use her in TVCs or campaigns.
Hima Das’ brand is sure to sustain in the long run. Her personality embodies perseverance. She will prove to be a good fit for fitness brands and brands of women empowerment as she is a strong independent woman who has shattered several glass ceilings. Brands who love to tell a story would benefit greatly by associating with her. The best medium would be through an AV or a powerful commercial that tells her story, captures the essence of her struggle and her fight. With that, Hima Das is sure to stay in the sports branding marketing circle for a long time.
Hima Das’ brand is sure to sustain in the long run. Her personality embodies perseverance. She will prove to be a good fit for fitness brands and brands of women empowerment as she is a strong independent woman who has shattered several glass ceilings. Brands who love to tell a story would benefit greatly by associating with her. The best medium would be through an AV or a powerful commercial that tells her story, captures the essence of her struggle and her fight. With that, Hima Das is sure to stay in the sports branding marketing circle for a long time.