New managers want to increase his brand value; will be selective with endorsements. Dhoni is currently endorsing 24 brands and is believed to be charging Rs5.5-6 crore for an endorsement.
Brand Dhoni managers are not going to go on a signing spree. They would rather prefer reducing the number of endorsements for the India skipper. Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes One, who have signed a two-year deal with Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a whopping Rs210 crore, say they will go for the premium brands and aim to increase the brand value of the Team Indian skipper.
Dhoni is currently endorsing 24 brands and is believed to be charging Rs5.5-6 crore for an endorsement. “Our aim is to increase the brand value of Dhoni,” said Sangeet Shirodkar, who has been appointed vice-president of the joint venture. “We will not go on a signing spree. We will be very selective in choosing brands.”
The two companies fought off strong challenge from IMG, Percept Group, Sunil Gavaskar-promoted PMG, World Sport Group, Purple People and Planman Consulting. It is believed that Dhoni went for the people whom he knows well. Arun Pandey of Rhiti Sports and Pratik Sen of Mindscapes are known to be close to Dhoni. Pandey is a cricketer himself from Jharkhand and is a long-time associate of the Indian skipper. Sen has been managing Dhoni for the last three years. Pandey, some say, worked on some deals for Dhoni and “even succeeded in fetching good” value for him. “They’ve been associated for a long time,” said a source.
“He has stuck to his comfort zone. He’s quite an intelligent man and he prefers dealing with people he knows very well,” said Shailendra Singh of Percept.
The Rs210 crore deal is the biggest in Indian sports, higher than Sachin Tendulkar’s current deal with WSG. But Singh says the deal is no big deal. “Rs210 crore in two years is eminently achievable. Dhoni is a one-man army in cricket currently. Injuries to players like Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag has cleared the way for MSD. Gautam Gambhir is no great competition and players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are upstarts. Dhoni is the one man for 1.4 billion people,” he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}