At 43, why Rahul Dravid is the most bankable brand even today!

Having delivered with the bat consistently on the field for team India for decades, Mr Rahul Dravid who is heartthrob of millions of Indians, has another successful innings to his credit, one in advertising.

‘Mr dependable’ has pushed the awareness and popularity of nearly all the brands that have nominated him as their ambassador, and is one of the most loved sport celeb faces for top-notch brands even today, thanks to a splendid cricket career free of any controversies. From Tobacco control campaign to Reebok, Pepsi and Max New York Life Insurance, several endorsement commercials have seen him do what he does best - assuring the authenticity, trust and longevity of the brand - attributes that best define the indomitable cricketer who has championed his country to umpteen unassailable victories.

As he turns 43 today, we look back on his qualities and why he continues to be one of the most bankable brands even today.

“Companies want a face which resonates the most with its vision and the core objective of the brand. Someone might be high on popularity index, but might be brash. Now my brand doesn’t want to be associated with a brash celeb, so I wouldn’t want him/her onboard. But I would want a Rahul Dravid because he comes across as a celeb living an ideal personal and professional life. You don’t find many like that since several celebs are associated with controversies,” says Vandana Das, President, DDB Mudra, who is responsible for leading the agency responsible for clients like like Wrigley, Bata, Marico, Yamaha, Cisco, GPI, Dabur among others.

She lists out the qualities that will keep brands wanting Rahul Dravid to be their face in the times to come:

CLEAN IMAGE

Longevity of any brand ambassador is not dependent on his career graph. Celebs stand for certain values which tend to remain and brands tend to associate with such people who are not married with too many controversies. Rahul is the best example of a non-controversial sportsperson with a clean and successful cricket career.

IDEAL MAN WITH VALUES INTACT

Public memory is not short when it comes to celebs. Irrespective of the career graph, celebs are remembered for the image they set in their public and private lives.
Max New York Life used the qualities of solidity, integrity and humanity associated with Dravid for communicating its own brand values. As a person with fabulous image and one who lives up to his values all the time whether on-the-field of off-the-field is someone brands would like to associate with in the long run.

CALM AND COMPOSED

We all know he is calm and composed. Have you ever seen him get aggressive? He is the powerhouse who doesn’t fall into pieces under pressure and is attractive to brands wanting to come across as ‘pillars of strength’.

WARMTH GENERATES EMPATHY

His persona is such that he comes across as one not on a pedestal despite being a public figure. He feels approachable, the warmth in his gesture creates empathy and instills a sense of trust and reliability.

STYLISH

Despite being subtle, he is good-looking and stylish in his own way. Precisely, why brands like Reebok showed him as the handsome sportsperson emanating confidence and style. The style mantra would want to get him onboard despite the fact that he is 43! Does he look his age? Not really. Girls still die to watch him play.