Sachin lands Rs 10-cr deal with cell co

In his brand ambassador avatar, Sachin Tendulkar promises great action this cricketing season — lots of new commercials and an all new endorsement deal. In the war of telecom giants, Sachin Tendulkar has been called upon to lead the Airtel army. Yes, the Rs 10 crore (over three years) has been signed and sealed, and the ads break out later this week.
Fighting for a share of India''s mobile customer base are, among others, Airtel, Idea!, Reliance Infocomm, Hutch, Tata Indicom and BSNL.The industry buzz is that Sachin was the chosen one to counter Reliance''s strong hold in the Western region, but Airtel officials maintain that with Sachin you don''t go east or west, you only go national. A R Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan and now Sachin complete the desi formula of gaana-bajaana, cinema and cricket.
This is not Airtel''s primary cricketing tryst — Sourav Ganguly played default brand ambassador earlier. Sourav was signed on for a three-year deal with Spice in Kolkatta. With Airtel taking over Spice, Ganguly came with the package. But the skipper was never used for endorsements and when the contract expired last November, it wasn''t renewed.
Whether Sachin overpowers Sehwag ki maa or Orange man Rahul Dravid is yet to be seen. Today with Sachin one can''t talk brand, you talk sectors. Automobile? Sorry, he drives Palio, rides TVS and prefers MRF. Beverages? Pepsi and Boost, please. Media is only ESPN. Apparel courtesy Adidas. And when he calls you, it''s Airtel. Phew! Is the Sachin endorsement well full up to the brim?
There is one drop yet to be accommodated. Post the Home Trade debacle and with VISA turning off the power, banking and finance are sectors that yet need the Sachin stamp. Any takers?