 "The top 5 Sachin Tendulkar commercials")
When one looks back and tries to get a fix on the best of Sachin in TV commercials, it’s a tough task. Not because there are so many, but because there are so few good commercials. If one takes a hard look, the Sachin commercials fall into two boxes: the ones where Sachin is alone and the ones where Sachin is one of many. Clearly, the ones where Sachin is not alone bring out the best in him; it’s almost like his role in cricket – he needs to be part of a team. Except, of course, when Sachin is not Sachin, and he’s just a stick figure. This one from Adidas, to my mind, is the best by a country mile:
Sachin plays a bit role in the TVC – and that’s a model that seems to work. [caption id=“attachment_1213581” align=“alignright” width=“380”]
When one looks back and tries to get a fix on the best of Sachin in TV commercials, it’s a tough task. BCCI[/caption] The next one is perhaps a result of the worst error of judgement that Sachin’s managers made, when they signed him up for the company that cheated many and went bust – Home Trade. Here, Sachin just about makes an appearance, but makes the film enjoyable.
Pepsi, in Sachin’s early days, got some good films out of him. The one with Kambli was fun, as was the one with Amitabh Bachchan. But the best one was this one – Sachin with many, many kids, much like the Home Trade one.
Boost saw the winning formula early – do not ask Sachin to act and try to keep his speech to a minimum. In what must have been a very expensive film those days, all Sachin does in the TVC is to be an athlete and a cricketer. All he has to say is, ‘Boost is the secret of my energy’.
None of the recent ads seems to bring out the best out of Sachin, except for BMW’s ad earlier this year. Why does it work? The same formula. Make sure he doesn’t act and ensure that he speaks as little as possible.
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.