Neeraj Chopra – Dutch Uncles

Looks, Olympian And A Soldier; Brand Neeraj Chopra

Anju Nambiar — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 08:35:08 +0000

The Olympic fever is still very high. Brands and businesses are in a mad rush to feature the brightest faces for their social media campaigns and hashtags. Since the trend of India’s Olympic win is still very raw, this is a golden opportunity for companies to capitalise on the exposure and the coverage by showcasing inspirational faces like Neeraj Chopra and Mirabai Chanu.

Who is Neeraj Chopra?

Neeraj Chopra, is India’s newest Olympic Medallist who created history by bringing Gold for India after 121 long years. His spectacular win in the Men’s Javelin Throw event in Athletics is India’s first win in a Track and Field Event since a very long time. His Olympic debut brought immense glory to India when he scored the winning throw of 87.58 m on a second attempt. A junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army, he also goes by the title ‘Subedar Neeraj Chopra’.

Neeraj Chopra’s past brand connections

Country Delight Natural

A fresh cow and buffalo milk brand, Neeraj Chopra associated with the brand through an ad campaign before his Olympic win. He rendered his face and athletic training journey for the campaign and spoke about how farm-to doorstep delivery of fresh Cow milk helps athletes incorporate a healthy diet in their training regimen.

Gillette India

Neeraj has endorsed Gillette India’s ‘Barber Parivar Suraksha Program’ that covers Indian barbers and their families with Covid-19 insurance of INR 1 lakh. This programme is aimed at raising awareness about the struggles faced by barbers during the pandemic and supports their return to work while ensuring safety.

Mobil India

Mobil Lubricants India launched their ‘Farak Laakar Dekhiye’ campaign which was a Covid safety protocol awareness campaign. It featured the faces of Olympic bound athletes at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Neeraj Chopra was also a part of it.

Other brand endorsements

Neeraj has endorsed multiple brands like Amstrad, Muscle Blaze, Gatorade, IQOO, JSW Sports, etc. through one-time campaigns or on a full-fledged endorsement basis. Post Tokyo, he is witnessing a surge in his brand value which will no doubt bring more names to the list.

The new golden boy for branding

Neeraj Chopra is the new face of advertisers as a sports superstar. He has a brand worthy face, is equipped with the skills and specialisation, and has two stellar titles to his name; those of being an Olympian and a Soldier. His win at the Olympics propelled him into the elite club of Indian sport brand personalities which include the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sports Branding scenario in India

Who charges how much?

Virat Kohli, ace cricketer is one of the highest paid sport personalities when it comes to brand endorsements. He charges a whopping INR 1 Cr-5 Cr per brand. KL Rahul is also a very popular face among brands, and he gets INR 50 Lakh-1 Cr per brand for ads and endorsements. Hardik Pandya also charges INR 1 Cr for brand endorsement fees. PV Sindhu’s bronze at the Tokyo Olympics has upped her brand value. Her brand endorsement fees are now in the range of INR 1.2-4.5 Cr.

The biggies in sport branding

The biggies in sport branding have mostly been the top performers like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom. But now brands are fighting to feature young and fresh faces for their campaigns either via high paid Instagram ads or quick television commercials. Mirabai Chanu was already leveraged by Dominos, and now Neeraj Chopra is slowly becoming a brand favourite.

Neeraj Chopra as the face of business

How much will he charge?

Up until he won the gold medal at Tokyo, Neeraj Chopra’s brand endorsement fees were an estimated INR 20-30 Lakh per year. However, after bringing home the gold, Neeraj may charge a tentative INR 2.5 Cr or higher.

Decoding his brand value

Neeraj Chopra has seen a 1000 per cent increase in his portfolio valuation after his Olympic victory. Brands across a variety of categories are approaching him at top speed and his portfolio is much more open. JSW Sports who manages his portfolio is expecting brand ambassador endorsement deals as well as digital-led deals in the coming future.

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Neeraj Chopra’s brand endorsement fees were an estimated INR 20-30 Lakh per year.

What’s in it for me?

Sports sponsorships have been topping the list of brands and start-ups in India. Whether it’s the IPL, social media collaborations, or traditional TV adverts, sport personalities are a go-to favourite. Brand categories like men’s grooming products, clothing, gadgets, and footwear commonly feature popular faces in sports. Since start-ups have more funds to afford on such expensive marketing campaigns, they understand that the investment will come back manifold owing to the exposure and coverage their business will receive by making famous sportspersons the face of their brand.

Even small collaborations like sponsored Instagram posts fetch millions for sports personalities but significantly up the brand value for any business. It all depends on your fund allocation and marketing budget. As a start-up or small business, if you cannot afford the biggest names in the sporting world, there are many other budding sport personalities whom you can approach for collaboration. Due to the increasing number of sports academies in India like the Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary, and Soccer Schools by Bengaluru FC (football club), more Olympic bound sports men and women are graduating. Identify popular faces and determine who has a strong social media or media presence, and approach them to advertise your brand.

The post Looks, Olympian And A Soldier; Brand Neeraj Chopra appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

The Role of A Mentor, Like As In Sports As In Entrepreneurship

Shalmoli Sarkar — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:30:30 +0000

The sight of Vitezslav Vesely’s last javelin throw landing at 85.54 m, made the nation of 1.3 billion jump in elation. It sealed the gold medal win of 23-year-old debutant Neeraj Chopra and India’s first medal in track and field event in the Olympics. His magnificent throw of 87.58 m fulfilled the wishes of Late Milkha Singh and India’s only female sprinter P.T. Usha, who missed out on a medal by a whisker.

A lot goes into the making of a successful athlete. Behind Neeraj’s golden throw we cannot deny the contribution of his Coach Uwe Hohn and former Coach Klaus Bartonietz. In a recent media appearance of Neerja Chopra, on asking how much he owed this journey and success to his coaches, he replied that a coach plays a pivotal role in the making of an athlete and one cannot do it alone. A coach during the entire training period dedicates his time to creating the best training schedules, diet planning, body fitness and endurance plans and most important the technique.

Neeraj’s childhood coach recalls that he made Neeraj train with the long-distance runners to gain adequate strength for the run-up while throwing javelin that determines the distance. Coming to developing a business, there are parallels between sports and entrepreneurship. What a coach is to an athlete is a mentor to an entrepreneur. A coach helps an entrepreneur discover its positives and abilities and helps him navigate challenges.

How can one find the right mentor?

While selecting a mentor an individual must create a checklist of skills and attributes that he/she would seek in a mentor. An entrepreneur should keep in mind that the needs of the mentee also change over time. The same was for Neeraj Chopra, there was no doubt in Klaus’s coaching, but Neeraj believed that he needed a change in his training for breaking into the international events. It was Hohn for Neeraj who helped him win gold at the 2018 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and set a new national record. Different mentors will bring in a unique set of skills and different approaches to a problem, so here the onus lies on the mentee.

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A coach plays a pivotal role in the making of an athlete and one cannot do it alone.

Five reasons why a mentor is necessary for an entrepreneur

Many individuals perceive that only passion can drive them to become successful entrepreneurs, which is true but not sufficient. An aspiring entrepreneur is unaware of the problems ahead and does not know how to dodge them effectively, which is why we need mentors.

Helps you accomplish your goals

The mentor can help an aspiring entrepreneur stay focussed on the goals and makes one accountable for the vision of your business. A mentor guides an entrepreneur in making new strategies in achieving new targets and helps in developing a business or marketing plan. Neeraj under former coach Klaus- a bio-mechanic expert trained him to maintain the right body form and technique. Be it shot put, discus, or hammer throw, knowing bio-mechanics is crucial, without which an athlete might injure oneself.

Gain experience from mentor’s challenges

A mentor who has made mistakes or countered challenges, but was not able to avoid or overcome them due to lack of skills adds to the experience and learning. Now, that the person is a mentor, can provide guidance to the individual for devising out strategies and plans to avoid such mistakes in the first place itself and if faced, the individual will now be well-equipped and moulded to tackle it. This is something that cannot be taught from books.

Networking opportunities

Start-ups and small businesses for early-stage funding become easier when they are recommended by their mentor as they gain the trust of investors. A good mentor has unlimited network contacts of investors and venture capitalists. Since mentors are already investing their time and energy in training you, they can help your business make in-roads in the investor’s community. This is an opportunity one cannot tap into if one does not have a mentor.

Fuels positivity and encouragement

Failure is part and parcel of both sports and business. Lack of proper encouragement and a positive mindset tend to impede productivity. A mentor who has experienced the same highs and lows in running a business can fuel positivity and soothe your mind with words of motivation. In Mahabharata, when Arjuna was required to battle with his teacher, grandfather, and cousins, Krishna became his mentor to guide him about fulfilling his duties.

Helps to build a stronger emotional quotient

In sports, coaches guide their players to regulate their emotions during critical stages of the game by employing strategies to remain in control. Similarly, a mentor for an aspiring entrepreneur helps build high emotional intelligence leveraging which they develop qualities of empathy, problem-solving, and social skills to come up with solutions, create strong relationships, and win people over.

The post The Role of A Mentor, Like As In Sports As In Entrepreneurship appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

Olympian Neeraj Chopra: Learnings From Sport For Entrepreneurs

Aakash Sharma — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 04:50:09 +0000

As Indian athlete and Olympian Neeraj Chopra got the country its first-ever gold medal in the Tokyo games’ track and field event, it is the only thing that everyone is talking about these days, and rightly so. Heralding a new era for Indian sports, Neeraj Chopra has made the country proud and inspired millions of up-and-coming players who can now dream of bagging a medal at the highest stage in the world.

But aspiring players and athletes are not the only ones whom Chopra’s Olympic Gold in Javelin throw has inspired. The journey that an athlete has to undergo is quite similar to what an aspiring entrepreneur goes through.

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There is a vast array of sports terminology, like 'Knocked it out of the park', 'The ball is in their court', 'Game of inches', among others, that is used to describe the happenings of business and in the workplace.

So, let’s see how learning from sports can help entrepreneurs succeed in business.

Starting is lonely and often discouraging

It is a fact that every beginner goes through the blues of starting something new. While the adrenaline seems amiss in delving into the new paradigm, be it a new sport or setting up a small business, the beginning seems more challenging due to that fear of new and unknown. But as the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day”, the same is true for an athlete and a business. Starting is lonely, but it is temporary. As the journey proceeds, the struggle becomes a thing of the past. It is often replaced by a new set of challenges that can be overcome by the skills acquired in this process.

Set realistic goals – Know exactly what you’re trying to achieve

Just like some players, entrepreneurs sometimes set grand and lofty goals right from the outset. But it is a proven strategy for athletes to start small and take things one day at a time to reach the end-line successfully. Entrepreneurs, too, must follow this practice of setting realistic goals and working for them consistently, increasing their chances of success.

Consistency and perseverance

Along with clearly set and achievable goals, athletes work towards them consistently and perseveringly. It is the inherent nature of sports and practice that makes sportspersons competitive and, thus, successful. And this holds vital importance in the journey of aspiring business people as well. Entrepreneurs should imbibe these values of athletes right from the beginning of their entrepreneurial path to make a successful leap in their careers.

Discipline and dedication

If discipline were a book, it would be an athlete’s Bible. Even if they are not medal bearers or absolute champions, all athletes are strictly tuned to the daily schedules that they have to follow with discipline. The above two points of realistic goals and consistency are primarily driven by discipline. If one is to start a new business or learn about the business world, they must surely follow an athlete’s discipline and dedication.

Focus – Attention to detail

Every well-trained and serious player has one thing in common — an obsession with details. Players know every aspect of their sport as they all are crucial for a good performance. They maintain a rigorous training schedule and pay close attention to details as little details can make or break their performances. Entrepreneurs must also imbibe these values to capitalise on opportunities for advancement and other avenues of success and should be focused and detail-oriented.

Failure – Learn from losing

The fact of sports (and life in general) is that there are always winners and failures. All athletes know that they are not going to win all the matches and events in their life. It is what they take away from the experience of losing that finally propels them to win. Athletes turn inward and analyse their own performance, scrutinise their lapses and see their failures and missteps as possibilities for improvement.

The same is true for entrepreneurs. Losing is a temporary condition. Every day is a unique opportunity to take in new aspects, grow and succeed. True accomplishment comes when one learns from errors and grows past them.

Have grit

Indeed, the best athletes are the ones who have unique skills and talents and are the most flexible and adaptable – however, other things too separate good athletes from the great ones. The skill of grit makes a lot of difference. Grit is self-discipline accompanied by an emotional commitment to a task and a strong desire to accomplish it. To be successful, entrepreneurs must also cultivate grit, just like athletes do. They must have the ability to withstand adversity and have the grit and determination to achieve their goals.

Realising success and celebrating accomplishments

We can witness the apt comparison between business and sports in an expressive celebration of one’s success. When an athlete brings home gold, s/he is celebrated for the mega achievement, and the entire nation goes into celebration, just like Neeraj Chopra’s recent win for India. In business, too, entrepreneurs must recognise their and their employee’s success. They should find ways to cheer one another on when, say, a co-worker makes new record sales or wins a big client. Not only does this promote unity, but it also gives an incentive for others to accomplish their goals.

Parallels between an entrepreneur and Olympian Neeraj Chopra

The connections between sports and business are omnipresent. Entrepreneurs and aspiring businesspersons have been learning new teachings from sports for a long time. Whether referring to workgroups as “teams” or managers as “coaches”, sports analogies in the business world are applied everywhere.

Olympian Neeraj Chopra has been through a journey that was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. His quest began with the aim of shedding some weight as a kid; today, it has reached its summit with a historic Olympic gold in the javelin throw event. This is not to say that his journey has peaked forever. This is just the beginning. And so is every new day for entrepreneurs. They can do anything, anytime, any day – all they have to do is follow the rulebook of success and adopt an athlete’s skills to thrive and succeed in their world.

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