[DukeNukem]

Mod Note : Team-BHP's Review of the 2012 BMW 3-Series has been uploaded at this link.

The imminent launch of the new F30 3-series is not the only thing BMW India is looking forward to this week. They are also expected to sign on legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as their first ever brand ambassador!

Getting a high profile personality like Tendulkar on board makes one thing clear – having wrested the spot of India’s top luxury carmaker, BMW will not rest on its laurel, but invest for more aggressive growth and cement this status.

BMW’s sales growth has lagged this fiscal when compared to Audi's sales that have been growing at breakneck speed. For the first three months of this fiscal, Audi’s sales grew by 52.15% to 1,908 units as compared to last year. BMW saw its sales drop by 12.16% to 2,088 units. In fact, Audi even managed to marginally outsell BMW last month, as shipments of the old 3 series stopped.

Brand Tendulkar

Tendulkar has a total of 17 endorsement contracts including brands like Adidas, Coca Cola, Boost, ITC, Reynolds, Aviva and Canon. He reportedly earns Rs. 40 crore annually from endorsements and commands about Rs 5 crore per endorsement. Although MS Dhoni has surpassed him as the highest earning Indian sportsperson, Tendulkar remains a highly popular figure in India and abroad. BMW India will be hoping to cash in on that image while Tendulkar is still playing cricket.

One thing that will favour this association is Tendulkar’s much publicised love for cars. From his controversial Ferrari 360 Modena (which he sold to a Surat-based businessman) to his heavily photographed red Nissan GT-R Supercar, he has always been in the news for his cars. His garage also includes the Porsche Boxster, a few BMWs and an older Mercedes Benz C36 AMG too.

BMW hopes to get Tendulkar to hand over the keys to the first lot of 3-Series customers.

The F30 3-series:

[mac187]

Sachin is an over exposed brand, and his playing years are numbered. I wonder the thought behind getting him onboard as the first one ever!

[R2D2]

I wish these cricketers would focus on playing good cricket instead of endorsing brands. It will help by not embarassing the country with their string of losses in ODIs or tests. I stopped watching cricket a long time ago after crass commercialisation raised its head - of which the IPL is the worst example.

PS - Will it help sell a BMW? To some probably. But most people who buy premium cars are already aware of what the brand offers them.

[srishiva]

I am not really sure if people considering a car in the class and price of BMW would be swayed by a brand ambassador.
Well, if companies have to waste their money, what can one say?

[libranof1987]

Correct me if my memory is failing me but isn't this the first time BMW is having a brand ambassador?

And about choosing Sachin as one; it will pay off. Because then BMW would release BMW official merchandise with Sachin on it and given how cricket-crazy India is, Indians will lap it up.

Interesting fight between Audi, Merc and BMW. Let's see whether it means well for the customer.

[noopster]

Celebrity endorsement is a tricky thing, and in the case ofluxury brands doubly so. In this case, I find BMW's choice of brand ambassador absolutely befuddling.

Why? Hmm...let's see: Tendulkar is more strongly associated with Ferrari- because he was gifted one and the whole import duty waiver fiasco, and more recently because of a children's movie that was about his (wife's) Ferrari. Also, his endorsement of Fiat is pretty fresh in people's memory: remember the bright yellow Palios with his autograph on the side?

This isn't Coke versus Pepsi here. BMW is an incredible luxury brand in this country and abroad. They have toiled their way to the top of the luxe brand charts in India, not a mean feat. Hope they don't throw it away by trying too hard.

[vinair]

Why is BMW doing this? Who doesn't know BMW?? even on a cycle, here in India, you can find BMW imitation logos! Then why Sachin now?? Agreed Sachin is big and is a big name world over, but still big all the world, where people know what cricket is? right? But that's not the case with BMW! its a brand that people blindly associate with style and substance! and BMW here, nahh just doesn't gel!
Guess brand Sachin can easily stomach pens, malted drinks, coke etc. not a car company as big and famous as BMW!!

[amitoj]

Wasn't there a guy with same name who used to play cricket for India?

[Parthasarathig]

Today both the decisions by BMW i.e the Mini CKD and this concept of a brand ambassador is very confusing. Has BMW decided to stop being a premium brand? Or is it just wastage of funds by BMW India Management?

Now the joy of owning a BMW will soon be gone. I thought brand ambassadors were for lower end brands which needed visibility in the market and not premium brands.

Seriously BMW whats cooking? :frustrati

[Zed]

Totally agree with the comments that question the need for celebrity endorsement for brand BMW. Unless they are planning to introduce models in the not-so-premium segment. Which would be a bigger disaster from a brand perspective than hiring Sachin. Makes little sense.
And if Audi \ Mery decide to hit back (fingers crossed that they wont).....any votes for who they would pick and why?

[dgupta]

I don't have a strong negative or a strong positive reaction to this news. I personally think there are many companies around the globe to prove that brand ambassadors do little to improve the sales figures, our dear Honda is one such example. If I am not wrong, Honda has never had a celebrity figure associated with it in any part of the world, they stick to giving quality products to their customers at competitive prices. Anyone remembers this awesome ad by Honda some years back!!

Honda - The Cog - YouTube

Coming to the Sachin BMW tie up, I don't think BMW will expand its chances across the demography. A Sachin fan who cannot buy a BMW before their tie-up will not acquire sudden treasure by this association to buy a BMW. On the other hand someone who is already capable of buying a BMW will not stop considering a Mercedes or Audi as an option because Sachin is now vouching for a BMW. How the advertising industry manages to convince most of the companies to part away with hefty sums of money which can be otherwise utilised in a more productive manner is beyond my understanding

Maybe the next industry to hop on to is the world of Ads, the techno-corporate industry is becoming quite monotonous to work for

[ankur_fox]

Overexposed maybe, but that still does not stop this nation from jumping, screaming and dancing with utter glee whenever Sachin goes out to bat ... or bowl for that matter .... no matter what the situation, he demands/commands attention and a fan following.

What % of that fan following will eventually end up buying a beamer remains unknown. I'm sure BMW have done their homework and when it comes to driving growth (on the back of falling market share), its eventually a numbers game for them as well. I mean they aren't like lamborghini who concentrate on manufacturing quality cars to the tune of ~2000 annually and do not run after numbers ... it's who they are!

With unconfirmed news that the mini may see a drop in prices too, we could soon witness a red hot luxury segment. I would definitely look for an ambassador who knows a few things about cars. Sadly even tho Sachin might be a car enthusiast, he does not click like Jay Leno, or Clarkson ... who's reviews might actually carry some weight in an advert.

[rajeev k]

Tendulkar's cricketing success has not helped Fiat's cause when a series of "to the Max" ads were released for Palio. But the fact remains that the S10 remains an icon even today, is a pointer that BMW could get what is expected from Sachin..

[shivasuma]

Hmm, I think it might not make any difference to BMW sales if Tendulkar is their brand ambassador. People who want to buy one will definitely buy it because they already know what the brand is about. Anyways I have never liked him (or for that matter cricket) and think he is over-rated, but thats a separate discussion.

[SmartCat]

Totally unnecessary move by BMW - they don't need any Bollywood nor Cricketing stars to endorse their products. Ditto with Mercedes and Audi too.

Star association worked the best for Hyundai when they hired Shah Rukh Khan. Hyundai was an unknown name then. That's why it makes sense for Nissan, Renault or Peugeot to take this route - relatively less known names need the brand visibility that Stars can provide.