The BJP’s criticism of CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao for choosing tennis star Sania Mirza as the band ambassador of Telangana might have been purely political, but the issue has given rise to an interesting debate about what qualities a brand ambassador of a state should have.
Despite the saffron party’s cheap pot shots, experts in the field agree that despite Telangana boasting of numerous world-class athletes, Sania is best suited for the job. Here are their arguments.
“For any brand, it’s critical that the traits of the brand matches the person they are choosing to represent it. Sania is well-known internationally, which adds to the global equity of Telangana as well. She can single-handedly put the state on the map,” says Shriram Iyer, the executive creative director of Lowe Lintas. There’s also a word of caution. “I would like to think of it as premature and a quick-fix decision,” says Shriram.
Because more than having a person to represent a new state whose politics is already so unimaginably complex, it’s crucial to address the numerous problems which already plague the state,” he adds.
Also, while actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan have been brand ambassadors for states like Gujarat and West Bengal respectively, ad-filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar insists that it’s important that the ambassador is not just the face of a state, but also has his or her heart in the job.
“Sania’s family has lived in Hyderabad for ages; in that sense she is home-grown and although she might have had a slump in between, she is coming back to excellent form now. While we have had actors campaigning for different states, but they come from and live in different parts of the country. That’s not the case with Sania at all,” he says.
“It’s important to keep in mind the kind of people we are addressing. For example, you wouldn’t want a yesteryear actress endorsing a jeans brand – it would be completely pointless. Similarly in Telangana, the government had a difficult task of coming up with a person who not just embodied the attributes of the state, but was also a credible spokesperson and respected and loved by people across the country,” adds Abhijit Awasthi, executive director at Ogilvy and Mather.
Sania was chosen over the likes of Saina Nehwal and V.V.S Laxman for the job. Prahlad adds, “Saina is at the top of her game right now, but Sania has charisma and a glamour quotient and also has a career spanning over a decade; and this is not the first time she was attacked by fringe lunatics. Few years ago, she was criticised by many for wearing short skirts on the tennis court and she was able to move past that and do quite well for herself.”
But most importantly, adds Venkat Jagdish Nalluri, managing director of Hyderabad-based OTS Advertising, the person should excel remarkably in his/her field and be an inspiration to all. “For a state born out of years of efforts, it wasn’t essential to have a political figure represent it, but someone who could be an ambassador of goodwill and who would set an example to the people of Telangana and be a credible personality to vouch for the state. And Sania fits the bill well,” he says.
