Beyond the ring: Vinesh Phogat to remain a brands darling despite Olympic fiasco

Vinesh Phogat to have a stable brand portfolio, said brand experts.

Vinesh Poghat couldn't make it to the podium, but she scripted history in Paris Olympics as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout. She called it quits to the sport, but her grit will make her a darling for brands.

After beating the reigning Olympic and world champion Yui Susaki, Phogat proved her mettle even without a medal and has showed the influence she wields both inside as well as outside the ring.

Phogat's history of resilience, significant achievements, and advocacy for important causes make her an appealing figure for brands seeking to align with athletes who embody perseverance and strength, said N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, a consumer analytics and brand insights company. "Brands will likely continue to express interest in associating with her."

Phogat is estimated to charge Rs 2-3 lakh per Instagram post or reel. Given her recent performance, marketers expect this rate to rise significantly, potentially reaching 10-15 lakh per post.

Phogat who endorses footwear and apparel brand Nike over the last year, had digital associations with the likes of mobile brand Iqoo, sports nutrition brand MuscleBlaze and Dairy brand Country Delight.

"We believe her list of endorsements will grow as more companies would want to link with her inspiring story," said Aditya Gurwara, co-founder of influencer marketing platform Qoruz.

While a medal would have been a jewel in her crown, the absence of it still makes her a strong choice for brands, he added.

"The public support and admiration, especially after recent events, will boost her brand further. Vinesh Phogat's value remains strong and will keep growing because of her determination and the people's respect for her hard work," Gurwara said.

Her disqualification from the final bout in the women's 50kg category wrestling match is another addition in her unforgiving odyssey which led to the athlete announcing her retirement.

Phogat was disqualified as she weighed 100 grams more than the permissible limit in the women's 50kg category.

"Vinesh Phogat's unfortunate disqualification was due to a technical issue with her weight category, which does not undermine her talent and achievements. Despite this setback, Vinesh remains a highly respected figure in Indian sports," Chandramouli said.

From cheering to supporting the wrestler in her difficult time, social media has been flooded with posts and messages for her in the last two days.

Social media surge

The wrestler has broken the internet, noted Abhishek Sharma, founder and chief executive of Athletes Today, a sports management and licensing firm.

In the last two days, Phogat's social media following has seen a significant jump. Her follower on Instagram jumped 71.3 percent to 493,000 from 287,826 on August 5. Across Instagram, Facebook and X, the wrestler records a total social media following of over 16 lakh or 1.6 million.

A Qoruz analysis shows Phogat has highly engaging audience on social media with an engagement rate of 1.7 percent with the potential to reach over 4 percent which is one of the highest engagement rates recorded by top celebrities. She also has high reel viewership with the creator generating 34.44 views per 100 followers, according to the influencer marketing platform which added that Phogat's content has high ability to drive comments with the creator driving 1.32 comments per 100 likes.

She records average likes of 7,900 and 8,800 on Instagram and Facebook. Phogat is estimated to charge Rs 2-3 lakh per Instagram post or reel. Given her recent performance, marketers expect this rate to rise significantly, potentially reaching 10-15 lakh per post.

"I think a lot of people have taken public interest. I think her social media following will continue to grow," noted Lloyd Mathias a business strategist, investor and an independent director.

He added that what Phogat has achieved in the past in the Commonwealth, in the Asian Games, with that she will remain a sporting superstar for India. "I think for the strength and resilience that she has demonstrated over the last 10 years, I think a lot of brands will still look at her."

Controversy concern

However, a lot of brands generally want to stay completely outside of any kind of controversy so that will certainly be a factor to look at, Mathias pointed out.

Phogat was the face of the wrestlers' resistance against the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh who was accused of sexual harassment cases against two female athletes.

"Many brands remain conservative in their choices when it comes to signing brand ambassadors. In Vinesh Phogat's case, her support base has become larger because of all the controversies. A lot of brands tend to be safe and in the context of the fact that she's come without a medal, there's been a disconcertion. While she belonged in the crème of Indian sports athletes with the likes of Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu, a gold medal would have made her one of the biggest sports superstars of India," the business strategist pointed out.