Here, we have a profile for Mahendra Singh Dhoni that details information about his brand endorsements, sponsorships and investments.
MS Dhoni Brand Endorsements – Viacom18, Navi, Garuda Aerospace, MYK Laticrete, Fire-Boltt, Turtlemint, G Square Housing, HomeLane, Oreo, 7Ink Brews, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, Oppo, Powerade, PokerStars, Cars24, Indian Terrain, redBus, Colgate, Panerai, LivFast, Indigo Paints, GoDaddy, Bharat Matrimony, Mastercard India, Sumadhura Group, Snickers India, Orient, Netmeds.com, SoundLogic, WardWiz, SRMB Steel, Lava, SportsFit by MS Dhoni, Seven, Zed Black Agarbattis, Gulf Oil India, Dream11, Reebok, Exide Life Insurance, Pepsico, Boost, State of Jharkhand,Amity University, Spartan Sports, Aircel,TVS, Videocon d2h, Sonata, Cello, Siyarams, India Cements
MS Dhoni’s Brand Endorsements / Sponsors over the years
Garuda Aerospace
Garuda Aerospace is India’s leading drone-as-a-service provider and is based out of Chennai. In June 2022, an announcement was made that confirmed Dhoni as a Garuda Aerospace investor. As part of the agreement, he also became a brand ambassador for the company, appearing in its marketing and promotional campaigns.
Most recently, Garuda received an order from the country’s Ministry of Defence for 33 anti-drone frameworks.
Enigmatic Smile
In February 2023, rewards tech facilitator Enigmatic Smile roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador for its Indian market. Enigmatic links rewards offered by brands, banks and retailers to the customers’ cards through its identity layer. The firm aims to simplify the loyalty-rewards space by linking the customers’ payment cards to the retailer’s offers with a single sign-on and an automated “reward collection” process.
MYK Laticrete
Tile and stone installation firm MYK Laticrete roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in December 2022. Based out of Hyderabad, MYK Laticrete has five manufacturing plants across India and 28 regional offices, with plans to open new plants in Gujarat and West Bengal soon.
As brand ambassador, Dhoni headlines the firm’s integrated marketing campaign to promote its products across the country.
Viacom18
Ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League season, in March 2023, Viacom18 announced Dhoni as a brand ambassador.
On being associated with the brand, Dhoni said, “I truly believe that watching sports is best enjoyed when you can catch your favourite action on-the-go or from the comfort of your own home but with interactivity, choice and personalisation, something that only a digital platform can offer.
“JioCinema is taking the proposition to a whole new level by engaging with fans in ways one could never think of. I can’t wait to be part of this paradigm shift and what is the future of sports viewing.”
Navi
Financial services firm Navi roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a brand ambassador in November 2022. The very first ad campaign run by Navi featuring MS Dhoni was aired during India’s semi-final match against England in the T20I World Cup 2022 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Fire-Boltt
Indian wearable and audio brand Fire-Boltt roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni as latest brand ambassador in November 2022. As the face of the brand, Dhoni has been a part of various marketing campaigns along with taking part in a host of advertising and endorsement activities.
Turtlemint
InsurTech platform Turtlemind announced the former World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a brand ambassador in February 2022. With him onboarded, the firm hoped to educate the masses about the importance of insurance and turning passive consumers into active ones via the #ActiveHoJaao campaign, an initiative aimed at highlighting the importance of health and why it shouldn’t be neglected.
Watch the ad here
G Square Housing
One of south India’s largest and most experienced land aggregators and plot promoters, G Square Housing announced MS Dhoni as a brand ambassador for the firm on 3rd February 2022. The partnership aligns with the company’s vision of growing pan-India, and the Chennai-based firm hopes to capitalise on Dhoni’s global brand image to grow not only in south India but across the entire country.
HomeLane
Dhoni became HomeLane’s first brand ambassador and the first celebrity to promote a dedicated home interiors company when the home interior brand announced a three-year strategic collaboration as an equity partner and brand ambassador as of 2nd August 2021. With MSD onboard, HomeLane intends to add 25 additional Tier II and Tier III cities over the next two years, with a market budget of ₹100 crore to support this rapid growth.
Oreo
Mondelēz, an American multinational confectionery, food, beverage and snacks company, featured MS Dhoni and his daughter Ziva in an advertisement for its Cadbury Oreo biscuits brand. The brand announced the onboarding of the father-daughter duo for the advertisement on social media.
Watch the ad here
7Ink Brews
In April 2021, MSD became the new face of the range of artisanal chocolates by 7Ink Brews, of which the former Team India captain is also a shareholder. The company has launched a new range of chocolates and beverages under the brand name ‘Copter7’. The name is inspired by Dhoni’s iconic helicopter shot and his favourite jersey number.
Kauvery Group of Hospitals
During August 2021 ahead of the second-leg of the 2021 IPL campaign, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, a leading healthcare chain in Tamil Nadu, roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador. Speaking about his association with the brand, Dhoni said, “Kauvery Group of Hospitals has been offering exemplary medical services over 2 decades, with paramount focus on patient care and satisfaction. I am glad to be associated with one of the most trusted and reputed healthcare brands.”
Watch the ad here
Oppo
Captain Cool collaborated with the Chinese smartphone maker in September 2020. He promoted the #BeTheInfinite campaign. Oppo also released Oppo Reno 4 Pro Galactic Blue Edition, which is a special-edition MS Dhoni smartphone with his signature on it.
Powerade
Coca-Cola launched Powerade, a sports beverage delivering quick hydration that is especially targeted at athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Powerade roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, of which it was the Official Sports Drink.
PokerStars
Weeks ahead of IPL 2020, MS Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for PokerStars, one of the leading online poker portals in the world, for India. MS starred in its I’m in campaign, which celebrated the attitude of PokerStars and its players, who are always seeking to challenge themselves and each other, jump onto new experiences, and learn new skills.
Cars24
In July 2020, Gurugram-based CARS24, one of India’s fastest-growing tech-enabled used car companies, announced a strategic partnership with Dhoni in a move to strengthen its brand as it continues to expand across markets. As part of the partnership, Dhoni owns equity in CARS24 and also acts as a brand ambassador. His investment, the quantum of which was not disclosed, was part of the series D round of funding.
Indian Terrain
Indian menswear brand Indian Terrain roped in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in May 2019. Bollywood actors Kunal Kapoor and Randeep Hooda have also been associated with the brand in the past.
Speaking on the association with Indian Terrain, Dhoni said, “I am extremely delighted to be the brand ambassador of Indian Terrain. It is a well-known fact that Madras and its people hold a special place in my life, for the love and acceptance that has been bestowed on me over the years. To associate with a Madras-born brand like Indian Terrain felt natural and appealing.”
redBus
Dhoni was named brand ambassador of bus-ticket-booking company redBus in April 2019. redBus decided on the association with Dhoni following his stellar season both as captain and player for the Chennai Super Kings, and in due time, it has led to the expansion of the company’s already-large customer base. In the ad campaign, Dhoni could be seen portraying the role of a hockey player, Balbir Singh, in the content generated by redBus.
Colgate
In March 2019, toothpaste brand Colgate released a couple of TVCs featuring Dhoni. One of the adverts also featured his wife, Sakshi. Colgate-Palmolive rolled out an extension of its ‘Andar se Strong’ campaign. The film features MS and his wife Sakshi and shows them discussing the time when they were going to have a baby, but the former couldn’t make it home as he chose to stay with the Indian national team, who were playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015.
Watch the ad here.
Panerai
The official watch supplier to the Italian navy during the World Wars, luxury watch brand Panerai partnered with MS Dhoni in December 2018. In 2019, the company honoured MS with a two-piece limited-edition capsule dedicated to his indomitable spirit. Maintaining its timeless and signature design, Panerai unveiled Luminor GMT and Luminor Chrono Flyback editions — both stemming out of the cricketer’s passion for high-performance watches.
LivFast
LivFast, a part of conglomerate business line SAR Group and one of the leading power specialists in India with a widespread portfolio of power backup solutions, roped in Dhoni in 2018 as a brand ambassador. To further its message and product line to end consumers, LivFast came up with a strong marketing campaign. This ad campaign, called ‘Faster hai to hai’, comprised three narratives to illustrate the fact that ‘when something is fast, it is fast’, further bringing the focus on the product’s core messaging and its unique selling points.
Indigo Paints
Pune-based decorative paint maker Indigo Paints brought in Dhoni as a brand ambassador in 2018. The former CSK captain was also the first brand ambassador of Indigo Paints. Dhoni featured in all marketing and promoting campaigns for the company, which proposed that it would close to ₹240 crore on advertising over a three-year period.
GoDaddy
Domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy launched an ad campaign with Dhoni in December 2018. However, last year, GoDaddy launched a new integrated marketing campaign, encouraging small local businesses in the country to create an online presence for their business. In these TVCs, Dhoni, as the perfect Bijness Bhai, could be seen encouraging small local businesses to ‘make in India and sell in full India’ by building a website with GoDaddy’s online tools and solutions.
Bharat Matrimony
In November 2018, online matrimony service provider Bharat Matrimony made it public that MS Dhoni had been appointed as one of its brand ambassadors. Commenting on Dhoni’s onboarding, the chief executive officer of Bharat Matrimony.com, Murugavel Janakiraman, said, “We are proud to be associated with Dhoni. Also, we feel good because Dhoni is an inspiration to millions of youth as he has achieved a lot for the country through his leadership qualities.”
Watch the ad here.
Mastercard India
In September 2018, MS Dhoni replaced Irrfan Khan as a Mastercard brand ambassador for India. With an initiative titled ‘Team Cashless India’, Mastercard sought to bring consumers and merchants to the forefront of the digital payments dialogue. The initiative was in line with Mastercard’s endeavour to create an ecosystem that encouraged people to use digital payments for their day-to-day purchases.
Watch the ad here.
Sumadhura Group
Sumadhura Group, one of south India’s top realtors, roped in MS Dhoni in August 2018 as a brand ambassador. The Group also launched an ad campaign featuring Dhoni as a part of its #HomesYouDontWantToLeave brand campaign.
(Ad link – https://youtu.be/lxxY9WnCDoM)
Snickers India
In 2018, Mars International India Pvt. Ltd, the local arm of American chocolate giant Mars Inc., announced the signing of Dhoni as a brand ambassador for Snickers.
Staying true to Snickers’ tagline, “You are not you when you’re hungry” (hunger ache achho ko badal deta hai), Dhoni could be seen in Snickers’ ad campaigns sporting a medieval war suit and asking his fellow cricketers to take a pledge to beat the opposition. Despite one of the players arguing that it was a “friendly match”, Dhoni would cry for revenge, tith the moral of this hilarious commercial being: “when hungry, even Captain Cool loses his cool”.
Orient
CK Birla Group Orient fans roped in MS Dhoni in 2006 as a brand ambassador on a multi-year deal. On the company’s proposed advertising campaign featuring Dhoni, a company official said at the time, “We have signed up Dhoni for a period of two years and the advertising budget for the first phase is ₹6 crore.”
More recently, MS was seen in Orient Electric’s Aeroslim fan ad. The TVC shows Dhoni controlling the Aeroslim fan through Orient Smart mobile app followed by the key message: “Aeroslim – worth turning the world upside down”.
Netmeds.com
Online pharmacy Netmeds announced in May 2018 that it had appointed Dhoni as a brand ambassador. Speaking on the association, Dhoni said, “I really believe in Netmeds and what they are doing. Making important medicine more available and affordable is a great thing for the country, and Netmeds is one of the mainstays in this space.”
SoundLogic
In 2018, MSD became a brand ambassador for SoundLogic. As an audiophile himself, ‘Captain Cool’ understands the cutting-edge technology involved in the designing of audio products, which was a factor in his decision to extend his support to SoundLogic’s vision.
WardWiz
In the middle of 2018, Dhoni signed a huge ₹15-crore, three-year endorsement deal with German cybersecurity company WardWiz. WardWiz provides security to personal computers and mobiles and is trying to establish itself in the Indian market. Abhijeet Khoj, CEO of WardWiz, said that Dhoni was the ideal person to endorse the brand as he had the same ‘missionary zeal’.
SRMB Steel
In 2018, the entire nation went crazy when India’s only World Cup-winning captains shared the stage for the first time in an ad commercial. It was a wonderful moment that showed two of India’s biggest legends come together for the first time. Both Dhoni and Kapil Dev are small-town heroes, and their respective rise to the top is an inspiration to every young kid in the country.
Lava
Dhoni signed for local handset maker Lava as a brand ambassador in 2016. He became the face of Lava’s multi-channel marketing campaign as well as brand engagement activities, as the company aimed for strengthening its brand in India, where it was among the top five players by volume at the time.
SportsFit by MS Dhoni
In 2012, Dhoni launched a chain of gyms by the name of SportsFit World. He is both a leader and an ambassador of the brand. In one of the fist-of-its-kind ventures for any sportsperson in the country, Dhoni started SportsFit World Pvt. Ltd. with an aim to open around 200 gyms across the country over the next five years.
Seven
Seven is also a Dhoni-owned brand. It was launched in February 2016 and deals in casual and sportswear clothing. Spread across various fitness categories of running, training and lifestyle sport, Seven’s collection encompasses a wide range of running and training footwear, apparel and accessories for both men and women.
Zed Black Agarbattis
In 2017, incense stick brand Zed Black roped in Dhoni as a national brand ambassador. Reports at the time suggested that MDPH (Mysore Deep Perfumery House) was targeting to grab a major share in the ₹6,000-crore incense stick market and believed the two-time World Cup-winning captain would be the perfect fit to promote its products.
Gulf Oil India
Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for Gulf Oil India in September 2011. A Hinduja Group-owned company that manufactures lubricants, Gulf Oil was already linked with MS Dhoni after becoming the official partner of the Chennai Super Kings.
Dream11
India’s biggest fantasy sports platform Dream11 launched multiple ads with MS Dhoni before IPL 2018. Speaking about his association with Dream11, MS said, “I am delighted to associate with Dream11 – because it gives millions of sports fans an opportunity to be the decision maker, create their own team and experience the game first-hand. The Dream11 platform perfectly defines the importance of choosing the right players and building a team as per the playing conditions.”
Reebok
In February 2012, Reebok India launched a campaign #This1isForMe with MS Dhoni, through which the cricketer asked people to exercise for one hour every day. However, Dhoni was part of other campaigns as a collective group working on projects like Reebok ZigZag etc.
Exide Life Insurance
In 2016, Dhoni was made a brand ambassador and featured in the Exide Life Insurance campaign ‘Lamba saath, bharose ki baat‘.
“This is my first endorsement deal in the insurance category. Long term relationships build trust and I have always planned for the long term in all aspects of my life. Exide Life Insurance is a brand that resonates well with me and I look forward to working with them very closely,” said Dhoni.
Pepsico
In 2005, Dhoni was roped in to endorse Pepsi and Lay’s Chips. In this decade-long association with Pepsico, “Oh Yes Abhi” and “Change The Game” were among some of the biggest campaigns that featured ‘Captain Cool’. However, after 11 years with the company, Dhoni was let go as Pepsico roped in then-emerging star Virat Kohli as the new face in 2016.
Boost
Dhoni did multiple TVCs for Boost, HUL’s health food drink brand, around 2017. Last year, Boost launched a new campaign aimed at breaking the stereotype around girls and cricket. The TVC features MS Dhoni alongside a young athlete and goes on to show that the cannot be defined by gender but by grit, determination, perseverance and stamina.
State of Jharkhand
Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for Jharkhand in 2016. The JCSA stadium at Ranchi also has the Dhoni Pavilion, named after the former Indian cricket captain. However, the 40-year-old refused to inaugurate the pavilion back in 2017, stating: “Dada apne hi ghar me kya inaugurate karna…” (what’s there to inaugurate at my own home), showing his humility and down-to-earth nature.
Amity University
In 2013, Dhoni signed a bat deal with Amity University. According to the contract, Dhoni used the Amity logo on the lower half of his bat. However, this deal wasn’t done in isolation. In fact, the then-Indian captain signed two bat sponsorship deals simultaneously: one with Amity University and the other one with Spartan Sports.
Spartan Sports
Spartan Sports is an Australian firm that manufactures sports equipment. Similar to Amity, Dhoni’s Spartan Sports deal required him to put the brand’s logo on his bat. The deals reportedly fetched him around ₹25 crore annually.
Aircel
In 2009, through multiple TVCs, hoardings and print adverts, Aircel made sure that the public knew Dhoni was its brand ambassador. From its first ad appearance in 2009 to pocketinternet 3G enjoy a little extra and other such commercials, Dhoni was a long-term face of Aircel.
TVS
In 2005, Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for TVS. Dhoni especially endorsed the Star City motorcycles manufactured by TVS. In recent years, Mahi has been actively promoting various TVS brands, either as an individual or on behalf of the CSK’s association with the company.
Videocon d2h
In 2006, Dhoni was roped in as a brand ambassador for Videocon in a deal reportedly worth ₹40 lakh. He was cast alongside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Talking about the deal, Venugopal Dhoot, chairman, Videocon Group, said, “Dhoni represents the new face of India. He is young, confident and an emerging star in the international arena, which is very similar to Videocon’s emergence as the first Indian multinational in the category of consumer electronics and home appliances.”
Sonata
Back in 2006, Dhoni was not only the new darling of the cricketing fraternity but several companies too. Being the No. 1-ranked batter in ICC’s ODI Rankings at the time, Dhoni had the world at his feet, and watchmaker Sonata did not wait long to associate itself with Indian cricket’s then-hottest property. However, please note that Sonata and Titan belong to the same parent company, Tata Group.
Cello
During the early 2010s, Dhoni was seen in various TVCs of this stationery brand. However, just a couple of years into the association, Cello became one of the five brands to end their partnership with MS Dhoni in 2012. Some brands could no longer afford him, while for others he became even bigger than the brands themselves. So, brands like Dainik Bhaskar and Cello had to pull out.
Siyarams
In 2006, Siyarams ventured into men’s garments segments, offering everything between office wear and Sunday casuals. The company roped in the then-youth icon and rising star of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, as an ambassador. This campaign was part of Siyarams’ ₹160-crore expansion project.
India Cements
Dhoni did not directly advertise India Cements, although he was appointed Vice President of The India Cements Ltd. in 2013, which created quite the kerfuffle in Indian cricket’s political landscape. The employment meant Dhoni’s basic pay was ₹43,000 per month, while he also took home a fixed dearness allowance of ₹21,970 per month, a special pay of ₹20,000 on a monthly basis and a further special allowance of ₹60,000 per month.
