I love advertising and it helps me get a different perspective: PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu was a speaker at Goafest 2022. On the sidelines of the event, we caught up with the Indian badminton star, who is currently ranked number seven in the world.

 

Edited excerpts:

 

As an athlete, what do you expect from brands when it comes to partnerships?

 

A brand has to be close to your heart and resonate with you. All the brands that I have partnered so far, have been great because I’ve understood them and gelled with them.

I'm happy with my associations.

 

Which was the first brand you endorsed and do you have any memories from the shoot?

 

I can’t remember my first memory as such, but throughout my (advertising) journey, I’ve had fun.

 

I’ve played different roles in advertisements as some brands want to showcase sporty looks while some are casual. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed every moment because it’s so different from my badminton career. It’s genuinely nice to appear in ads and feels good to see myself on billboards.

 

What has changed from the first ad shoot to now, is my on-screen presence, which I think has improved a lot. I’m a lot more confident now (on shoots).

 

Have you turned down the endorsing for any categories or brands?

 

My team (Baseline Ventures) takes care of the deals and carefully vets them. When they approve something and reach out to me, I almost always take it up. They are picking the right brands for me and letting me concentrate on badminton!

 

Immediately after Tokyo 2020, we saw a lot of brands invest in athletes by partnering with them. A year later, do you see that kind of advertising interest or has it reduced? 

 

It's the same. Brands are still showing interest in the Olympians.

 

One thing you like about advertising and one thing you don't?

 

I love advertising! It's so much fun as it's so different from sport and helps me get perspective on other fields. When you do ad shoots, you understand how hard it is for the actors. They do this day in and day out for movies.

 

Use of social media - how do you use it and approach different mediums?

 

I'm just being myself on it. I post stuff about what's happening around me, tours I am on and where I am generally.

 

You've addressed trolls on social media in the past. Does it affect you and what's your advice to other sportspeople on the same?

 

It doesn't affect me. My advice to others is that, if you don't like something or don't want to hear about it, just close your ears. Trolls keep going on, so you just take what you want from social media and go on with your life.