Tag: Varun Dhawan

 

By Ratna Bhushan

 

Kajol, the actor who once endorsed brands such as Whirlpool and Yakult, now backs a little-known detergent called Woosh. The star of the recently released movie Dilwale is seen in Woosh advertisements on the sides of buses and on non-prime-time television spots.

 

Priyanka Chopra, who plays the lead role in US television series Quantico, is pushing Hisar-based Marvel tea and DS Group’s Rajnigandha cardamom seeds. Chopra used to be the face of Hindustan Unilever’s Bru coffee. Even Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s king of romance — said to be among the highest paid actors — is endorsing Aqualite footwear.

 

With mainstream endorsements drying up or restricted to the flush-with-funds ecommerce space, A-listed celebrities are settling for regional or smaller brands, which are among the few options available for them. The trend has evoked mixed responses.

 

“In many cases, the celebrities and their agents seem to be forgetting that quality matters over quantity,” said Shailendra Singh, joint managing director of entertainment marketing firm Percept. “While the older lot is reaching out to anything, it’s unfortunately setting the tone for the next generation. There’s a sense of what’s okay for Amitabh Bachchan should be okay for Varun Dhawan. But that’s not how popular faces should be building their brand values.”

 

In many cases within the consumer goods space, endorsement fees, which used to run into crores, may have dried up because of diminishing marketing spends. In others, the stars are willing to compromise on their fee to stay in circulation. Cricketer Virat Kohli endorses both Red Chief footwear and luxury car Audi. Actors Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan are the faces of Dollar Bigboss and Amul Macho innerwear, respectively and Ajay Devgn is associated with Vimal pan masala.

 

“If three-fourths of the endorsement market is being taken up by the smaller brands, then for celebrities it is an available option they are willing to dip into,” said Vinita Bangard, founder of celebrity management firm Krossover Entertainment. A top celebrity manager pointed out that Shah Rukh Khan, who has lent his face to luxury brands such as Tag Heuer watches, hiked his fee 150% for a small brand that approached him.

 

“In cases like Tag, the celebrity wants the name association because the brand adds to his or her value. But if a small brand wants sudden fame, the celebs and their agents leverage the opportunity and charge in excess of market rates too,” the manager said, asking not to be identified.

 

Varun Gupta, managing director of valuation and advisory services firm American Appraisal, said it’s a misperception that smaller brands pay less to celebrities.

 

“For the lesser known brands, getting a well-known face to push themselves is near-instant status and mass appeal. They are willing to pay the market price, or at times, even higher, to get a popular face,” Gupta said.

 

While traditional advertisers including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and telecom companies Airtel and Aircel are curtailing the use of celebrities, it’s mainly the ecommerce sites that are splurging. In August, online grocery store BigBasket.com named Shah Rukh Khan as its face.

 

Source:The Economic Times

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