Having a star endorser can be limiting, but not necessarily.
The simple fact is that celebrities are easily the most popular (often the only) communication strategy in India. Having decided on this none too distinctive course, brands are constantly trying to do different things to stand out within this ‘constraint’. Brands such as Coke have used an actor like Vijay for Tamil Nadu even when they have had a top star like Aamir Khan endorsing their brand nationally at the same time.
Recently a brand such as Thumps Up had an interesting ploy of using Telugu actor Mahesh Babu on its national campaign. In case you did not know his credentials, he nevertheless came across as someone who was a good model whereas to someone from Andhra Pradesh, he may have been closer to God than to an ordinary mortal. In the same vein Fastrack once used a budding cricketer in Virat Kohli and an established star in Genelia. Of course, Virat has moved to a different level of performance and hence recognition since. Those days, if you were not watching IPL and were not sure who he was, he still looked the part of a spoilt brat (whom he was portraying in the commercials) while today he is a spoilt brat who has become a celebrity thanks to his stylish batting. On the same lines, I recently saw an interesting interplay of celebrities for a jewellery brand from the South - Kalyan Jewelers which had the original ‘lambu’ Amitabh Bachchan and the southern character actor Prabhu, who has been an active champion of the brand for some time now. I like Prabhu not merely because I used to idolise his father Sivaji Ganesan but also for his histrionic ability.
The simple fact is that celebrities are easily the most popular (often the only) communication strategy in India. Having decided on this none too distinctive course, brands are constantly trying to do different things to stand out within this ‘constraint’. Brands such as Coke have used an actor like Vijay for Tamil Nadu even when they have had a top star like Aamir Khan endorsing their brand nationally at the same time.
Recently a brand such as Thumps Up had an interesting ploy of using Telugu actor Mahesh Babu on its national campaign. In case you did not know his credentials, he nevertheless came across as someone who was a good model whereas to someone from Andhra Pradesh, he may have been closer to God than to an ordinary mortal. In the same vein Fastrack once used a budding cricketer in Virat Kohli and an established star in Genelia. Of course, Virat has moved to a different level of performance and hence recognition since. Those days, if you were not watching IPL and were not sure who he was, he still looked the part of a spoilt brat (whom he was portraying in the commercials) while today he is a spoilt brat who has become a celebrity thanks to his stylish batting. On the same lines, I recently saw an interesting interplay of celebrities for a jewellery brand from the South - Kalyan Jewelers which had the original ‘lambu’ Amitabh Bachchan and the southern character actor Prabhu, who has been an active champion of the brand for some time now. I like Prabhu not merely because I used to idolise his father Sivaji Ganesan but also for his histrionic ability.
