Trends in Celebrity Endorsements
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The Economic Times on Sunday The Economic Times on Sunday JUNE 5-11, 2011 16 trendspotting JUNE 5-11, 2011 17 trendspotting 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Trends in Celebrity Endorsements Longer Contracts New Sectors New Focus Higher Impact Different Celebs 360-degree Ambassadors’ deals Real estate, education, Instead of product- Companies like Big brands eager Promotions range between two financial services, specific brands, Sony and Nikon to associate with In addition to ads, and five years. Earlier auto ancillaries and celebrities are have reported non-Bollywood brand ambassadors many companies business-to-business now being asked 22-40% rise in and non-cricket attend dealer meets, opted for one-year companies are to endorse sales since they celebrities like and brand-related con- contracts but it is now queuing up to sign the company’s signed up celebrity boxers, wrestlers, tests. Voice chats and considered too short up celebrities flagship brand brand ambassadors shooters blogs are big online CELEBRITIES Source: Devraj Sanyal, Chief Executive Officer, Percept Sports & Entertainment Brands that ChangeAmbassadors Often STAY ON Asmi Priyanka In an age when novelty and change are key to marketing success, you would expect brands Chopra Kajol to change their ambassadors frequently. Yet, many have retained the same faces for nearly (2009) (2005) a decade. Kamya Jaiswal & Neha Dewan find out what makes this strategy tick Fiat hink machismo. What comes to mind? Details Brands with Long-servingAmbassadors may vary, but men with rippling muscles tot- Yuvraj Sachin Singh Tendulkar ing guns and guzzling beer is the first image. Hyundai (2010) (2002) Now replace the beer with a cola. The impact is Shah Rukh Khan T lost. Even if the cola is Thums Up. Yet, the brand is famous as a macho drink. Why? Ask Levi’s fans and they will credit one man with the 14 years Chitrangada image: Akshay Kumar. Singh For eight years, Kumar has been jumping (2010) +Ileana D’ Cruz Imran Khan off roofs and lunging over speeding cars Longines and Jacqueline for his favourite bottle of cola. The brand Aishwarya Rai Fernandez (2010) repeated the message, and the messenger, till the bubbly beverage morphed into a man’s drink. Such is the impact of a long 11 years Shahid Akshay association between brands and their Kapoor Kumar ambassadors. It can create an unnatural USP (2009) (2008) with instant recall. L’Oreal This result is the Holy Grail for advertisers. Aishwarya Rai Lux Yet most prefer change to continuity and sign on different ambassadors. Their logic: new 11 years celebrities pique interest and convey a young image. “You can't change a brand’s name, colour or logo. One thing that can be changed Reid & Taylor Asin Katrina Kaif Priyanka to add zing to the advertising campaign is the Amitabh Bachchan Brands which stick (2010) (2010) Chopra (2009) brand endorser,” says Harish Bijoor, CEO of to the same celebrity Harish Bijoor Consults. 8 years must keep changing Pantaloons But this strategy may not have a lasting their campaigns to impact on consumers. “The brain is not as Thums Up make them comfortable with change as is assumed. It Akshay Kumar contemporary. Lara Dutta Bipasha craves consistency. Long-serving ambassadors Benefits of Sticking to the Things just cannot and Bobby Basu and reinforce long-term memory which builds 8 years Same Brand Ambassador fall in place Deol Zayed Khan brand loyalty,” says Biju Dominic, CEO of (2009) (2005) ● Becomes a signature for the brand— automatically FinalMile Consulting, a behaviour architecture Tag Heuer improves ad recognition and recall because you firm. He adds that people respond strongly to Benefits of frequently changing Shah Rukh Khan ● Breaks the clutter of too many loyalty: “This is why country flags and politi- have signed on a brand ambassadors advertisements, message is delivered popular endorser cal party symbols are rarely changed.” 8 years faster to consumers ● Maintains freshness in the brand’s communication There are no numbers to prove either case. ● Helps maintain continuity across ● Brands are static, consumers are not: new ambassadors help You, the consumers, are the best judge. So all campaigns Prahlad Kakkar, Ad Guru cater to the change in consumer needs and preferences here’s a compendium of brands from both Kurkure ● Consumers reward brands for consistency, ● Helps rebranding exercises when the company wants to send schools: one loyal to celebrity ambassadors, Juhi Chawla the same ambassador reflects these values a new message to consumers ● another fickle in its tastes. Which of the two do years ● Gives the creative team time to develop Ensures that ambassadors remain relevant to the target you recall the most? 7 ideas and let them grow audience of the brand. Insulates brands from the rough patches in celebrities’ career or a dip in their popularity ILLUSTRATION: ALANKAR.