Brands & Celebrities – Part 2: It’s all about an idea that warrants the celebrity

Working with celebrities today brings a whole new range of challenges. While celebs lend personality and high aspirational value to brands, it is also tied with the rise and fall of the popularity graph of the celebrity himself/ herself. In the second part of this special report, exchange4media finds out how brands steer away from controversial celebs and whether the industry can look beyond movie stars and cricketers as brand endorsers.

e4m by Shikha
Published: Aug 5, 2010 8:49 AM  | 4 min read
Brands & Celebrities – Part 2: It’s all about an idea that warrants the celebrity

Celebrities lend personality and high aspirational value to brands, but working with them has a whole set of challenges. In the second part of this special report, exchange4media finds out how brands steer away from controversial celebs and whether the industry can look beyond movie stars and cricketers as brand endorsers.

Mere presence is not adequate

Talking about how mixing celebrities and brand building was like a dangerous experiment in a chemistry lab, Karthi Marshan, Marketing Head, Kotak Mahindra Group, said, “If you are thoughtful and careful, you may well stumble on something powerful, but it can equally well blow up in your face. Obviously, brands get queasy when their celebrity ambassadors do something human and stupid, which we have seen many examples of recently, but the quiet brand killers that no one notices are those that do damage to the credibility of the brand’s message, because it does not come across as authentic from the celebrity in question.”

According to Ajay Kakar, CMO, Aditya Birla Financial Group, “The fact remains that the mere presence of a celebrity is not adequate to create brand awareness and salience. What really helps is the selection of a relevant celebrity – and more importantly – an idea that warrants the celebrity. And then using him more as part of the idea, rather than merely for his celebrity status. Else, you may have the celebrity overshadowing the brand and audiences remembering the celebrity – even the ad – but not the brand. Imagine what credibility an entry level car brand will have, for example, just because a rich and famous celebrity endorses it. More likely than not, it will beg the question: ‘He obviously does not own or drive this car in real life. So what does he know about such a car?’.”

He further said, “So, as a marketer, we should always remember that we are not in the business of furthering the popularity of a celebrity. But, as and when appropriate, have a celebrity bring credibility to our brand.”

Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer, Taproot India, commented, “Compared to a decade ago, the market today is very aggressive. Nobody really has long term plans, everything is wanted yesterday, advertisers want celebrities who are currently doing well, they are paid more, as even they have to encash till they are in form, very few are loyal to brands. We have seen big stars moving to the competition in the past. Today, the celebrities are very conscious about their social life as that is equal to the contract that they have signed with the brand, celebs do tons of PR, which in return get more business from the advertisers.”

Bollywood and cricket stars will continue to rule

While some of advertisers think that future of celeb endorsements is in jeopardy, the creative heads feel that celeb endorsements are here to stay.

Kotak Mahindra Group’s Marshan explained, “In my view, the future is bleak for celebrities to earn from endorsements. Thanks to the fact that we are now in an over-connected world with social media, mobile phones, email and so on, authenticity, transparency and direct communication will win over puffery, superficial glamour and the like. I believe, tomorrow’s brand ambassadors will be real consumers. We have already seen some evidence of that in campaigns like the ones done by Dove. We are thankfully moving into a world where what is real will score over what is not.”

On the contrary, Taproot India’s Padhi said, “In past few years, celebrity endorsement has grown big and will certainly continue for another five years for sure, as our masses do treat the celebs next to god, and the bottom of the pyramid is still passionate about the two big religions of this country – Bollywood and cricket.”

On similar lines, Emmanuel Upputuru, National Creative Director, Publicis Ambience, said, “Celebrities will always be around. But they will keep coming from more and more different backgrounds. Having said that, in India a real celebrity has to be either a cricketer or an actor.”

Rajiv Rao, National Creative Director, Ogilvy, too, felt that celebrities would continue to be a part of the marketing warfare, but added that the flip side was that there were only a handful of celebrities that were truly pan Indian and marketers were in a race to snap them up. “The result is celeb fatigue and blurring of the brand’s distinctiveness. Plus, a celeb doesn’t always guarantee success and hence, cannot be the sole roadmap for the brand,” he pointed out.

Also read:

Brands & Celebrities – Part 1: Of easy, instant solutions and a shift from just endorsers

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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