5 GOOD (AND 3 BAD) EXAMPLES of CELEBRITY BRAND ENDORSEMENTS
Celebrity
endorsements provide a sudden boost to a brand’s visibility. The theory is that
people connect with their favourite celebs using the product/services and are
compelled to take action. Especially in the age of social media, where
celebrities are accessible, brand awareness can explode when done right.
When
done right, these endorsements can drive massive brand-visibility. But on the
flip side, brands often face a public backlash if something goes wrong.
Let’s
see some examples from each end of the spectrum:
The Good
1. Manyavar – Virat Kohli / Anushka Sharma:
Power
couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are the faces of Manyavar. Their joint
endorsement roared into the limelight when the couple got married. What worked
in the brand’s favour was the amazing extension from the couple’s real-life to
reel. Here was a good-looking, go-getter couple who looked beautiful together
on their special day -much like Manyavar’s promise to all it’s consumers. That
captured the imagination of an entire generation. And the impeccable timing of
the wedding amplified that.
2. Kalyan Jewellers – Amitabh Bachchan:
Kalyan
Jewellers invested heavily in bringing the topmost celebrity in India on board
to endorse their products. They wanted to focus on the trustworthy image of the
superstar through several of their spots and other campaign materials. So, how
did Kalyan Jewelers strike gold? Of course, gold is one of the most precious
and “auspicious” assets in middle-class Indian households. Trust in the
jewelers is built across years, even generations. In that scenario, the
superstar’s endorsement of the brand and its values worked like the
recommendation of trusted family-elder. Kalyan was able to gain the faith of
the customers and establish a foothold in a fragmented and crowded market.
3. Pepsi – Ranbir Kapoor:
The
Pepsi and Coke rivalry is often the topic of discussion whenever one mentions
‘Brand Wars’. In one such skirmish, Pepsi had the upper hand, when it roped in
Ranbir Kapoor for its Youngistan campaign. With the Youngistan ka Wow campaign,
the brand wanted to be associated with a generation that does not conform to
conventions and has a different attitude. This has been Pepsi’s core message
for years. Ranbir, as an up and coming youth icon, easily connected with the
target audience by speaking their language and reflecting their drive and
motivation.
4. LAVIE – Kareena Kapoor Khan:
Now
known for its trendsetting designs, LAVIE’s brand identity ‘Me, Myself and I’
was perfectly conveyed by Kareena Kapoor Khan, it’s brand ambassador. Known for
portraying perky, fashionable roles in many of her movies, the actress was a
great choice for the stylish handbag company. The brand offers a wide range of
chic women’s bag, leaving them spoilt for choices. This was portrayed by
Kareena Kapoor in spots that clicked with the women who fed off her inspiration
to buy new handbags and flaunt them -just like Kareena!
5. Knorr Soup – Kajol:
A
generation of Indian millennials grew up watching Kajol on the screen. As they
grew up, so did she. The actress took a break when she was at the peak of her
career to devote time to her family and children. Her homely, yet charming
personality added to her brand image and she was chosen to endorse Knorr Soups.
Sure enough, when she appeared in the brand’s spot where she had to communicate
the mother’s dilemma of feeding hungry kids with non-boring food, her image was
tied in perfectly with the core benefits of the product – quick fix for hunger
that both mum and kid will love.
The Bad
1. Zandu Balm – Malaika Arora:
Emami
Ltd. had a public spat with Salman Khan and the movie Dabangg over the use of
the word Zandu Balm, one of its trademark products, in a song from the movie.
While the dispute was settled amicably between the parties, the firm proceeded
to use the song in its promotional campaigns to eminently forgettable effect.
The song lyrics were crude and trivial. Malaika Arora, the actress in the clip,
wasn’t even remotely associated with the traditional brand’s values. And even
though Zandu Balm is a trusted product and a household name, the firm focused
only on the temporary success of the song. It ended up looking inauthentic and
opportunistic in the bargain.
2. Pan Bahar – Pierce Brosnan:
No
brand/celebrity disaster write-up is complete without mention of Pan Bahar. The
product was endorsed by Pierce Brosnan of James Bond fame and ran into
controversy from day one. There was a stark contrast between Brosnan’s classy
Bond image and the desi image portrayed in the Pan Bahar commercials.
Worse,
while Brosnan maintained that he
was not aware of the harmful nature of the product, social media platforms came alive with memes and criticism of the
ad, the product, and the star for endorsing an unhealthy product. In fact, even
more than the product, it was the actor who received a lot of flak for not
making a conscious and responsible choice of product endorsement.
3. TVS Jupiter – Amitabh Bachchan:
TVS Jupiter launched a campaign with Amitabh Bachchan
endorsing the scooter. One of the ads played on the word Jupiter or Brihaspati, which ushers in more
prosperity and happiness in the festive season. But the brand category, a
middle-class, working-class vehicle, didn’t align with the image of the
celebrity endorser. In fact, his superstar image actively mitigates against
such everyday appeal. The overall campaign failed to resonate with the
audience. Clearly, they couldn’t establish the connection between an everyday
product being sold for the masses and the demi-god asking them to buy it.
The Takeaways
Celebrity endorsements are double-edged swords. The risk is that the attention will go to the celebrity rather than the brand. As these examples show, the best collaborations are those where the core values and ethos of the brand align closely with the public perception of the celebrity. That’s when the brand and the celebrity both benefits.
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