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

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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

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.

 

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.

 

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 benefit.

 

Write to us on info@lokusdesign.com.