Journalism of Courage
From Vidya Balan to Amitabh Bachchan,becoming faces of city-based brands,Punes corporates have learnt to upscale their advertising and branding campaigns. While Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador for Ranka jewellers,Amitabh Bachchan is the face of Force Motors SUV,in the city.
We wanted a national celebrity to represent Ranka. We had shortlisted five Bollywood actresses including Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan, said Vastupal Ranka,director,Ranka Jewellers. We got in touch with Bling Entertainment Solutions,a brand management company in Mumbai to help us with hiring our brand ambassador, he added.
These regional endorsements are a win-win situation for the corporates as well as the celebrities. Region specific advertising contracts enable celebrities to endorse a few more brands of the same products in other parts of the country. Corporates are also charged 30 to 35 per cent lesser than what the celebrity would charge for a national contract.
We help companies manage their brand name,from choosing the brand ambassador to contract details. Experience in the advertising business has enabled many companies to trust us with a what-do-you-think kind of conversation, said Atul Kasbekar,chairman & MD Bling!,a Mumbai-based celebrity management company.
Recognising his clients need for an Indian face,Kasbekar considered Vidya Balan as the ideal brand ambassador for the company. It was a wise move for them to sign Vidya at this time, said Kasbekar,who is also in talks with other regional brands for signing Bollywood stars to endorse their products.
Deepika Padukone has been signed as the brand ambassador of Sky Builders,a real estate corporate in Pune. Many other associations are in the pipe-line, he added.
Force Motors signed Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador for its SUV,Force One,in August this year. Big B will be featured in the SUVs television advertisements as well as the print advertisements soon. With the trend of Bollywood ambassadors in full swing,Amit Enterprises,a city-based real estate company opted to sign Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador in October last year.
We have been in the citys real estate business for 28 years and have just started venturing into the nationwide market,so we wanted a credible figure to represent our company, said Sanjeev Pate,director of marketing,Amit Enterprises Housing Ltd.
