Advertising is about capturing popular imagination and driving relevant brand association. So if a pairing helps to create this,brands will be obviously quick to leverage it Prasoon Joshi,chairman,McCann Worldgroup India If you want to take a family like the Bachchans,or the Kapoors,they have so much legacy and appeal that runs across generations,so obviously a significant premium will be charged Anirban Das Blah Managing Partner,CAA KWAN Getting celebrities on board to endorse various brands has emerged as the most effective way of advertising. But,now theres yet another phenomena to this trend,which is to have them in a package,thus encashing on the real-life relationship that the actors share,to the brands advantage. While this is not the latest development,in recent times,this trend has increased by leaps and bounds. In the past,weve seen a number of actors teaming up for various television commercials. Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan paired up to endorse Tanishq jewellery. Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan were brand ambassadors for Ddecor. Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor were seen together for a Pepsi commercial. While,Kareena and Saif Ali Khan endorse Head & Shoulders. And recently,were seeing Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as brand ambassadors for Prestige. The couple had also teamed up for Lux earlier. Prasoon Joshi,chairman of McCann Worldgroup India,one of the leading advertising agencies,says,Advertising is about capturing popular imagination and driving relevant brand association. So if a pairing helps to create this, brands will obviously be quick to leverage it. Getting a celebrity couple however,comes with its own price. Signing a star as a brand ambassador would anyway cost the brand a bomb,but apparently,when celebrities are brought on board,in a package,they may end up charging a premium. Adman Prahlad Kakkar is of the opinion that since most brand owners are extremely rich businessmen,they do not mind spending big bucks to create a buzz around their product. It also helps creating a recall value,when a real-life couple or a father-son duo are roped in to promote their product. According to Anirban Das Blah,Managing Partner CAA KWAN,who manages the endorsements for several actors,If you want to take a family like the Bachchans,or the Kapoors,they have so much legacy and appeal that runs across generations,so obviously a significant premium will be charged. Joshi adds,that coming as a combination can definitely impact the overall financials depending on the perceived value. Atul Kasbekar,owner,Bling! Entertainment feels that its normal for the stars to expect a premium when they come with an unusual combination,at least for the first time,because there will be some novelty which will help the brand eventually. But there are times when its also impossible for a star to provide a high level of exclusivity, he says. More often than not,its just about creating curiosity. When one has already seen too much of a particular pair endorsing brands,it may not work. But,for instance,if Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif come together to endorse a product,they may end up charging a little more,and that may even work to the brands advantage, says Kakkar. Obviously,there has to be a criterion for deciding upon a particular combination for the brand. It all depends on the perception and image that the celebrity duo have. If you think of a particular combination of celebrities as brand ambassadors for a particular product,you have to think of what their real and reel image is. Are they appealing to children,women,men? According to that,you build their brand profile in accordance with the brand image, says Kakkar. The endorsements that a star pair does is also a reflection of their credibility and popularity. As far as the return on investment is concerned,its more in terms of making a brand memorable. Das Blah says,It works at two levels. One is the credibility,that the pair brings to a product,and second is that the campaign becomes memorable,especially,if its a once-in-a-while kind of a combination. However,its not just the money that makes the actors jump on the brandwagon. Joshi opines,It has a huge positive impact and is a win-win situation. If,for example,a brand and idea projects a beautiful and unique father-daughter bond between say,Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor,it is bound to create an extra dimension to their appeal in the campaign and result in added audience connect. Moreover,actors do one or two films a year,thus it helps them to be visible throughout the year,even in the smallest of towns. When they come together for a brand,it creates a lot of visibility and appeal for them as a package,since the public gets more familiar with them,feels Das Blah. The formula,more the merrier certainly seems to work when it comes to bringing celebrities on board in packages. And seemingly,this trend is here to stay for a while!
