Cadbury gets a 5-star brand ambassador: Big B

For the Big B, Cadbury’s is just the latest endorsement, after ICICI Bank, Reid & Taylor, Maruti Versa, Nerolac, Dabar chawanprash and even polio drops.

‘‘Is vada-pav next?’’ That is what a cynical reporter asked at a Cadbury news conference on Wednesday, referring to the advertising clutter around the Big B. There are takers for that argument. ‘‘Now just like every third ad has Sachin in it, every fourth ad has Bachchan in it,’’ said ad film maker Prahlad Kakkar, who has worked with Bachchan for the Pepsi commercials. So how can Cadbury break through the growing clutter of Big B and Tendulkar advertisements? ‘‘The key is to write a script that’s bigger than him,’’ said Kakkar. ‘‘Even we went through angst because he is such an overpowering personality… If Cadbury’s has a cracker of a script, this will definitely work.’’

Bachchan agreed. ‘‘I personally went to Cadbury plants to see how they are manufacturing the chocolates because I do not want to endorse a product due to which I will lose my sleep,’’ he said in a video-recorded message to reporters.

Cadbury’s MD Bharat Puri said Bachchan has been hired because he appealed to everyone from 6 to 60. ‘‘Bachchan and Cadbury’s fit with each other due to timelessness, and the love and trust they both share with the people across India,’’ he said. Puri admitted that the company’s sales fell almost 10 per cent in November due to worm infestation. (With inputs from Lalitha Suhasini)