AB's not Big B in south
By Moinak Mitra, TNN |
Highlights
NEW DELHI: WHEN the ubiquitous Big B starts sounding like big bother, marketers must respond with a Plan B. And that���s just the tip of the brand iceberg. Amitabh Bachchan may signal his omnipresence across the media endorsing over 27 brands in over 75 commercials but his pan-India appeal, especially in South India, remains a myth. AB���s would-be daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and India���s cricketing demi-God, Sachin Tendulkar, are the only ones among national celebs who carry mass appeal across all the regions in India. That should send marketers with pan-India focus to rework their brand endorsement strategies. CelebZ, a recent study by GroupM in the celebrity endorsement space seems to suggest just that.
The research covered 86 celebrities from various fields across all four regions cutting through 22 product categories encompassing 140 brands. The study measured the overall size and nature of the relationship that consumers have with the celeb, thereby creating his or her equity pyramid. ���Although Amitabh Bachchan has the highest appeal in the country (followed by Sachin Tendulkar), regional flavours dominate South India, just like younger stars do better than veterans in Tamil Nadu,��� says Sanchayeeta Bhattacharya, National Director, Mindshare Insights. The value of celebrity endorsements in India is pegged at Rs 250 crore per annum, growing at 20 per cent year-on-year. Marketers who use these celebs as brand endorsers have to perforce focus on consumers��� receptivity across all regional markets in order to justify their returns on celebrity endorsement spends.
A single brand ambassador with a pan-India focus often runs the risk of running out of steam, at least in a nation as diverse as ours. ���America doesn���t have 23 languages, neither does it have as many religions. Diversity is the name of the game,��� says Rama Bijapurkar, Strategic Marketing Consultant. VS Sitaram, Executive Director, Consumer Care Division, Dabur, echoes a similar refrain. The Rs 1,899 crore FMCG company is currently using the services of Rani Mukherjee as its brand ambassador for Dabur Amla. ���But in the south, people don���t recognize Rani the same way (as in the other parts), and so we���re looking for the right fit there,��� points out Sitaram, even while mum���s the word on AB who is also a big brand endorser for Dabur. It���s pertinent to recall how Star Television parted ways with Big B in favour of Shahrukh Khan for KBC 3 last November. Over three years ago, ICICI Bank also did not renew its contract with Big B, and instead signed on Shahrukh Khan last year as its global brand ambassador.
Despite Sachin���s failure with bat for over a year now, Adidas however, seems right behind him. Hartwin Feddersen, Marketing Director, Adidas India, puts his foot down at the very mention of a multi-brand ambassador approach. ���We maintain Sachin as our brand ambassador with a pan-India focus because even if he hasn���t performed, he���s still admired.��� In the study, though Sachin ranks number two across North, South and East, in two big South India markets, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh he is way down the celebrity pecking order, at rank three and seven respectively. For Adidas, it���s well worth exploring other options in certain markets, Feddersen���s soul-Sachin fetish notwithstanding.
moinak.mitra@timesgroup.com
The research covered 86 celebrities from various fields across all four regions cutting through 22 product categories encompassing 140 brands. The study measured the overall size and nature of the relationship that consumers have with the celeb, thereby creating his or her equity pyramid. ���Although Amitabh Bachchan has the highest appeal in the country (followed by Sachin Tendulkar), regional flavours dominate South India, just like younger stars do better than veterans in Tamil Nadu,��� says Sanchayeeta Bhattacharya, National Director, Mindshare Insights. The value of celebrity endorsements in India is pegged at Rs 250 crore per annum, growing at 20 per cent year-on-year. Marketers who use these celebs as brand endorsers have to perforce focus on consumers��� receptivity across all regional markets in order to justify their returns on celebrity endorsement spends.
A single brand ambassador with a pan-India focus often runs the risk of running out of steam, at least in a nation as diverse as ours. ���America doesn���t have 23 languages, neither does it have as many religions. Diversity is the name of the game,��� says Rama Bijapurkar, Strategic Marketing Consultant. VS Sitaram, Executive Director, Consumer Care Division, Dabur, echoes a similar refrain. The Rs 1,899 crore FMCG company is currently using the services of Rani Mukherjee as its brand ambassador for Dabur Amla. ���But in the south, people don���t recognize Rani the same way (as in the other parts), and so we���re looking for the right fit there,��� points out Sitaram, even while mum���s the word on AB who is also a big brand endorser for Dabur. It���s pertinent to recall how Star Television parted ways with Big B in favour of Shahrukh Khan for KBC 3 last November. Over three years ago, ICICI Bank also did not renew its contract with Big B, and instead signed on Shahrukh Khan last year as its global brand ambassador.
Despite Sachin���s failure with bat for over a year now, Adidas however, seems right behind him. Hartwin Feddersen, Marketing Director, Adidas India, puts his foot down at the very mention of a multi-brand ambassador approach. ���We maintain Sachin as our brand ambassador with a pan-India focus because even if he hasn���t performed, he���s still admired.��� In the study, though Sachin ranks number two across North, South and East, in two big South India markets, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh he is way down the celebrity pecking order, at rank three and seven respectively. For Adidas, it���s well worth exploring other options in certain markets, Feddersen���s soul-Sachin fetish notwithstanding.
moinak.mitra@timesgroup.com
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