Youth-centric brands thank Shah Rukh Khan for not smoking

New Delhi: Quitting smoking offers significant health benefits; for Shah Rukh Khan, it could also bring substantial wealth benefits as a lot more youth-centric brands may now line up to sign India's most popular actor, branding experts said.

Khan revealed that he has quit smoking on his 59th birthday on November 2.

"There are a lot of positive implications from a social level following his revelation," said LV Krishnan, chief executive of Tam Media Research. "Besides, many brands have internal clauses that they won't associate with celebrities who smoke; SRK revealing he's quit smoking automatically becomes an appealing element," he explained.


Brands that are already associated with him also said the revelation gives an even bigger boost to his popularity and image .

"Coming clean on smoking enhances our association with him a lot more; we are very relieved, since we are a youth-focused brand," the marketing chief of a global brand that Khan endorses said on condition of anonymity. "We have begun working on repositioning our ad strategy in subtle ways, which will convey the benefits of going clean," the person added.

Though he is India's highest paid and enjoys a brand value of $120.7 million, Khan trails younger celebrities Virat Kohli and Ranveer Singh in brand valuations as per Kroll's celebrity brand valuation report of 2023.

Based on his consecutive box office successes Jawaan and Pathaan, the actor's ranking, however, rose to third position last year after slipping to 10th the previous year, the financial and risk advisory solutions company said in the report.

Thums Up, Everest spices, Myntra, Castrol and Dubai Tourism are among the brands Khan currently endorses.

A self-confessed chain smoker who admitted to "smoking 100 cigarettes a day," Khan, during a 'meet-and-greet' event on his birthday said: "There's a good thing - I'm not smoking anymore, guys."

Videos capturing the event went viral on social platforms. Khan has a massive following on social platforms, with 44.1 million followers on X and 47.9 million followers on Instagram.

The owner of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Khan was once even seen smoking during an IPL match between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad inside Eden Gardens.

According to Tam Media Research, a joint venture between consumer research firms NielsenIQ and Kantar, Khan was among India's most visible celebrities in ads in the first half of 2024.