Throughout my post graduate management education, all the lecturers submerged us marketing majors with examples of brand endorsers ranging from film celebrities to sport persons ruling the roost for major brands in India.
It was mutually agreed between the students and the lecturers that most of the endorsers have diluted their brand equity by endorsing multiple products. It's okay, if they endorse multiple products, but some of them have endorsed so many brands that it feels like they are hoarding for a foreseen economic catastrophe! It is like the end of brand endorsements for them.
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the endorsers with the highest number of brands under their belt. But tell me, when you switch on the TV and look at the advertisements , how many of you really wait to see the ads featuring the above mentioned gentlemen? For a change, I wont mind watching an ad with Rakhi Sawant rather than these gentlemen! They are like the house flies of brand endorsements, anywhere and everywhere, selling 'chaddi baniyans' to Hajmola to pens that they would never use in their lifetimes! GOD!
So going back to the management education days,(not a lot of time ago) we always used to discuss how Mr. Aamir "Perfectionist" Khan chose his brand endorsement deals very carefully. He was the last man standing where his choice of brand endorsements was being discussed in management colleges. He endorsed very few classy brands like Titan and Tata Sky and Toyota.
But off late, there has been an inundation of Aamir Khan's presence on TV. I was quite dejected to see him running the streets giving T-shirts to junk food eating people and requesting them to eat 'baked, not fried' low cal biscuits(Parle). And soon, he'll be selling motorcycles to us! Where's the fit? John Abraham and Yamaha is understood as he is a self confessed bike enthusiast.
When Aamir Khan signed on to sell Mahindra bikes, I sang 'Another One Bites The Dust'. On the contrary should I say, 'The Last One Bites The Dust" ???
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Awaiting your comments
Aamir
I wish Mr. Khan could find some time to read this blog...& I don't care which khan reads it...
ReplyDeleteWell atleast we can count Aamir's endorsements :P
ReplyDeleteBut i feel movie stars n cricketers hv kicked models out of their jobs..
I agree with you Aamir, especially the part where you say that they are never going to use those products that they endorse. I understand Shah Rukh Khan endorsing Tag Heuer and I can see him affording such a luxury brand.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Amitabh Bachchan goes, his side of the story is that due to ABCL going bankrupt and him having losses amounting to crores and crores, he had no choice but endorse whatever brands came his way. This is not my view, this what he has categorically said.
Aamir Khan really needs to be careful. His association counts a lot for a brand and he should definitely not dilute it. Even a single addition to his list of endorsements could be one too many.
@Mihir: Thanks for the add on! Appreciate it. I knew that but didn't add it :)
ReplyDelete@Mustafa: Is there a pun intended in the "KHAN" ?
Rightly said Aamir. I hate seeing these people endorsing brands they will never use...
ReplyDeleteBut the blame for this equally goes to the brand and marketing managers also creative people at advertising agencies who approach the cricketers and movie stars to endorse their brands.
They have forgotten the concept of brand personality and finding a connect between the characteristics of the brand and the traits of a person.
They offer such huge amounts to these personalities for a small ad shoot and their name. These amount are sometimes similar to or even more than what these actors get for shooting an entire movie, working hard for months or even a cricketer gets for playing a series.
in today's world when its only PAISA BOLTA HAI syndrome everywhere, it is the marketers who have to realise that brand endorsements don't work to convince us anymore. An ad can be effective with its content and emotions.
Just wait and watch, Amir Khan does make every decision deliberatly. You are about to discover more about him.
ReplyDeleteYou must not forget he was rock star on bike in his film Ghulam. he may not look perfect match for Bike, but in advertisment he will not promote himself, he would be promoting Bike only. Just watch his ad and you will remember the storyline than the Amir khan himself.
Shams