celebrity endorsement 100mks bms project

8/11/2019 Celebrity Endorsement 100mks BMS Project

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Thakur College of Science and Commerce

(ISO 9001:2008 Certified, NC ccrediated!

"#O$%CT #%"O#T ON

&C%'%#IT) %N*O#S%+%NT

Su-mitted for the .artial fulfillment of *egree of

/+/S/

-hiit ha

T/)/ /+/S/ (Sem !

(3ni4er5it Seat No:6816!

3N*%# T7% 3I*NC% O

*r/ ("rof/! #icha $ain

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DECLARATION

I, Abhijit Ahyastudent of Thakur College of Science

and Commerce of TYBMS (SEM V), here! declare that I

ha"e com#leted this #ro$ect on Celebrity Endorsementin

the academic !ear 2%&2'& The information sumitted here

is true and original to the est of m! kno*ledge

________________

Signature of

Student


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CERTIFICATE

I, Dr. Pro. Ri!ha "ain, here! certif! that Abhijit

Ahya, student of Thakur College of Science and Commerce,

of TYBMS (SEM V), has com#leted a #ro$ect on Celebrity

Endorsement in the academic !ear 2%&2'& under m!

guidance The information sumitted is true and original to

the est of m! kno*ledge

__________ __________

Signature of Signature of Principal Project Guide

__________ __________ Signature of Signature ofExternal Examiner BMS Co-ordinator

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AC#NO$LED%E&ENT

irst I *ould like to thank the Mumai -ni"ersit! for #ro"iding the #ro$ect

section as a #art of BMS curriculum

This #ro$ect is the lessing of man! #eo#le *ho ha"e su##orted me through this I

*ould heartil! thank Dr. Ri!ha "ainfor eing m! soul guide throughout the #ro$ect

I *ould also like to thank famil! memers and colleagues *ho *ere there *ith me

throughout the *orking of the #ro$ect

This #ro$ect re.uired a lot of research *ork and sur"e!s to e carried out *hich

*ouldn/t ha"e een #ossile *ithout m! friends, so I *ould like to thank them also for

#ro"iding me a hel#ing hand

0ast ut not the least I *ould thank the 1lmight! for al*a!s eing *ith me


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CONTENT'

'R NO TOPIC PA%E NO

& Im#ortance of Celerit! 1d"ertisement 345

2 Celerit! 1d"ertising is a Minefield or a6oldfield

&%

Celerit! Endorsement 4 Introduction &&''&5

+ 7h! Celerit! Endorsement might not*ork888

2%'29

Celerit! Endorsement 4 :oes it cloud the#roduct ;romise

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Effecti"e ad"ertising *ill stimulate demand for a #roduct and uild rand e.uit! and

rand franchise 7hen enough rand e.uit! is created that the rand has the ailit! to

dra* u!ers (e"en *ithout further ad"ertising), it is said to ha"e rand franchise The

ultimate rand franchise is *hen the rand is so #re"alent in #eo#les mind (called mind

share), that it is used to descrie the *hole categor! of #roducts This #henomena is

sometimes kno*n as Ah!#errandingA Dleene>, for e>am#le, can distinguish itself as a

typeof tissue or a lael for a categor! of #roducts That is, it is fre.uentl! used as a

generic term ne of the most successful firms to ha"e achie"ed a dominant rand

franchise is Foo"er, *hose name *as for a "er! long time s!non!mous *ith "acuum

cleaner (and :!son has suse.uentl! managed to achie"e similar status, ha"ing mo"ed

into the Foo"er market *ith a more so#histicated model of "acuum cleaner) The

strength of a rand franchise can e estalished to a greater or lesser degrees in "arious

markets In Te>as, for e>am#le, it is common to hear #eo#le refer to anysoft drink as a

Coke, regardless of *hether it is actuall! #roduced ! Coca'Cola or not (more accurate

terms *ould e cola or soda)

1d"ertising has ecome #art of the "isual realit! of our times 7hile %s and


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CELE(RIT) AD*ERTI'IN%

I' A &INEFIELD OR A %OLDFIELD

Toda! Celerit! Endorsement has attracted immense deate on *hether it reall!

contriutes to the rand uilding #rocess or *hether it is $ust another la! tool to make

the rand more "isile in the minds of the consumers 1lthough it has een oser"ed that

the #resence of a *ell'kno*n #ersonalit! hel#s in sol"ing the #rolem of o"er'

communication that is ecoming more #rominent these da!s, there are fe* undesirale

im#acts of this #ractice on the rand The theories like Source Crediilit! Theor!, Source

1ttracti"eness Theor! and Meaning Transfer Theor! #ro"ide a asis on *hich the

methodolog! of celerit! endorsement *orks and also e>#lains ho* the #rocess of the

celerit! endorsement influences the minds of the consumers irms in"est huge amounts

as ad"ertising e>#enditure for hiring the right celerit! Fo*e"er there lies uncertaint!

*ith res#ect to the returns that the com#an! might e ale to garner for the rand The

issue of matching the "alues of the celerit! *ith the rand "alues is also "er! im#ortant,

ie getting the right celerit! to endorse the right rand Consumers #ercei"e the rand as

ha"ing su#erior .ualit! ecause it has een endorsed ! a credile source This makes

endorsement as one of the indictors of .ualit! for an! rand Cor#orate crediilit! along

*ith endorser crediilit! #la!s a significant role in the attitude of the consumer to*ards

the rand and the ad"ertisement res#ecti"el!

n the other hand, the o"er #o#ularit! of the celerit! sometimes o"ershado*s the

rand If the celerit! is in"ol"ed in multi#le endorsements, it tends to create confusion

among consumers and hence negati"el! affects the #erce#tion of the ad"ertisement and

the rand Fence, to sa! clearl! *hether the #ractice of celerit! endorsement im#acts

#ositi"el! or negati"el! to the rand still remains a deate

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CELE(RIT) ENDOR'E&ENT+ INTROD,CTION

The societ! that *e li"e in can not onl! e called secular or democratic, it should e more

a##ro#riatel! termed as o"er'communicated these da!s 1 t!#ical su#er'market in -S1

dis#la!s more than &2%%% rands, an 1merican famil! has at least one tele"ision set and a

consumer is e>#osed to around &%%% ads #er da!& 0ike*ise, there are around &%

tele"ision channels in India roadcasting o"er million tele"ision commercials each !ear

in India The media'e>#losion can thus e easil! demonstrated More o"er, #eo#le forget

3%H of the information in $ust 2+ hours Just imagine the #light of the marketer to make

his rand shout o"er the deafening clutter of all the rands Some *here in the 3%s,

Indian marketers found the solution, -Celebrity Endorsin-for the rand

irms endorse celerit! for a "ariet! of reasons It might e the life e>#erience of the

celerit! that fits the ad"ertising message or the endorsers high a##eal *ith the firms

consumer target grou# Studies associated *ith the market effect of celerit!

endorsement suggest that consumers #ositi"el! "alue the use of celerit! endorsers in the

ad"ertisements irms in"est significant mone! in #utting together rands andorganiations *ith endorser .ualities such as attracti"eness, likeailit!, and

trust*orthiness But toda!s d!namic market conditions make these in"estments un"iale

In this #ro$ect *e are attem#ting to discuss the #ositi"e and negati"e effects of celerit!

endorsement *ith fe* e>am#les Celerities as #roduct'#romoters are omni#resent in our

media'moulded and e>#erientiall! minded societ! Celerities stand for .ualit! of

#roducts and #erformanceK the! lure us into s#ending our mone! 1d"ertising urges the

"ie*er to $udge and choose It is oth fascinating and unsettling

7ell'kno*n models, actors and athletes function as e>am#les to emulate, as idols, as Aa

ne* kind of saintsG The! stand out ! to# #erformance and #resence on TV and in the

#rinted media

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The! are attention'getters in the com#etition among rand names for ne* and saturated

markets The -S1 is the gloal #acemaker in this race 7hile celerit! endorsing e>tends

ack into the &5th centur!, onl! in the modern media dominated societ! has its use

ecome so *ides#read and so targeted 7hich celerit! fits *hich #roduct8 7ho

#rimaril! enefits from celerit! endorsement8 Fo* is the success of ad"ertising

cam#aigns affected *hen the stars make the *rong kind of headlines8

Celerit! ad"ertising and its im#act is #resented ! the e>hiition against the ackground

of societal and media trends The e>hiition re"eals the *a!s and means of AseductionA,

and *arns against o"errating them.

7ho or *hat enefits most from ad"ertising *ith celerities ' #roduct sales or

the celerities themsel"es8 This .uestion is still deated toda! 7hat

ad"ertising success can e e>#ected of a celerit! and his image and his

relati"e #rominence8 Fo* is endorsing *ith a celerit! actuall! done8 7hich

celerities go *ith *hich #roducts8 6i"en the gro*ing numer of celerities

*ho #romote #roducts ' as *ell as the high cost of cross'media ad"ertisingcam#aigns ' there are more and more efforts to get ;@ cam#aigns do*n to a

science so as to make success a sure thing

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OBJECTIVES:

1.To get to know the infuence o celebrities on sale oa ro!uct.

".To sol#e the roble$s ace! b% the $arketers

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/I'TOR) OF CELE(RIT) ENDOR'E&ENT

1lthough commercials using celerities originate mainl! in the 3%s and 5%s and

are e>#ressi"e of this #eriod, the! are not an in"ention of our times ;ress

ad"ertising using mainl! aristocratic #ersonalities is in e"idence since the

second half of the &5th centur! In the further stages of its de"elo#ment,

ad"ertising *ith celerities is inse#arale from the histor! of the media and

mass consum#tion 1s in the 2%s, the s#otlight after &5+ is #rimaril! on

cinema actors of uni"ersal charm, #resented on #osters and in ad"ertisements

as the ne* consumer models and st!le'setters

In 7est 6erman!, ad"ertising follo*s in the footste#s of the industrialied

nations of the *estK in the 6:@, ad"ertising *ith celerities remains "irtuall!

unkno*n right u# to the end ;olitical and ideological reasons alone are enough

to ensure that #roduct ad"ertising in the 6:@ generall! remains marginalK and

from the 9%s on it is restricted more and more to foreign commerce

7ith the ad"ance and gro*ing dominance of tele"ision in the 9%s and 3%s, more and

more athletes and TV celerities are used, although the real oom of TV s#ots

egins *ith the authoriation of #ri"ate, ie commercial, tele"ision in the

mid'3%s 1nd at this #oint there is also a rea##raisal of ad"ertising Back in the


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ad"ertising nearl! fell into disre#ute along *ith it But the situation toda! is

transformed= @eno*ned #hotogra#hers and film directors get celerities to #ose

for them Celerities *ork for ad"ertising agencies com#eting *ith each other

for the est ad, the est #oster, the est s#ot, and the est marketing a##roach

Ad0ertisin establishes itsel as a ne1 art orm

Some of the earl! celerit! endorsements=

Luxor show-card with Marlene Dietrich 1950s

(ea2ti2l 1omen and real me L23or bea2ty or yo2 too.4

L2!5y 'tri5e ad0ertisement 1ith &arlene Dietri!h6 789:s

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Ad0ertisement by the Dra!he !2tlery !om;any in 'olinen< C2rd "=rens and

1ie>789:s

In India..

Celerities are in"ol"ed in endorsing acti"ities since late nineteenth centur! The ad"ent

of celerit! endorsements in ad"ertising in India egan *hen Findi film and TV stars as

*ell as s#orts#ersons egan encroaching on a territor! that *as, until then, the e>clusi"e

domain of models ne of the first s#orts endorsements in India *as *hen arokh

Engineer ecame the first Indian cricketer to model for Br!l cream The Indian cricket

team no* earns roughl! @s &%% crore through endorsements There *as a s#urt of

ad"ertising, featuring stars like Taassum (;restige ;ressure Cookers), Jalal 1gha (;an

;arag), Da#il :e" (;almoli"e Sha"ing Cream) and Sunil 6a"askar (:inesh Suitings)

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T/EORIE'

Celerit! Endorsement ga"e rand a touch of glamour and the ho#e that a famous face

*ill #ro"ide added a##eal and name recognition in a cro*ded market In the attle for themind, !ou get the customer e>cited ! sho*ing him a kno*n face, and an effecti"e

demand is created In short it hel#s increase the recall "alue of the rand 1 #iece of

research states that the target audience age grou# of &'% gets influenced first !

Cricketers, then Boll!*ood stars and onl! then music, festi"als and food

1ccording to Source Credibility Theory, acce#tance of the message de#ends on

E>#ertness and LTrust*orthiness of the source E>#ertness is defined as the #ercei"ed

ability of the source to make "alid assertions Trust*orthiness is defined as the #ercei"ed

willingness of the source to make "alid assertions 1udience acce#tance increases *ith

the e>#ertness of the source and the ailit! of the audience to e"aluate the #roduct

A!!ordin to Source Attractiveness Theory, *hich is ased on social #s!chological

research, the acce#tance of the message de#ends on familiarit!, likeailit! and similarit!

amiliarit! is the audiences kno*ledge of the source through e>#osureK likeailit! is the

affection for the sources #h!sical a##earance and eha"ior *hile similarit! is the

resemlance et*een source and recei"er

This theor! e>#lains the message acce#tance in t*o *a!s= Identification and

Conditioning Identification is *hen the recei"er or the target audience of the

communication egins to identif! *ith the sources attracti"eness, and hence tends to

acce#t his o#inions, eliefs, haits, attitudes etc n identification, a .uote from Bi$ou

Durien, C, Titan, A7e decided on 1amir ecause *e *anted someone *ho is a

iticonic, *ho is st!le'conscious himself, and someod! *ho cuts across oth se> and

age grou#, et*een uran and rural India 1 celerit! *ho is mouldale and *ho is not

o"er'e>#osedA

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Conditioning is *hen the attracti"eness of the source is su##osed to #ass on to the rand

after regular association of the source *ith the rand

6rant McCracken has criticied the #re"ious t*o theories and #ro#osed the Meaning

Transfer Theory.The theor! e>#lains that a celerit! encodes a uni.ue set of meanings

*hich if *ell used can e transferred to the endorsed #roduct Such a transfer takes #lace

in three stages 4 encoding meanings, meaning transfer, meaning ca#ture (igure &)

I.En!odin &eanins= Each celerit! has a uni.ue set of meanings, *hich can e listed

! age, gender, race, *ealth, #ersonalit! or lifest!le In this *a!, the celerities encode a

set of meanings in their image or e>am#le ;reit! inta can e seen as a li"el!,

charming, ul!, *itt! and enthusiastic

II. &eanin Transer= This stage transfers those meanings to the #roduct 7hen

skillfull! #ortra!ed, celerities can communicate this image more #o*erfull! than la!

endorsers

III &eanin Ca;t2re= This assumes that consumers #urchase #roducts not merel! for

their functional "alue ut also for their cultural and s!molic "alue The theor! sa!s that

consumers u! the endorsed #roduct *ith the intention of ca#turing some of the desirale

meanings *ith *hich celerities ha"e #assed on to the #roduct This is more eminent in

lifest!le #roducts like clothes, #erfumes, cell #hones etc

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Fa"ing a congruent image et*een the rand and celerit! does not guarantee an!

#ositi"e effect on consumers rand #references The fundamental .uestion is *hat a

rand image reall! does to consumers8 Baran and Blasko e>#lained, ASince most

#roducts arent s#ecial, most ad"ertising does all that so'called image stuff Theres no

information aout the #roduct, theres onl! information aout the kind of #eo#le *ho

might e inclined to use the #roductA This "ie* is echoed ! eld*ick (&55&) *ho has

suggested that the su$ecti"e e>#erience of using a rand can e different from the

su$ecti"e e>#erience of using an identical #roduct *ithout the rand reassurance In the

case of using celerit! ad"ertising to uild rand images, the effects are e>amined *ith a

social #s!chological frame*ork

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'I? ,'E' OF CELE(RIT) ENDOR'E&ENT'

Establishes Credibility= 1##ro"al of a rand ! a star fosters a sense of trust forthat rand among the target audience' this is es#eciall! true in case of ne*

#roducts

Attra!ts Attention


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$hy Celebrity Endorsement miht not 1or5 @@@@

7. Im;ro;er ;ositionin


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1mitah Bachchan endorses or has endorsed ;e#si, ICICI, B;0, ;arker #ens, Oerolac,

:aur, @eid P Ta!lor, Maruti Versa, Cadur! and a fe* social messages too Boll!*ood

adshah Shah @ukh Dhan endorses mega, Tag Feuer, ;e#si, F!undai, Clinic 1ll Clear

and 1irtel among other rands has to his credit more tele"ision commercials than feature

films since &552 This o"er'e>#osure can e ad for the rand Each celerit! is called

u#on to #ush ma!e a doen rands or so 7hich is great for the celerit! ut it is #rett!

daft for the rand ecause the im#act of the celerit! reduces as the numer of rands

him endorses increases -nfortunatel! in India, *e ha"e too man! rands chasing too fe*

celerities 1nd the recall "alue dro#s ! a huge margin *hen !ou mo"e from an 1 Class

celerit! to a B Class

. Dissatisa!tion 1ith ;rod2!t ;erorman!e


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such things as Nho* much did the rand #a! to ro#e himQ her in as the rand

amassador8G (Journal of ad"ertising ' Vol &3, &535)

. Ris5s asso!iated 1ith Celebrity Endorsements< ame is a fickle and fleeting

com#anion and can ditch the famous at the slightest #ro"ocation Celerities, eing

human, make mistakes But their mistakes get as much attention as their celerit! status

and this can ad"ersel! affect the rands that the! are endorsing There are a numer of

e>am#les, oth Indian and International, *here scandals and scams in"ol"ing celerit!

endorsers ha"e caused emarrassment to the rands the! endorse Com#anies ha"e to

make .uick decisions *hen one of their endorsers comes under fire or their o*n image

could e tarnished 6uilt! ! association in a consumer/s e!es descries it est If a rand

continues *ith the celerit!, it ma! ad"ersel! affect the image of the rand and

conse.uentl!, rand sales If the rand chooses to distance itself *ith the tainted celerit!,

the huge costs s#ent on ro#ing in the celerit! and making of the ads ma! go do*n the

drain and e"en then the association of the rand *ith the celerit! might ! then e so

ingrained that the damage is alread! done

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Essentials o !elebrity endorsements

Attra!ti0eness o the !elebrity#ertise and

trust*orthiness 1s celerit! endorsements act as an e>ternal cue that enale

consumers to sift through the tremendous rand clutter in the market, the

crediilit! factor of the celerit! greatl! influences the acce#tance *ith

consumers

&eanin transer bet1een the !elebrity and the brand< This #rinci#le states

that the success of the rand'celerit! collaoration hea"il! de#ends on the

com#atiilit! et*een the rand and the celerit! in terms of identit!, #ersonalit!,

#ositioning in the market "is'R'"is com#etitors, and lifest!le 7hen a rand signs

on a celerit!, these are some of the com#atiilit! factors that ha"e to e>ist for the

rand to le"erage the ma>imum from that collaoration

E"en though these three ma$or #rinci#les must e adhered to ! com#anies, #racticall! it

might e difficult to find celerities that satisf! all these three conditions :e#ending on

the nature of the rand and the kind of #roduct eing used, com#anies can selecti"el!

em#hasie one factor o"er the other

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Celebrity endorsements DoGs and DonGts

1ll rands must e a*are of some of the im#ortant as#ects of celerit! randing as

discussed elo*=

Consisten!y and lon+term !ommitment


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'ele!tin 2niH2e endorsers


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Other a!tors ee!tin the brand

E3;erien!e o 2se= This enca#sulates familiarit! and #ro"en reliailit!

,ser asso!iations= Brands ac.uire images from the t!#e of #eo#le *ho are seen

using them Images of #restige or success are imied *hen rands are associated

*ith glamorous #ersonalities

(elie in ei!ien!y= @anking from consumer associations, ne*s#a#er editorials

etc

(rand a;;earan!e= :esign of rand offers clues to .ualit! and affects

#references

&an2a!t2rerGs name re;2tation=1 #rominent rand name

(Son!,Dellogg/s,Ba$a$,Tata) transfers #ositi"e associations

The celerit!/s role is the most e>#licit and #rofound in incarnating user associations

among the ao"e'mentioned #oints To com#rehend this, let us anal!e the multi#lier

effect formula for a successful rand=

S?; :1V ''the multi#lier effect *here S is a successful brand, P is an effective

product. D is Distinctive Identity and AV is Added values

The realm of the celerit!/s im#act is confined to esto* a distincti"e identit! and

#ro"ide 1V to the randK the celerit! does not ha"e the #o*er to im#ro"e or deilitate

the efficienc! and features of the core #roduct Thus, *e are graduall! a##roaching an

e"ident #ro#osition claiming,

1n a##ro#riatel! used celerit! can #ro"e to e a massi"el! #o*erful tool that magnifies

the effects of a cam#aign But the aura of cautiousness should al*a!s e there The fact

to e em#hasied is that celerities alone do not guarantee success, as consumers

no*ada!s understand ad"ertising The! kno* *hat ad"ertising is and ho* it *orks

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;eo#le realie that celerities are eing #aid a lot of mone! for endorsements and this

kno*ledge makes them c!nical aout celerit! endorsements

Certain ;arameters that ;ost2late !om;atibility

bet1een the !elebrity and brand imae are#loitation of a celerit!/s image

The onl! differentiation en$o!ed ! these #roducts is the name of the celerit! the! carr!

*hile the #roduct #romise is com#letel! glossed o"er amiliarit! egets contem#t and

after a #eriod of time, the erosion of the celerit!/s e.uit!, due to continuous usage and

di"erse associations, cannot e #re"ented 6o"inda *as $ust *hat the doctor ordered for

Emami/s Oa"ratan Tel But 1mitah Bachan doing it is incongruent *ith his image

Increasing of #roducts has resulted in a filtering out of un*anted information ! the

human mind The mind as a defence against the "olume of toda!/s communications

screens and re$ects much of the information offered to it In general the mind acce#ts onl!

that *hich matches #rior kno*ledge or e>#erience 0ike an o"er'saturated s#onge, it

cannot asor an! more and automaticall! defends itself like a fortress against intrusions

making the ad"ertiser/s $o more difficult 7hat 1l @ies and Jack Trout said t*o decades

ago *as *ithout taking into consideration the incredile magnitude media fragmentation

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and the numerous in#ut streams that are omarding the human mind each and e"er!

minute In the midst of toda!/s cluttering, it ecomes all more im#ortant for the ad"ertiser

to ca#ture the attention of the consumer

Toda! Customers follo*=

Ki; mode' #ressing the (fast'for*ard) utton

Ka; mode' channel s*a##ing, gi"ing the ad"ertiser onl! a fe* seconds to gras# their

attention Instincti"e changing of channels is #re"ented if the first fe* seconds of the

ad"ertisement manage to gri# the audience/s attention

-ndenial!, Celerities hel# to sell #roducts E"en on #ackaging, descried ! Dotler as

Na fi"e second commercialG, the! s#eak out for the rands from the sho# shel"e and

entice customers through their mass a##eal Juhi/s endorsement of LDurkure/ not onl! in

the tele"ision commercial ut also through her #resence on the #ackaging em#hasies the

unrestricted #o*er of the celerit! to enhance !our sales time and again ! dra*ing

attention to !our rand at the most critical $uncture

In case you are fortunate enough to have an endorser with an iconic image like

Tendulkar, and !ou ha"e managed to estalish a strong association et*een !our rand

and !our endorser in the mind of !our consumer as has M@, there are #lent! of *a!s

!ou can le"erage on this association in addition to the commercial

E"er! time Tendulkar *alks out to at, e"er! time he #la!s his #leasing straight dri"es or

reathtaking #ull shots, !our Brand/s logo flashes on screen in front of the millions

*atching and it doesn/t take a Brand 6uru to ascertain that !our Brand Image is gro*ing

! lea#s and ounds in the minds of !our target audience E"er! time the maestro crosses

a landmark in his career the ine"itale ackno*ledgement is there from the Brand, saluting

the Endorser #roudl! But here again *e should rememer that Tendulkar endorses a

"ariet! of other #roducts *hich do not in actual fact get to en$o! the #ri"ilege of

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le"eraging on the media e>#osure of the celerit! a#art from in the commercial sim#l!

ecause the! ha"e not indelil! estalished the connection et*een the Brand and the

endorser in the consumer/s mind

Aamir Khan, credited with the resurrection of Coke with his flamboyant Thanda Matlab

Coca-Cola campaign, was, during the early stages of his trudge towards stardom, the

poster boy of Cokes archrival Pepsi. In a decade old advertisement for Pepsi, he dodges

heavy traffic, executes unbelievable stunts worthy of a Jedi warrior and apparently does

everything to put his life at risk to win the favour of thirsty damsels, Aishwarya Rai and

Mahima Choudry, by getting them their favourite Pepsi. Public memory being so short


34/82

has enabled Coke to make him their chief endorser along with the same Aishwarya for

the same company.

It is essential that there should be a logically associative connect between the

characteristics of the product and what the celebrities stand for. Preity Zinta and Rani

Mukherjee lending their vivacious and bubbly characters to Nestles Perk and Cadburys

Munch respectively is a classic example. Similarly having Sania Mirza endorse Tennis

Racquets or Sports shoes is a perfect fit. But is she completely pertinent to the services of

a reputed Oil Concern?

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DOE' CELE(RIT) ENDOR'E&ENT

REALL) $OR#'@

Does Celebrity Endorsement really 1or5s@ Theoreti!ally yes, ecause the .ualities

associated *ith the endorser are associated *ith the rand and the rand therefore

remains at the to# of the consumers mind Fo*e"er one needs to realie that the im#act

of an endorser cannot e sustainale in all #roduct categories and in all the stages of

rand life c!cles It reall! de#ends u#on the t!#e of #roduct If it is a functional rand,

then the #roduct itself is the hero Fere an! celerit! association *ith the rand *ithout

corres#onding #erformance of the #roduct *ill not e sustainale 7hile incase of image

rands, like the categories of soa#s, soft drinks, cigarettes etc, *here it is difficult to

distinguish et*een the #roducts, celerit! endorsements hel# to distinguish et*een the

rands at an emotional le"el

1 research conducted ! 'yno0ate, a gloal market research firm, re"ealed that +9H

#eo#le *ould e more likel! to u! a rand that *as endorsed ! their fa"orite celerit!

;e#si Co has used a "ariet! of celerities including 1ish*ar!a @ai, Frithik @oshan,

1mitah Bachchan, Dareena Da#oor, @ahul Dhanna, ardeen Dhan, Sachin Tendulkar

etc 1mongst ad"ertisements featuring celerities, ;e#si to#s the hea# *ith the highest

recall of 9%H, *hile archri"al Coke is lo*er across all markets *ith 2H recall This

#ro"es that ;e#si has reall! e>#loited the use of celerities in their ad"ertisements and

has *orked

Findustan 0e"ers 0u> soa# in India has een using #o#ular film actresses to endorse the

soa# since its launch four decades ago im#l!ing that the! o*e their stunning looks to the

rand This consistent message hence reinforces the rand "alues and has een

successfull! ale to #osition the soa# rightl! as the eaut! soa#


36/82

It *ould e difficult to $udge the direct effect of celerit! endorsement on the sales or

#rofits of the com#an! n 1mitah Bachchan endorsing @IO, an F00 s#okes#erson sa!s

that it *as too earl! to gauge the success of @IO in terms of sales and that though :aur

healthcare #roducts sales had im#ro"ed, the increase could not e solel! attriuted to

him Similarl!, there are also cases *herein there *as a dramatic change in the sales

figure after the endorsements or e>am#le @ahul Malhotra, 1ssociate :irector

Marketing, ;P6 India .uotes ACertainl!, it has hel#ed us #romote our rand Fead P

Shoulders 0ast !ear, *e *ere ranked as Oo 2 and this !ear *e are market leaders in this

segment *ith o"er +H market shareA

: 6arg, Vice';resident (Marketing), :aur India 0td .uotes, "A !elebrity does hel; in

in!reasin brand sales6 b2t only i heshe is sele!ted !are2lly and 2sed ee!ti0ely.The ;ersonality o the brand and the !elebrity ha0e to !om;lement ea!h other and

the sele!tion o the !elebrity is6 thereore6 0ery im;ortant.A


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Im;a!t o Celebrity Endorsements on O0erall

(rand

Positi0e Im;a!ts o Celebrity Endorsement on the(rand

1##ro"al of a rand ! a star fosters a sense of trust for that rand among the target

audience This is es#eciall! true in case of ne* #roduct Celerities ensure attention of

the target grou# ! reaking the clutter of ad"ertisements and making the ad"ertisement

and the rand more noticeale 1 celerit!s #reference for a rand gi"es out a #ersuasi"e

message and hence, ecause the celerit! is enefiting from the rand, the consumer *ill

also enefit There is a demogra#hic and #s!chogra#hic connection et*een the stars and

their fans :emogra#hic connection estalishes that different stars a##eal differentl! to

"arious demogra#hic segments ie age, gender, class, geogra#h! etc, *hile

#s!chogra#hic connection estalishes that stars are lo"ed and adored ! their fans Some

stars ha"e a uni"ersal a##eal and therefore, #ro"e to e a good et to generate interest

among the masses 1nother in"aluale enefit from celerit! endorsements is the #ulic

relation o##ortunities

:*ane Fal :ean studied the effects of three e>trinsic ad"ertisement cues "i third #art!

endorsement, e"ent s#onsorshi# and rand #o#ularit! on rand Q manufacturer e"aluation

It *as oser"ed that endorsement significantl! affected onl! #roduct "ariales (.ualit!

and uni.ueness) and one image "ariale (esteem) The third #art! endorsement hence

ma! e #ercei"ed as a signal of #roduct .ualit!

6oldsmith assessed the im#act of endorser and cor#orate crediilit! on attitude'to*ard'

the'ad, attitude'to*ard'the'rand, and #urchase intentions &2 adult consumers *eresur"e!ed *ho "ie*ed a fictitious ad"ertisement for Moil il Com#an!

The! rated the crediilit! of the ads endorser, the crediilit! of the com#an!, and

attitude'to*ard'the'ad (1ad), attitude'to*ard'the'rand (1B), and #urchase intentions It

*as oser"ed that endorser crediilit! had its strongest im#act on 1d *hile cor#orate

9


38/82

crediilit! had its strongest im#act on 1B The findings suggest that cor#orate crediilit!

#la!s an im#ortant role in consumers reactions to ad"ertisements and rands, inde#endent

of the e.uall! im#ortant role of endorser crediilit!

0ooking at the effect of celerit! endorsement on the *ealth of a com#an! a classic

e>am#le of Michael Jordan can e used 1t the time of rumors of Michael Jordan

returning to OB1 in &55, he *as endorsing #roducts of 6eneral Mills (7heaties),

Mc:onalds (uarter ;ounders, Value Meals), Oike (1ir Jordan), uaker ats (6atorade)

and Sara 0ee (Fans -nder*ear) Stud! conducted ! Mathur et al&+ associated *ith

Jordans endorsements sho*s that the antici#ation of Jordans return to OB1, and the

related increased "isiilit! for him resulted in increase in the market ad$usted "alues of

his client firms of almost 2 #ercent, or more than U& illon in stock market "alue romthis stud! one can oser"e that the ma$or celerit! endorser *ith rumors or other*ise has

a tremendous #otential to influence the #rofitailit! of endorsed #roducts

Semi'#artial endorsement indicates that *hen a com#an! uses famous characters from

an! TV soa#s for rand endorsements, consumers tend to relate to the character that he or

she #la!s in the soa# and hence can attract more crediilit! or e>am#le, Smriti Irani

*ho #la!s Tulsi in a famous soa# has garnered a lot of su##ort from the middle'class

house*ife toda! If she *ould endorse a rand, there *ould e more relati"it! and

crediilit! Same can e said aout ;ri!a Tendulkar *ho used to #la! the character of

@a$ani

The other enefits that celerit! endorsement are=

2i!5 salien!y


39/82

2i!5 shorthand or brand 0al2es


40/82

Neati0e im;a!ts o Celebrity Endorsement on the

brand

More often talked aout is the e>treme usage of a celerit! called la! ad"ertising, that

is inade.uate content masked ! usage of a celerit! 1 good e>am#le is the use of Boris

Becker ! Si!aram and Ste"e 7augh ! 1O; Sanmar 1lso as said earlier, associating

*ith a star, in itself does not guarantee sales There is also the fear of Brand'celerit!

disconnect *hich #oints out that if the celerit! used re#resents "alues that conflict *ith

the rand "alues, the ad"ertising *ould create conflict in the minds of the target audience

Clutter in rand endorsements is "er! #rominent these da!s and such kind of o"er'

e>#osure can e ad for the rand as the recall "alue dro#s ! a huge margin 1 #o#ular

dra*ack of celerit! endorsement is the Vam#ire Effect or the celerit! o"ershado*ing

the rand Some "ie*ers forget the rand that a celerit! is a##ro"ing thers are so

s#ellound ! the #ersonalit! of the celerit! that the! com#letel! fail to notice the rand

eing ad"ertised T*o ne* dra*acks can e seen these da!s *hat marketers call

Celerit! Tra# and

Celerit! Crediilit!

Celerit! tra# is *hen the celerit! ecomes an addiction for the marketing team and the

task to find sustitutes ecomes more and more difficult, leading to surfeit of celerities

Celerit! crediilit! refers to ske#ticism ! the consumers regarding the celerities,

es#eciall! *hen there is an!thing negati"e regarding the celerit! associated *ith the

rand in the ne*s, then rand is ound to e affected or e>am#le, 1ir Jordans

generated re"enue sales of U&% million in the first !ear The sales dro##ed miseral! in

the second !ear *hen Jordan missed


41/82

Multi#le #roduct endorsement also has a negati"e im#act on customers #urchasing

intentions Tri## et al. in"estigated the effects of multi#le #roduct endorsement !

celerities on customers attitudes and intentions

The! found that the numer of #roducts a celerit! endorses negati"el! influences

consumer #erce#tion of the endorser and the ad"ertising itself It *as suggested that *hen

as man! as four #roducts are endorsed, celerit! crediilit! and likeailit!, as *ell as

attitude to*ards the ad, ma! attenuate

Su#erstar 1mitah Bachchan endorses multi#le rands like ;e#si, Mirinda, ICICI, B;0,

;arker #ens, Oerolac, :aur, @eid P Ta!lor, Maruti Versa, Fa$mola, Tide, Cadur! and a

fe* social messages It has *orked in some cases, *hile in some cases it has not : D

Jain, Chairman and ;resident, 0u>or 7riting Instruments ;"t 0td, the marketer of the

;arker rand said, A-sing 1mitah Bachchan as our rand amassador has hel#ed in

strengthening our rand image and recall *ithin the target audienceA Tarun Joshi,

Communications Custodian, @eid P Ta!lor said, A1mitah Bachchan is an icon *ith

uni"ersal a##eal and has hel#ed us to reach out to the real Bharat In fact, agents and

retailers ha"e told us that alread! customers ha"e started asking aout the 1mitah *ali

suitingA Incase of Oerolac ;aints, *hich *as endorsed ! 1mitah Bachchan, around

3%H of the res#ondents *hen asked to associate Bachchan *ith an! #aint, did so *ith

1sian ;aints, *hich is the iggest com#etitor of Oerolac

The udget or cost is an im#ortant factor for celerit! endorsement :e#ending on the

status of the celerit!, remuneration could run into millions of ru#ees for se"eral !ears or

ma! also include a #rofit sharing #lan or e>am#le *hen S Dumars used Frithik

@oshan for their launch ad"ertising for Tamarind, the! reckoned the! s#ent +% ' % #er

cent less on media due to the sheer im#act of using Frithik

Sachins endorsements got him U&3 million o"er fi"e !ears 7hen 1amir first endorsed

;e#si in &55, he recei"ed @s &9 lakh for itK his Coke commercials in &555 got him @s 2

crore Frithik @oshan in his highfl!ing da!s re#ortedl! made o"er @s 2% crore in

endorsements and e"ents ! 2%%&

+&


42/82

Fo*e"er, a numer of rands ha"e een uilt *ithout celerit! endorsement or some of

their rands, Findustan -nile"er and ;rocter P 6amle do not elie"e in celerit!

endorsement ecause the! think that consumers, es#eciall! house*i"es, are more likel!

to identif! *ith a la! #erson on screen than a celerit! ;rocter P 6amle launched its

@e$oice rand in India *ith testimonials from ordinar! *omen in their TV ad"ertising

e* more e>am#les of this *ill e 0ifeuo!, 7heel, :ettol, Close -#, e"icol etc

+2


43/82

India-s To; &ar5etin Tool@ T1o &iddle+aed

(olly1ood 'tars

The king is dead ' long li"e the king This *as the s#irit of a recent announcement that

the reigning titan of Indias film industr!, 1mitah Bachchan, *as eing re#laced as host

of the nations most #o#ular tele"ision #rogram ! the !ounger star, Shah @ukh Dhan

More than $ust tele"ision tri"ia, the ne*s hinted at the #assing of an era, the handing of a

Boll!*ood cro*n from one generation to another The significance of the moment *as

reflected in the front'#age co"erage and editorial anal!sis it recei"ed

The t*o actors are megastars on a le"el unmatched ! their ri"als Oo one others *ith

their full names ' the! are the Big B and Ding Dhan 7hile the fortunes of most of their

#eers in Boll!*ood flare and *ane according to their latest films, these t*o ha"e an

enduring a##eal, im#er"ious to the occasional cinematic flo#

:es#ite their age difference, *hat unites Dhan and Bachchan is their su#reme ailit! to

sell an!thing More than mere Boll!*ood heroes, the! are gods of the marketing *orld

Both ha"e ecome *alking illoards, and et*een them, the! re#resent a #ried

gate*a! to the sought'after middle'class Indian s#ender

Since it started in 2%%%, the Indian "ersion of A7ho 7ants to Be a Millionaire8A (DBD)

+


44/82

has een hosted *ith soer dignit! ! Bachchan,


45/82

Star TV, *hose fortune in India rests on the success of this flagshi# game sho*, re"ealed

that the cheekier, !ounger Dhan, +&, *ould e taking o"er the sho* at the earliest of this

!ear

There *as a certain logic to this Boll!*ood succession announcement Oo other star

comes as close to the stature of Bachchan as Dhan does The t*o men are figureheads of

middle'class India, and each re#resents the e>#eriences of his o*n generation 7hen

Bachchan decided he no longer *anted to host the sho* (after an enforced reak from

*ork caused ! #ainful stomach surger!), Star TV e>ecuti"es decided a !ounger star

*ould gi"e the sho* a needed face'lift

AThere is a ne*, ooming, e>citing generation out there ift! #ercent of the countr! is

elo* the age of % Shah @ukh Dhan *ill s#eak to them,A said Sameer Oair, chief

e>ecuti"e of Star Entertainment in India Oaturall!, the sho*s #roducers are guided ! a

keen usiness sense The cost of a %'second ad"ertising slot in the ne* series has risen

! % #ercent as a result of signing u# Dhan as host

FreeMe #iya "aye

Both actors endorse a "ast (and iarrel! di"erse) arra! of #roducts

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46/82

1d"ertisers descrie Bachchan as AIndias most salale faceA n to# of filming nine

mo"ies, last !ear he ad"ertised e"er!thing from ;e#si, #ens, hair oil, diamonds, suits,

ank accounts, chocolate, antise#tic cream, atteries, diet su##lements and real estate, to

*ashing #o*der These contracts took his annual income to an estimated &5% million

ru#ees, or aout U+ million

In #er#le>ing ad's#eak, Dhan is AdiamondA to Bachchans Agold dustA Dhans list of

endorsements is gro*ing ra#idl! ' emracing ;e#si, as *ell as Tag Feuer *atches,

motorikes, cell#hones, *hiske!, suits, Sunfeast :ream Cream Biscuits, To# @amen

Curr! Smoodles and rooti drinks ' inflating his earnings to a##ro>imatel! &% million

ru#ees In 2%%, he ad"ertised a total of 2& rands on tele"ision

A1d"ertisers go for one or the other The! are al*a!s looking for *a!s to talk to Indias

middle classes, and the! fall o"er each other to get them to sign u#,A said 1mit 1gnihotri,

co'founder of E>change+Media, a media anal!sis com#an! ABoth these men are ale to

connect across gender, across generation, across the *hole nation nl! the cricketer

Sachin Tendulkar comes close to eing ale to do thatA

Bachchans allure stems from his ailit! to transform himself as the nation changes '

s*itching from #la!ing angr!'!oung'man roles in the &59%s (at a time *hen hiscontem#oraries *ere feeling frustrated at the lack of o##ortunities in a ureaucratic

nation, *ith a closed econom!) to e>em#lif!ing a comfortale older generation of

middle'class Indians, someone *ho has *orked hard to succeed in the ne* climate of a

reformed India

1sh*ani Singla, chief e>ecuti"e of the #ulic relations com#an! 6enesis Burson'

Marsteller, *hich signed u# oth men to #romote ;e#si, said= ABachchan re#resents the

as#irations of a generation Fe has gone from eing a reel *ith a cause, to eing

someone sua"e and so#histicated, *ho is thri"ing in the ne* econom!A

Dhans charm is that of a MTV kid *ho has gro*n u# into a de"oted husand and father

Both men la! hea"! em#hasis on their commitment to famil! life

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47/82

ABachchan sho*s a de"otion to his #arents and a lo"e for his famil!,A said Suhash Jha, a

film *riter A0ike*ise S@D is a "er! domesticated su#erstar Fe married his childhood

s*eetheart, he lo"es his *ife to death, and his children are his *orld That makes a lot of

difference to the a"erage Indian "ie*er and its the ke! to their enduring #o#ularit!A

Singla agreed= AThe! are oth good o!s, achie"ers, *holesome famil! figures Indian

culture "alues this connection *ith famil!A 1d"ertising anal!sts elie"e that the lanket

#resence of these stars has led to diminishing returns on their roles as rand amassadors

#ointing out that most #eo#le are ha! aout *hich #roducts the! #romote But

com#anies remain an>ious to hire them

The film director Vi$a! Singh e>#lained= AThis is a culture *here *e are #rone to deif!

#eo#le In an era of raid consumerism, these gu!s are the ideal "ehicle ecause the! are

godsA

+9


48/82

Celebrity endorsements6 a do2ble eded s1ord

The! sile on the screens *ith their dance mo"es, larger than life image and their se>

a##eal, making them instant icons for man! in this countr! hungr! for celerit! ne*s

Celerities ha"e al*a!s een in limelight either for reel life or their endorsements or

su##ort for causes ranging from 1I:S to child *elfare and e!e donation But, *ith recent

@ichard 6ere and Shil#a Shett! contro"ers! generating #ulicit! rage for the #eck than

the cause '1I:S a*areness' the issue of celerit! in"ol"ement has generated a deate

AOo dout, that celerities hel# in getting an issue highlighted But at the same time, it is

also "er! im#ortant to choose the right kind of celerit! for the right cause,A sa!s 1n$ali

6o#alan, E>ecuti"e :irector, O1 oundation India, an O6 *orking for 1I:S "ictims

ther social acti"ist also seems to agree that celerities do hel# in #romoting a social

issue A7hen celerities or #eo#le holding #ulic offices, lend their name and time to a

#articular O6, #eo#le tend to take it at their face "alue Someho*, a sense of crediilit!

cree#s into #eo#les mind But then, in the end, its the O6s *ork *hich should s#eak

+3


49/82

for itself,A sa!s T D Mathe*, Secretar! and Chief E>ecuti"e, :ee#ala!a, an O6

*orking for education and etterment of slum children

Celerities *ho ha"e een and are associated *ith :ee#al!a include Oafisa 1li,

Man#reet Brar and @aghu @ai among other eminent former ureaucrats Sources *ithC@Y, one of the largest O6s in India *orking for child rights #oint out that the asic

need for celerities is felt so as to gi"e the #ro$ect a *ider #ulicit! AIt is like a chicken

and egg stor! 7hen a celerit! comes into the #icture, there is a curiosit! element But

then at times, the media focus might $ust end u# on the celerit! alone like in some recent

cases,A states an acti"ist from C@Y The ao"e acti"ist #oints out that man! a time,

celerities do ask for monetar! returns AYes, some celerities do charge for lending their

name to a #articular cause,A he #oints out *hile adding that then it is u# to the O6 to

decide on the ethical as#ect of it

AMan! O6s like ours dont #romote such acti"ities ut !es, it does ha##en,A he sa!s

7ith O6s clamoring for *ider #ulicit!, celerities seem to ha"e got hold of a golden

hen AIt is a fact that celerities hel# in increasing the "isiilit! of a #articular cause and

also that man! celerities charge for such acti"ities 0ast !ear, I *as in touch *ith a noted

celerit! *ho lends her name to lot of social causes ut I *as com#letel! taken off guard

*hen she asked me ho* much *e are *illing to #a! her,A sa!s @eshmi @amakrishnan, a

social acti"ist *ho once also headed, Make a 7ish oundation, India and Sesame

7orksho# India

She further adds, AOot long ago, O6s had their o*n ad time *hen the! *ere accused

of si#honing of mone! meant for social causes So, the! ado#ted a commercial conce#t

*here !ou ring in a celerit! to s#eak for !ou Visiilit! and crediilit! increases and at

times the inflo* of mone! for a #articular cause increase But one should also rememer

than some celerities reall! feel for a cause and are dee#l! in"ol"ed *ith "arious social

acti"itiesA 6o#alan su##orts her and sa!s, AYes, it does ha##en ut it is the O6s call

to decide *hat it *ants to doA

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50/82

(a!h!han ;olio Ad

1nother acti"ist #oints out that celerities are indeed im#ortant ut e"en the! need #ro#er

co"erage and marketing A7hen 1mitah Bachchan famousl! came out #romoting ;olio

"accination cam#aign of the central go"ernment, it ecame a national mission for the

common man But, on the other hand *hen 1amir Dhan "oiced his concern in su##ort of

Oarmada Bachao 1ndolan, it ecame a #olitical issue,A she #oints out

1long *ith Mathe*, 6o#alan is of the "ie* that no cause can mo"e for*ard $ust ecause

of celerit! in"ol"ement alone AThe much talked aout ;olio cam#aign ! Bachchan and

Sachin Tendulkar ecame a success ecause it *as full! acked ! go"ernment and out

reach *orkers and not $ust ecause of celerities,A she sa!s

E"en #s!chologists and #s!chiatrists agree that celerities do ha"e a huge influence

AThere is an inherent curiosit! aout celerities 7hen celerities s#eak, #eo#le tend to

listen and take notice There is no den!ing this fact,A states 1nita Maha$an, ;s!chiatrist

1s 6o#alan sa!s, "Celebrities are like a double edged sword and their presence

definitely helps but at times it can be the other way round too".

%


51/82

Prod2!t Endorsements by Cri!5eters a ne!essity JJJJ

1ccusations made against the Indian cricketers aout d*indling #erformance, as the!

focus more attention on #roduct modeling for MOCs than on the s#ort, ha"e left former

Indian ski##er and star all'rounder Da#il :e" unim#ressed Talking to The Times f

India , Da#il :e" said that the career of a cricketer is "er! short'li"ed and therefore,

making a #ersonal fortune is no misdeed

In s#ite of all #ositi"e rationales aout cricket #la!ers turning mercenaries, s#ending ig

mone! on cricketers endorsements of #roducts and ser"ices has ecome the ne* mantra

of MOCs

Se"eral contem#orar! cricket #la!ers like Sachin Tendulkar, Soura" 6angul!, Yu"ra$

Singh, Virendra Seh*ag, @ahul :ra"id and former test #la!ers like Sunil 6a"askar and

Da#il :e" ha"e all een signed u# ! MOCs as their rand amassadors

Da#il :e" *ho is currentl! the rand amassador for ;une ased Dinetic Engineering

0td ma! e"en get a stake in the com#an! ' *hich is one of the largest manufacturers of

t*o'*heelers in the countr!

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52/82

The latest trend set ! MOCs like ;e#si, Coca Cola, Britannia, Dinetic, moile handset

com#anies like Futch, and @eliance, to name $ust a fe*, ha"e recruited cricket #la!ers to

endorse their #roducts, admitted Mr ;unit Choudhar!, 6eneral Manager of Dinetic

Engineering 0td

Celerit! endorsements for #roducts es#eciall! cricket #la!ers ha"e ecome a ig mone!

s#inning usiness in the ad industr! in *hich o"er @s % crore has een s#ent till date

! "arious t*o *heeler com#anies, a"ers Choudhar! S#orts, and for that cricket, has

al*a!s signified #ositi"e results and thus, s#orts related ad"ertisements ha"e recei"ed an

encouraging res#onse from the consumers, Choudhar! said This rand uilding trend has

made the image of Indian cricketers igger than life

In the #ast @a$ Singh :ungar#ur, former ;resident of the Board of Control for Cricket

(BCCI) had endorsed this trend, sa!ing Nf late there has een more mone! in it than

runs scored ! the Indian cricket teamGK

@eacting to the ad #erformance in the recentl! concluded 7orld Cu#, Da#il :e" said=

NThe Indian team continues to e one of the est teams in the *orld ut the onl! thing in*hich it lacks is a##arentl! #h!sical fitness *hich has turned into a ma$or *eaknessG

The general #erce#tion that India/s Ndefeat *as on account of Ca#tain Soura" 6angul!/s

thoughtlessnessG e"en after *ining the toss against 1ustralia in the 7orld Cu# final and

o#ting to field has no rele"ance to the ultimate outcome sa!s Da#il Fe goes on to add,

2


53/82

NThe toss is sheer luck and the alance de#ends on the strong *ill of atting, o*ling and

fielding 1ccording to me the 1ustralian team is one of the fittest teams in the *orld and

India fell short of effecti"e o*ling cou#led *ith asence of all'rounder in com#arison to

the Indian team in the earl! eightiesG

It is a fact that in"estment in s#orts related ad #romotions ha"e een gro*ing at a fast

#ace and these ha"e made cricket #la!ers some of the highest #aid #eo#le, e"en

sur#assing cine stars

D/ONI PO$ER

&ahendra 'inh Dhoni is the latest ;oster boy o Indian Cri!5et

7hen the Indian cricket team arri"ed in Bangalore recentl! it *as the man from

Jharkhand ' Mahendra Singh :honi *ho graed all the attention *ith the #ress #ack

hounding him The tele"isions didnt get their sound !tes though, ecause the man has a

contract *ith one ne*s channel, *hich gets e>clusi"e access to him This meant the #rint

media got :honi all for themsel"es a rare #ri"ilege at a time *hen celerities are hard

to get if !ou dont *ield a tele"ision camera


54/82

So, *hat does he think aout India agreeing to the 2%'2% cricket conce#t8 AAap starting

hi !aro contro"ers! hata!e 2%'2% math pucho yaar,A :honi re#lied, making it clear this

con"ersation *as going to ha"e some "er! clearl! defined oundaries But after

#ersisting he said AE"er!thing goes Test match bhi, one da!ers and e"en 2%'2% It is an

interesting conce#t and is good for the s#ectatorsA

"er the last season, due to his e>#loits *ith the at, :honi has emerged the latest #oster

o! of Indian cricket This e"en led to him eing cro*ned the MTV Youth Icon of 2%%


55/82

from it AOo, I ha"ent got a Fa!ausa I ha"e a Da*asaki W &+ But I like dirt iking

the most So, TVS is uilding a customied dirt ike for me ecause one is not a"ailale

in the market This has een ke#t confidential till no*A

1nother face of :honi not man! kno* aout is a #assion he shares *ith @onaldinho

their lo"e for gaming 7hile #la!ing too much on a #la! station is eing cited as a reason

for the Brailians #oor #erformance at the *orld cu#, :honi made his #riorities "er!

clear Aff the field it is one of the things I do most of the time But I like to #la! onl! if I

get a stretch of t*o to three hours I dont like to lea"e the game in the middle, go for a

training session and then come ackA :honi *ill also feature in a com#uter game, the

ne>t edition of Brian 0ara Cricket But he said he much #refers cricket in real life AI am

into asicall! first #erson'shooting games Counter Strike, Black Fa*k :o*n, Men fValourA

:honi must come across as the stuff of nightmares to o*lers, ut in #erson, he is far

from that image Fe sa!s he elie"es in eing #ositi"e and controlling his aggression

AThere are times *hen it is reall! hard to control !ourself ut !ou ha"e to Because its

cricket, not o>ingA

Com#arisons ha"e een made to 1ussie hero 1dam 6ilchrist Though the t*o #la!ers are*orlds a#art, :honi does seem to ha"e some of that 1ussie grit and aggression in him

AThats a real hard thing to $udge I ha"ent $udged m!self But one thing is for sure,

*here"er I am #art of cricket, soccer or an! other game I am serious I gi"e &%% #er

cent I ma! succeed or lose But *hen the da! ends and *hen I go to m! room, I should

e confident I did *hat I couldA


56/82

Celebrity Prod2!t Pla!ement< A Primer

7ith more and more com#anies *anting to integrate their #roducts into the li"es of

celerities, no* seems like a good time to take a closer look at celerit! #roduct

#lacement Fere are three common a##roaches and a descri#tion of *hat ste#s !ou can

take to encourage results


57/82

The term Acelerit! #roduct #lacementA is used to descrie se"eral related techni.ues, ut

its definition a##lies to each= free #roducts are distriuted to celerities in e>#ectation of

a #romotional enefit -nlike the more o"ert, #aid'for endorsement, it offers a distinct

ad"antage 1 #roduct a##ears as a #roduct choice made ! a celerit! according to

indi"idual #reference

Most marketers are una*are of their o#tions in this categor! (one form features contracts

*ith celerities, guaranteeing #erformance and allo*ing marketers to acti"el! le"erage

celerit! #atrons in the media) and therefore man! o"erlook a "er! #o*erful influencer'

marketing techni.ue

In this *e *ill descrie each of the three main a##roaches and discuss their relati"e

merits ! listing their #ros and cons 1lso ho#e to .uash an! misconce#tion that celerit!

#roduct #lacement has to e a gamle, and sho* ho* est to secure a return on

in"estment But first, a little histor!

Celerit! #roduct #lacement (sometimes called Acelerit! seedingA) has een *ith us

since the da*n of marketing Centuries efore 1rnold Sch*arenegger ste##ed into his

first Fummer, an &3th centur! #otter named Josiah 7edg*ood egan su##l!ing his *ares

to Englands ueen Charlotte @ecei"ing the title A;otter to Fer Ma$est!A led to a hugeamount of #ulicit! for 7edg*ood, *hich he took ad"antage of ! using the term

Aueens 7areA to descrie his #roduct

Those efforts that did succeed, ho*e"er, *ere so successful that inde#endent s#ecialists

emerged to hel# com#anies achie"e etter results But the ser"ices the! offer "ar!, and so

do the results

$hat-s It All Abo2t@

Marketers ha"e long kno*n the #o*er of celerit! to influence consumer'#urchasing

decisions The term Aorro*ed e.uit!A has een used to descrie ho* a celerit!

endorsement can esto* u#on a #roduct s#ecial attriutes and cachet that it might not

other*ise ha"e

9


58/82

The same conce#t a##lies to celerit! #roduct #lacement But unlike celerit!

endorsements, *here a highl! com#ensated #ersonalit! a##ears in commercial

ad"ertising, celerit! #roduct #lacement offers marketers a more sutle and highl!

effecti"e means of reaching the #ulic"ia the media the! consume ! choice

Indeed, celerit! #roduct #lacement is as much aout #lacing #roducts *ith celerities as

it is aout getting stories aout those relationshi#s into the #ress @egardless of the

a##roach, celerit! #roduct #lacement strategies ha"e a common aim= to tie celerities

(thought leaders, influencers) *ith consumer #roducts in the #ulic consciousness

Three techni.ues offer three le"els of control o"er that #lacement=

& 6ifting the talent (this usuall! in"ol"es su##l!ing #roducts for gift ags at li"e

e"ents)

2 ;roduct seeding (#roducts are distriuted more *idel! in ho#es of securing a

#romotional enefit and kicking off a trend)

Barter relationshi#s (indi"idual celerities agree to #artici#ate in custom #rograms

in e>change for "aluale #roducts)

0ets take a look at each one in greater detail

%itin the Talent

AE"er!od!A kno*s that celerities o*n all the coolest stuffand the! o*n it *ell efore

e"er!od! else Celerities tra"el the *orld, and the minutest details of their dail! li"es

#er"ade the media 1s st!le leaders, the! are #erha#s our most #o*erful influencers Its

no *onder that com#anies are lining u# to gi"e them the latest gifts and gadgets for free

3


59/82

ne method of doing this is called Agifting the talentA This generall! in"ol"es su##l!ing

free #roduct for insertion into Agood! agsA that are handed out as thank'!ou gifts to

celerit! #resenters and a*ard nominees at the no*'countless a*ards sho*s and charit!

enefits that dot the entertainment landsca#e

1t last !ears 1cadem! 1*ards, for e>am#le, one of t*o Best 1ctress gift ags featured

6ucci sunglasses, a S#rint ;CS #hone, Christian Tse &3'carat gold Iris earrings and more

The Best 1ctor ag featured 6ucci e!e*ear, a Maurice 0acroi> S*iss *atch and assorted

other goodies 1ccording to ne*s re#orts, the retail "alue of one such grou# of ags at the

scars e>ceeded U&&%,%%% each

But ho* effecti"e is this #ractice8 If the goal of celerit! #roduct #lacement is to get

#ress co"erage, can *e measure the "alue of gift'ag #lacements8 7hat t!#es of #roducts

are suitale and *hich are not8 1nd *hat le"el of control does this strateg! offer

marketers oth in terms of demogra#hics and reach8

There is no den!ing the "alue of eing associated *ith these glit! e"ents and, !

e>tension, the celerities *ho #o#ulate them n the #lus side, the! offer a rare

o##ortunit! to get close to the iggest stars in the *orld n the minus side, the marketer

has no control in matching u# celerities *ho hold s*a! o"er their #articulardemogra#hic The! ha"e to #la! the cards the! are dealt

6ifting the talent at a*ard sho*s "irtuall! guarantees mentions in the celerit! #ress at

the time of the e"ent But *ithout #ermission to associate the celerit!s name and

likeness *ith the #roduct, marketers dont ha"e the lee*a! to trul! le"erage those

relationshi#s in their o*n #ress acti"ities

6ifting the talent in this *a! has other limitations= first'mo"ers sna# u# desirale

categories, and of course not all #roducts are deemed a##ro#riate You *ont find an

energ! drink in these ags

Prod2!t 'eedin

5


60/82

;roduct seeding offers marketers more control o"er *hom to #lace #roducts *ithK ut,

con"ersel!, the! ha"e less control o"er ho* (or *hether) those #roducts get used 1nd

*hile "irtuall! an! #roductfrom ottled *ater to consumer electronicscan e seeded

*ith celerities, marketers are #la!ing the odds here But the #a!off can e huge if the

seeding is su##orted ! a creati"e strateg!

;roduct seeding is the oldest form of celerit! #roduct #lacement ;roducts are

distriuted more *idel! The! can e aimed at celerities *ho are most com#elling to

!our demogra#hic 1nd the! can e deli"ered directl! to the celerit! *ithout the filters

im#osed ! e"ents f course, *orking *ith a s#ecialist *ho can get !our #roduct

directl! to celerities ecomes #aramount here ilm and tele"ision #roduct #lacement

agencies are OT set u# for this #ractice

Taken ! itself, #roduct seeding is a gamle If !ou send enough freeies to Foll!*ood

ut dont ha"e a creati"e strateg!, a celerit! might e #hotogra#hed using !our #roduct

or e"angeliing it on a talk sho* But if one looks at #roduct seeding as one tactic in a

larger celerit! #roduct #lacement effort, it can #a! ig di"idends#articularl! in

identif!ing celerities *ho ha"e a true affinit! for !our #roduct

Energ! Brands, makers of the 6laceau Vitamin 7ater line, disco"ered 1s a result of itslong'time strateg! to Ahome'deli"erA the "itamin'enhanced drink to celerities (including

Sean A;uff!A Coms and Tom Cruise), the com#an! gained a fan in % Cent

Fa"ing mentioned his #reference for the #roduct in a series of inter"ie*s, the Fi# Fo#

star*ho is *ell kno*n for his fitness'centered lifest!leecame an o"ious choice for

rand s#okes#erson

S#eaking to 1d 1ge magaine, Energ! Brands V; of marketing, @ohan a, said, A7e"e

seen that *hen % Cent incor#orates XVitamin 7ater into his dail! routinethe rand

gets on the air*a"es, and *e create a lot of trialA Making "itamin *ater a "isile #art of

the ra##ers health! lifest!le *orked so *ell that the com#an! launched a ne* Aormula

%A "ariet!, named for the artist Such AorganicA relationshi#s can gro* from #roduct

seeding Oot onl! do marketers enefit from #ress mentions, ut the #rocess can also e


61/82

used to unco"er #romotional o##ortunities and (in some cases) identif! the most ideal

#roduct endorsers

;roduct seeding remains a gamle But, if e>ecuted #ro#erl!, its one *ell *orth taking

@elati"el! s#eaking, it is a lo*'cost marketing #rogram 1nd the return on in"estment

though difficult to forecast com#ared *ith arter relationshi#s (discussed elo*)can e

ig

But *hat if !our goal is limited to getting #ress mentions8 Can a #ulicist hedge his or

her ets in this categor!8

ne of the great things aout #roduct seeding is ho* creati"e !ou can get or Trident

7hite che*ing gum, the com#an! commissioned a Farris #oll asking the #ulic to "ote

on the est Acelerit! smilesA Com#an!, *hich s#ecialies in celerit! #roduct

#lacement, deli"ered gift askets of the #roduct to the to# si> *inners, allo*ing Trident

to #lug the celerities in their #ress materials

n another occasion, Electrolu>maker of a ne* high'end, su#er'.uiet "acuum cleaner

*anted to align their #roduct *ith celerities 7e identified si> celerit! moms *ho

had recentl! gi"en irth andtouting the fact that these "acuums *ould not *ake a

slee#ing a!made gifts of the #roduct to each Fere again, the com#an! *as ale to

use celerities to dra* #ress co"erage for its #roduct 1nd the! *ere ale to reference

these celerities ecause the! *ere stating facts (a gift *as made to)

But *hat if !ou *ant tighter integration *ith celerities8 Su##ose !ou need to forecast a

return on in"estment in order to get a##ro"al for a celerit! #roduct #lacement

cam#aign8 1nd *hat if !ou *ant celerities to #ro"ide feedack aout !our #roduct and

authorie use of their names and likenesses as #art of !our #ress cam#aign8

(arter Relationshi;s

Barter is, #erha#s, the onl! *a! to guarantee #erformance on the #art of the celerit!

-nlike other forms of gifting, this is a .uid #ro .uo relationshi#, *here! the celerit!


62/82

agrees in ad"ance to #artici#ate in the marketers #romotional acti"itiesin e>change for

"aluale #roduct

Celerit! #roduct #lacement cam#aigns of this t!#e *ork est for ig'ticket items such as

consumer electronics and (the loan of) cars But *ith creati"e a##roaches, s#ecial #roduct

.uestionnaires and generous Aright of #ulicit!A agreements, marketers can use the

celerit!s name, likeness and o#inion as #art of their #ulic relations cam#aigns

Celerit! #roduct #lacement"ia arter agreementsis also among the most affordale

*a!s to use celerities or the #rice of a fe* #roducts, and sometimes a token

honorarium, com#anies can integrate testimonials into their ;@ materials and create

customied celerit! content for their 7e sites

The! can in"ol"e numerous stars in a #ress cam#aign for less than the cost of a single

#aid celerit! s#okes#erson It is one of the most undere>#loited tactics a"ailale to

marketers toda!

Feres an e>am#le The Son! C: Ma"icaat the time, the onl! digital camera offering a

uilt'in C:'@Mhad failed to #enetrate the increasingl! cro*ded market for digital

imaging #roducts This *as trouling for Son!, ecause the C: Ma"ica offered a clear

ad"antage o"er its com#etitors= freedom from *ires But that message had failed to reach

the #ulic

Son! *anted to in"ol"e celerities *ith its #roducts and *anted that in"ol"ement to

influence the #ulic in a meaningful *a! The! sought a high'#rofile e"ent#referal!

enefiting charit!u#on *hich to launch a !earlong #ress cam#aign in time for the

Christmas sho##ing season The focus *as to #romote the sim#licit! of C:'ased

#hotogra#h!

The udget *as limited ut, ha"ing learned that the latest Son! #roducts could e made

a"ailale to gift the talent, *e #ro#osed a celerit! #roduct #lacement cam#aign Each

celerit! *ould e asked to take a #icture of *hat AreedomA means to them, and those

#hotos *ould e auctioned off for charit!


63/82

Such an artistic challenge, cou#led *ith the #ros#ect of recei"ing free Son! #roducts, not

onl! ser"ed to induce celerities to #artici#ate ut also offered us an e>traordinar!

o##ortunit! to frame these #ictures and mount an e>hiition that raised mone! for charit!

Indeed, the charit! com#onent attracted higher'calier celerities and #ro"ided the

AhookA to dra* media attention

7e successfull! #laced the Son! C: Ma"ica digital camera *ith & to# stars, including

Eric McCormack, 1l!ssa Milano and :ennis Fo##er The #hotogra#hs *ere then offered

for sale on eBa! as #art of 7ired magaines annual charit! auction and also #ut on

dis#la! at a star'studded e"ent in 0os 1ngeles

ifteen to# celerities demonstrated the #ractical use of Son!s #roduct and authoried

the use of their names, likenesses and o#inions aout the #roduct for #ress and marketing

#ur#oses (for one !ear) Son! recei"ed free ad"ertising for its #roduct in #rint and online

for three months (*orth an estimated U&%%,%%%), as *ell as < million *e #age

im#ressions (auction as a *hole) and national #ress co"erage, including Entertainment

Tonight

CA'E 'T,D)

The 'iyaram Celebrity Endorsement E3;erien!e

"#e have enough of film stoc! for a whole year. $nfortunately we can%t use them

anymore.&' O 6angadhar, 6eneral Manager (Marketing), Si!aram Silk Mills,

commenting on the *ithdra*al of the J Fam#stead ad"ertisement cam#aign, in 1#ril

2%%%

T/E CRON"E 'CANDAL


64/82

In 1#ril 2%%%, the Oe* :elhi #olice unearthed one of the iggest scandals e"er to hit the

*orld of cricket 7hile in"estigating a local corru#tion case, officials recorded #hone

con"ersations et*een Fansie Cron$e (Cron$e), the ca#tain of the South 1frican cricket

team, and San$ee" Cha*la, a 0ondon'ased Indian usinessman The con"ersation in the

ta#es seemed to im#licate oth men in illegal etting on a match #la!ed in eruar! 2%%%

in India 1fter initial denials, Cron$e conceded that he had acce#ted U &,%%% to fi> the

matchX& The ne*s shocked oth cricket fans and the media alike ' Cron$e/s face *as

smeared *ith lack #aint on #osters across the countr!

Si!aram Silk Mills 0td (Si!aram), one of India/s leading te>tile com#anies, *as also

affected adl! ! this contro"ers! Fansie Cron$e *as one of the ke! celerit! endorsers

for Si!aram/s JFam#stead rand of clothing The cam#aign featuring Cron$e had eenrunning on the #rint, electronic and outdoor media from March 2%%% Si!aram and its

ad"ertising agenc!, ;erce#t, *atched in disma! as their celerit! endorser turned into an

internationall! hated s#ortsman o"ernightThe issue raised a heated deate in cor#orate

and media circles regarding the #erils of using celerit! endorsement ;erce#t sources

commented,NThis mess is horrileG

Si!aram #ulled do*n all the illoards featuring the entire South 1frican team across the

countr! The JFam#stead cam#aign *as com#letel! *ithdra*n, almost 2% da!s efore it

com#leted its scheduled run on hoardings and tele"ision The Lmatch'fi>ing/ scandal

seemed all set to force Si!aram 4 and other Indian com#anies 4 to re*rite the rules of

using celerit! endorsement as an integral #art of their media #lans

(AC#%RO,ND NOTE

Si!aram *as a #art of the Si!aram ;oddar 6rou# of com#anies, *hich had a turno"er of

U 2%5 illion in 2%%%'%& The grou#, founded in &5+, *as into the te>tile (!arns, farics

and garments), #a#erQ#a#eroards and t!re (ruer t!res and tues) usinesses 7hile

6o"ind @uer 0td (6@0) *as into the auto and ic!cle t!res and tues usiness,

Balkrishna Industries 0td (BI0) *as into the manufacturing of #a#eroards, t!resQtues

and s!nthetics Si!aram/s usinesses com#rised farics and read!made garments Its

#o#ular rands included >emerg (shirts, trousers and $eans) and JFam#stead (*ool


65/82

faric)

Si!aram *as incor#orated in June &593 as a #ri"ate limited com#an! and *as con"erted

into a #ulic limited com#an! in &53% Si!aram inance, its susidiar!, *as into the

financial ser"ices usiness Si!aram manufactured and marketed te>tiles, cotton, *oollen

s!nthetics and s!nthetic lends 4 the main #roduct eing #ol!ester lended *orsted

faricsX2 In Jul! &55, Si!aram came out *ith a @s & million rights issue to #art'

finance a @s ansion'cum'moderniation #ro$ect 7hile the famil! held

2H of the @s & million e.uit!, foreign collaorators, Is and the #ulic held 2clusi"e sho*rooms, esides its distriutor

net*ork of aout +%% *holesale dealers and %,%%% retailers across the countr! (The

numer of e>clusi"e sho*rooms *as to e increased to 9 ! 1ugust, 2%%2) The

com#an! also e>#orted its #roducts to Euro#e, South 1merica, South 1frica, the ar East

and the 6ulf countries Si!aram/s sales increased from @s 2% million in &593 to @s

22< million in 2%%%'%&

Si!aram *as one of the fe* non'MC6 com#anies in India that *as kno*n for its la"ish

ad"ertisements The LComing Fome To Si!aram/ cam#aign *as re#orted to e one of

Indian ad"ertising/s costliest cam#aigns The LComing Fome To Si!aram/ ad"ertisements

*ere much talked aout for eing of much longer duration than the usual

ad"ertisementsX , and also for the huge udgets Si!aram set aside for them The

com#an! elie"ed that good commercials hel#ed it to effecti"el! #osition its suitings on a


66/82

gloal #latform Si!aram officials said the com#an!/s focus on marketing *as

res#onsile to a great e>tent for its gro*th o"er the !ears

;erce#t had conce#tualied the LComing Fome to Si!aram/ cam#aign in the earl! &55%s

"er the !ears, the cam#aign estalished the rand/s association *ith Ltrue lo"e for the

motherland,/ ! sho*ing successful men maintaining lasting, strong ties *ith their

families 1nal!sts commented that the cam#aign *as largel! res#onsile for Si!aram/s

high rand recall and #ositi"e consumer feedack 1s #art of its rand'uilding

initiati"es, Si!aram also organied ma$or s#orting e"ents like the triangular cricket series

4 Si!aram/s Cu#, &559 and Si!aram/s Celerit! Soccer &553 The com#an! also held

Si!aram faric sho*s, aimed at increasing a*areness among its target audience aout the

com#an!/s range of #roducts or 2%%&'%2, Si!aram had increased its ad"ertising and#romotion udget to @s %% million from the 2%%%'%& le"el of @s 2%% million

T/E "./A&P'TEAD 'TOR)

JFam#stead *as a "er! #o#ular suiting rand in Euro#e, reno*ned for its #remium

&%%H *ool suitings *o"en from rich natural fiers like merino *ool, cashmere and

*oolsilk In &55, Si!aram tied u# *ith JFam#stead for marketing its suitings in India

The com#an! im#orted the faric from Ital! It *as #riced in the range of @s &,%%'&,


67/82

Si!aram earmarked around @s % million for the marketing, sales and #romotion of J

Fam#stead The first #hase of this #romotion *as in the form of commercials featuring

Indian tennis su#erstars 0eander ;aes and Mahesh Bhu#ati These commercials *ith the

#ositioning line, LThe finest faric in the *orld,/ *ere aimed at #ositioning the rand in

the #remium segment

In Se#temer &555, Si!aram held a tennis carni"al to #romote JFam#stead, *here

se"eral Findi film stars *ere in"ited to #la! tennis *ith the rand amassadors Soon

after, Si!aram faced #rolems *ith the tennis duo *hen the! decided to reak their

#artnershi#, re#ortedl! due to #ersonal #rolems Fo*e"er, the com#an! continued

running the ad"ertisements Com#an! officials $ustified this, claiming that the Ls#ort *as

igger than the #la!ers/

In eruar! 2%%%, Si!aram signed the South 1frican cricket team for #romoting the

rand The multi'media #romotion *as s#read o"er tele"ision, satellite channels, #rint,

outdoor and #oint of #urchase ad"ertising 6angadhar said, N7e ha"e taken this

o##ortunit! to associate oursel"es *ith the numer one ranked cricket team as the! *ill

e #o#ular in the coming series of cricket matches1nd this *ill enale the rand to e

gloall! focused The idea of such a cam#aign is also to send the message that the

#roduct is of international .ualit! In India *here cricket is almost a religion, these

models can e easil! identified ! oth the masses as *ell the classesG

Si!aram had decided to use the South 1frican team on the recommendation of ;erce#t

6angadhar said, N1ll along, the South 1frican team had a clean image So *e had signed

u# the entire team and not $ust one indi"idual 7hen the! *ere coming to Boma! (for

the match), *e thought it *as a "er! good o##ortunit! and so decided to shoot *ith them

for the adsG Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing :irector, ;erce#t, said, Nur rief is to

#ro$ect J Fam#stead as a gloal fashion rand It is a high fashion rand that is successful

and sincere Consciousl!, *e thought that Fansie Cron$e has a 32H success rate and nine

!ears/ e>#erience as a ca#tainG The ad"ertisements featured the entire South 1frican

team *earing the J Fam#stead #remium suitings 7ithin a month of the cam#aign eing

released in the national media, the Cron$e contro"ers! surfaced Si!aram continued to run

the ad"ertisements in ne*s#a#ers for a fe* da!s after the scandal roke Fo*e"er, the


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com#an! decided to *ithdra* the cam#aign com#letel! soon after 6angadhar denied

that the Fam#stead rand image had een affected Fe said, NI ha"e had calls from *ell'

*ishers *ho sa! that no one could ha"e antici#ated this 7e do things right and in the

right s#irit 1nd if something goes *rong all *e can do is make amends for it The rand

is igger than an! indi"idualG

1 ;erce#t official said, NThankfull!, the cam#aign *as not centered on one single #la!er

ut the entire team Fence it is not so ad after all 7e are also reco"ering from the

incidentG Fe added, N7e ha"e used multi#le #ersonalities for the ad 7e ha"e not

focussed $ust on Cron$e It is the entire &+'memer South 1frican team that *e ha"e

signed u# So, *e ne"er let the #ersonalit! ecome the rand itselfG

Si!aram/s strateg! of o#ting for multi#le rand endorsements seemed to ha"e diluted theim#act of the scandal on the rand The com#an! egan *orking on a ne* series of

commercials featuring the 0eanderQMahesh duo, ut dro##ed them as the rand

amassadors in ctoer, 2%%% Though com#an! sources denied that the! had gi"en u#

the celerit! endorsement route for JFam#stead, the #erils of celerit! endorsement

egan to e seriousl! e>amined ! Indian com#anies and ad"ertising agencies

T/E CELE(RIT) ENDOR'E&ENT I'',E

Celerit! endorsements egan *a! ack in the &5th centur! *ith -D/s ueen Victoria

endorsing Cadur!/s Cocoa -sing celerities for #romotion has een a common

marketing communications strateg!, #racticed gloall! Marketers elie"e celerit!

endorsers are more effecti"e than non'celerit! endorsers in generating actual sales from

the customers, and #ositi"el! influence the consum#tion of the #roducts the! are

associated *ith The fact that celerities remain in constant media focus hel#s create high

recall rates for the commercials that feature them Their attracti"e .ualities are transferred

to the #roduct eing #romoted Some of the main reasons for com#anies using celerit!

endorsersFo*e"er, selecting the right celerit! endorsers is usuall! a tough task 1

*rong choice can ruin the image of a rand The acce#tance of an ad"ertisement message


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is largel! determined ! the attracti"eness of the celerit! #resenting the message 1lso,

the message con"e!ed ! the celerit! must match the #roduct message @ele"ance is a

"er! im#ortant factor in celerit! endorsements If there is "er! little fit et*een the

celerit! and the rand #ersonae, the ad"ertisement could #ro"e counter'#roducti"e

Interestingl!, the selection of Fansie Cron$e for JFam#stead *as criticied on these "er!

grounds ! an e>ecuti"e from the ad"ertising agenc! gil"! P Mather Fe said, NCron$e

is such a casual cha# and he looks so a*k*ard and uncomfortale in a suitG The man

ehind the #o#ular ;e#si ads, filmmaker ;rahlad Dakkar said, NJ Fam#stead is a #erfect

e>am#le of using a celerit! *ithout a scri#tG

In India, celerit! endorsements are elie"ed to e #articularl! useful as the a"erage

consumer re#ortedl! identifies more strongl! *ith celerities than in other countriesilm stars and s#orts #ersonalities (es#eciall! cricket #la!ers) are immensel! #o#ular

among the masses This has encouraged the *ides#read use of celerities in

ad"ertisements o"er the decades

Fo*e"er, celerit! endorsements could ecome a Ldoule'edged s*ord/ for most

com#anies 1 #o#ular star can hel# immensel! in im#ro"ing rand image and recall But

the same star can cause ma$or #rolems for the rand if he or she lands in troule 4 either

in their careers or in their #ersonal li"es ;e#si faced this #rolem *ith t*o of its most

#o#ular celerit! endorsers 4 #o# singers Michael Jackson and Madonna In &535, right

after ;e#si aired the first Madonna commercial, the singer released her se>uall! e>#licit

and re#ortedl! anti'Christianit! music "ideo L0ike 1 ;ra!er/ on Music Tele"ision The

"ideo led to *ides#read #rotests against the singer and ;e#si had to #ull out the

ad"ertisement after airing it $ust t*ice Michael Jackson *as signed ! ;e#si in &53 in

*hat *as the largest indi"idual s#onsorshi# deal in histor! In &55, Michael Jackson *as

charged *ith child ause Though the charges *ere not #ro"ed, ;e#si had to #ull out of

the contract after un#recedented media outrage against the rand/s association *ith the

singer

1nother #eril associated *ith celerit! endorsement is the L"am#ire effect,/ *hen the

celerit! o"ershado*s the rand 1lso, *hether the celerit! endorsing a rand actuall!

uses the rand or not is an issue of concern or instance, if a celerit! endorsing ;e#si is


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seen drinking Coke, it can reflect "er! adl! on the rand eing endorsed

T/E AFTER&AT/

Cron$e had to resign from the South 1frican team and *as arred from #la!ing cricket

e"er again In South 1frica, the S#ur @estaurant Chain in Johannesurg ended a multi'

million randX+ 'ad"ertising contract *ith Cron$e The contro"ers! heated u# in the ne>t

fe* *eeks, *ith man! more Indian and international cricket #la!ers eing named as

#arties to illegal match fi>ing It *as re#orted that the Board of Control for Cricket in

India (BCCI) and the MumaiQ:uai under*orld *ere also in"ol"ed in the scandal

There *ere e"en rumors of South 1frica and India sus#ending di#lomatic ties

The Indian com#anies *ho s#onsored cricket matches and utilied cricket #la!ers asendorsers *ere ho*e"er, re#orted to e unfaed ! the de"elo#ments 1sserting that the

JFam#stead association *ith s#orts (and cricket) *ould continue, Singh commented,

N0et/s not kill the s#ort for one moronic gu!G B! the end of the !ear, the Cron$e scandal

seemed to ha"e died a natural death and cricket s#onsorshi# ! Indian cor#orates

continued Si!aram mean*hile, re"ealed its #lans to achie"e a turno"er of @s + illion for

the fiscal 2%%&'%2 JFam#stead/s contriution to the turno"er *as e>#ected to rise from

@s +%% million in &555'%% to @s 9% million In Se#temer 2%%&, the com#an! launched

a ne* cam#aign for JFam#stead, *ith the ne* aseline Lne 7orld ne aric/ The

cam#aign did not feature an! s#ort or celerit! Instead, international models *ere

featured to reinforce the faric/s gloal a##eal

Media anal!sts *ere .uick to #oint out that ha"ing learnt its lessons from the

0eanderQBhu#ati and Cron$e issues, Si!aram *as delieratel! tr!ing to L#la! it safe/ this

time around ! a"oiding celerit! endorsements for JFam#stead

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