A new take on celebrity endorsements

charukesi April 23rd, 2005

I was reading this in Bombay Times this morning…. and wondering afresh why marketing companies and ad agencies waste so much money on hiring totally over-exposed and jaded (if familiar) faces to endorse their brands….

They stare down at you from huge billboards and help push products on TV ads. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Aamir, Salman and Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and now even Kajol, Ajay Devgan and Karan Johar have now occupied the place which once ‘officially’ belonged to models.

And then I saw this from Dilbert…

celebrity endorsement

Also read Celebrity = credibility? from a long time ago…

3 Responses to “A new take on celebrity endorsements”

  1. # harinion 23 Apr 2005 at 23.58

    why do agencies use jaded faces, often because clients ask for them.
    as for dilbert - he rules:)

  2. # charuon 24 Apr 2005 at 10.38

    yup Harini, that is just what I wonder about - why do clients ask for them? what value do they see?
    and yes, dilbert rules and rocks :)

  3. # harinion 25 Apr 2005 at 11.16

    because the client is not really sure whether his product is that unique and getting a huge marketing blitz with a well known face, gives it some kind of differenciation. Afterall how different is a santro from a 800. the moment you put a preeti and a shah rukh you give it zing. but ultimately the product has 4 wheels and gets u from point a to point b!