Advertisement in India have changed dramatically, gone were the days when advertisements revolved around a theme, a clever plot that conveys the message within 10-15 seconds. Some of the memorable ads that still tinker in our minds and leave a lasting image of the brand include ‘Hamara Bajaj’, the hilariously funny ‘Fevicol’ ad and ‘Asian Paint’s Sunil Babu’.

Watch one of the many Fevicol ads
[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0n6MHpKgyUM[/youtube]


These days advertisements revolve around a star image, be it cricketer or a bollywood mega star, plots or theme’s don’t matter much. Some of the big stars who have figured in television advertisements are Amitabh Bachchan , Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Sachin Tendulkar , Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee , Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar. I’m no marketing guru, but I think that’s what people like, they identify themselves with a star and aspire to be like him/her, it gives them a sense of trust and confidence that if their favourite star has endorsed the brand, it should/would be good. Apart from the trust factor, people hook up to watch their stars on the small screen, so viewership is guaranteed to some extent.

Let’s look at who is the biggest brand in India and who follow close behind

The KING in endorsement is none other than the Bollywood Baadshah himself, KING KHAN (Shahrukh Khan). He has endorsed maximum number of ads when compared to any other Bollywood personality. As with his performance on big screen Shahrukh manages to strike a chord with the viewers on the small screen with his style and enigma, he has featured in advertisements for almost everything that’s sellable, from cars to biscuits, from financial products to aerated drinks.

Watch Shahrukh Khan’s ad for Jet Airways
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0frkjkvQayA[/youtube]


Next on the list is the captain of the Indian one-day cricket squad, the swashbuckling Mahendra Singh Dhoni or more famously Mahi. In a short span of time, MS Dhoni has managed to swing to number 2 spot edging out Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to top cricketer in the country endorsing brands. MS Dhoni charges approximately INR 4 crores for each advertisement, it was not long when Dhoni was charging just INR 20 lakhs for an appearance, his market value increased dramatically after the historic T20 world cup win. His act in Dainik Bhasker ad (watch video below) is really inspirational, sends a very strong social message to fight against the non-functional system.
[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFuVLG7AMQ[/youtube]


Another actor that’s carries some credibility on the small screen when it comes to advertisement is Mr perfectionist – Aamir Khan. As with his movies, Aamir chooses his brands carefully and gives his 100% to the ad resulting in such memorable advertisements as the Coca cola advertisement which has been shot in many flavours. Apart from Coca Cola, Aamir has worked for titan watches, Samsung and Tata Sky to name a few. Watch his memorable performance as a Bengali father in the Coca Cola ad

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuVRCcEEoLA[/youtube]



Our love with mega-stars continues and as long as we hook onto the telly to see them, they would be in business and I mean big time business.

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