Celebrities who endorse brands are not a new phenomenon. If history is to be believed, the first dated record of celebrity advertising dates back to the late 18th century when the royals were promoting products in Britain. In India, the 1950s to 1980s can be seen as the pioneering period for celebrity endorsements, with brands like Lux relying on Bollywood beauties for promotions. However, over the decades, the celebrities have moved on massively, especially after the big takeover of social media. Given the intense scrutiny of users on these platforms, not only do celebrities try to act more responsibly while collecting endorsements, but they and the brands are held accountable by consumers for false claims and misleading advertisements. Recently, brands like Saffola Health and Dabur Chyawanprash attracted a lot of flak when their endorsers Saurav Ganguly and Akshay Kumar suffered from heart disease and Covid-2019, respectively. But is it really important to brand image in the long run? Can we expect brands that shy away from celebrities as faces? Industry means.
Do brands still need celebrities?
According to the industry, the answer is not really!
Shaziya Khan, National Planning Director of Wunderman Thompson India, points out, “Kantar’s data over 10 years shows that celebrity and celebrity ads are indeed on par in terms of effectiveness.”
Titus Upputuru, Creative Head of Taproot Dentsu, agrees: “Brands don’t necessarily need celebrities. But they add an extra spotlight to the campaign, a little hint. If we only rely on one celebrity to save a dying brand or launch a new brand, what happened to ‘Thugs of Hindustan’ will happen to our brands. You must have a great idea. You can put a good actor or a fit cricketer as the icing on the already delicious cake. “
Brand-Nomics MD Virus Razdan adds that celebrities are no longer just brand endorsers, but have now taken on the role of strong influencers. “Digital gives you closeness to this association and brings consumers closer to their lives.”
Does Celebrity Controversy Really Affect Brand Image?
Razdan believes this is certainly the case. “Tiger Woods is a great recent example. Most of the brands parted ways with the star golfer, with the exception of Nike, who stood by him throughout and took advantage of the fact that he made that comeback. Brands and companies connect with stars to achieve certain values - they create an image and follow the jerk on their popular basis. When controversies cloud this and companies fear a backlash that could jeopardize their equity. Very often, in the face of controversy, the breakup of celebs is recognized by the consumer base. “
Khan, on the other hand, suggests that there might be a “tactical short-term impact” but most of the time the brand and brand idea is much bigger than the celebrity.
Upputuru adds a unique perspective when he says that celebrity controversies have influenced some branding images, but the opposite has also been true. “Brands used celebs too, if you know what I mean. Do you remember Andre Agassi’s campaign for a camera brand a long time ago? Agassi was worried about his personal image when we read “Open” in his autobiography. The brand cleverly took advantage of this vulnerable side with the slogan “Image is Everything”. Unfortunately, I also remember how a fan brand had used Rajesh Khanna in his last few years. “
Will celebrity endorsements run out of steam in the coming days?
Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Razdan notes, “Perhaps the form of advertising can change, but associative advertising will always be a great way for brands to connect with their consumers.”
According to Upputuru, there will be celebrity endorsements in India as long as we have cinema and cricket that attract the love of the audience. “The formats can change. These days people may be more interested in Netflix than they are in the movie theaters, or T20 is trending more than a day testing games, but the love of storytelling and gaming goes on, and so does the aura of top performers in those two areas. “
Khan says, “Celebrities are used in advertising around the world. The right celebrity, used properly, can undoubtedly be a powerful brand element. Conventional wisdom has it that celebrities are one of the best ways for brands to build awareness, influence, and persuasion. Data (from Kantar & Edelman) sheds new light on how consumers react to celebrities, taking these insights into account and meaningful to brand managers. “
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