Who’s bigger? Brand or celebrity?

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: in malted beverages, MRF in tyres, Fiat Palio in cars, TVS Victor in two-wheelers, Colgate Total in toothpastes, Britannia in biscuits, Visa in credit cards and Airtel in mobile services. Clearly, an overload of brands and categories associated with one star.

Does anyone really recall the various brands that Sachin has endorsed over the years? Have there been times when you cannot distinguish one brand endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan from another? When was the last time you noticed the brand being advertised because of its features and not because of the good looks of a celebrity trying to sell it to you? Does the consumer think in categories and slot brands accordingly or is it one big maze of brands and saliency is dependent on ‘recency’? And finally, does it really help the brand?

This is a debate that has raged on ever since the wave of celebrity brand endorsements swept over the Indian advertising industry. Ever since, the fine line between the brand and celebrity has blurred to an extent that one wonders whether it’s the star projecting the brand, or vice versa. Case in point is the Aamir Khan-Innova ad, in which the star plays multiple roles. One would think that it was an Aamir Khan ad, not so much an automobile one. Or for instance, would anyone remember that Shah Rukh Khan endorsed a brand of ready-to-eat noodles Top Ramen. And in the celebrity clutter, chances that the brand and category become difficult to remember for the average consumer.

On the other hand, these same advertising gurus have given the common man (in this case woman) a face by introducing a Lalitaji, who epitomised the typical Indian woman for so many years. Then there was Digen Verma, a phenomenon no one had seen but everyone knew. And then there are brands like Fevicol, that don’t need a face to get it noticed.

The creative stands out so beautifully that the brand never needs to depend on one person to give it that boost.