Mumbai: Unusually for a Bollywood actor, Priyanka Chopra left god, her parents and fans out of the thank you speech she delivered after accepting her award that night. The award wasn’t for a movie role, though; Chopra was being feted as “best brand ambassador-female” at the NDTV Profit Car and Bike Awards 2009.
“I feel great receiving the award… This award means a lot to me as the brand (Hero Honda Motors Ltd’s scooter brand Pleasure) is youthful, zesty and vivacious, which describe my personality too and it is a perfect brand fit,” Chopra said.
Star power: As a slowdown forces companies to review ad budgets, marketers are asking celebrity endorsers to do more than just appear in ad frames or pose next to the product to validate their hefty endorsement fees.
That marketing pitch, delivered on 20 February, would have cost an advertiser anywhere between Rs30-40 lakh. This one, however, came for free—a rare occurrence in the high-fee world of endorsement branding.
As an economic downturn forces companies to review their advertising budgets, marketers are asking celebrity endorsers to do more than just appear in ad frames or pose next to the product to validate their hefty endorsement fees.
Advertisers are expecting their celebrity endorsers to bring more to the table, whether it’s attending industry events such as an awards night or a trade show, renewing contracts at old rates, accepting deals that link business performance of the company to payouts, or squeezing more into each working day, say talent management companies.
A-list stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan could charge anywhere between Rs8-10 crore for five-six working days per year as part of an endorsement deal.
Actor Saif Ali Khan, who was also present at the NDTV awards nite, won the “best brand ambassador-male” award for his endorsement of the Chevrolet, made by General Motors India. While his acceptance speech talked about his association with the brand—his mother used to own a Chevrolet Impala—he earned his stripes later that evening by refusing to be interviewed in front of a parked Mercedes.
He also declined an invitation to present the ‘Car of the Year’ award unless the organizers could confirm that a General Motors car was winning it, said his manager Anirban Das Blah, chief executive officer for Globosport India Pvt. Ltd. He adds that the star’s appearance that night was “free of cost”, and something that “was good for the brand” as his client was up against other star brand ambassadors in the auto sector, namely Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar.
“Brands have become ruthless…they need to see value or they will just drop you,” says Blah of Globosport, explaining that brands needed to see commitment from their endorser during these times. “Even though the contract specifies six (working) days a year, you can’t say ‘that’s it’… it’s a two-way street if you want a long-term relationship with the brand.”