Mumbai: Indian brands are widening the lens on who gets to sell aspiration. The once-dominant young female archetype is giving way to a broader mix of faces—older consumers, men, and more diverse personas—as marketers chase households with real purchasing power.
“Kantar’s analysis shows that Indian audiences respond more positively when people in ads are portrayed as confident, capable, and socially relevant, rather than flawless,” Soumya Mohanty MD & CCO, South Asia, Kantar, told Mint. “For younger audiences especially, this kind of portrayal sends a powerful signal: confidence doesn’t have an expiry date, and relevance isn’t limited to one life stage. That’s a very Indian idea of aspiration,” she adds.
The shift is visible in endorsements once considered unlikely. Shah Rukh Khan’s 2005 appearance in Lux ads with the entirety of female celebrities who were ambassadors was treated as a careful experiment.
Today, the playbook has flipped. Beauty and personal care e-retailer Tira has hired actor Ahaan Panday as brand ambassador along with actress Kareena Kapoor in its latest series of ads. Meanwhile, the world’s largest diamond miner De Beers has cast star cricketer Abhishek Sharma, in its ads promoting ‘natural’ diamonds.
Rethinking playbook
Men have long fronted categories like grooming, innerwear and energy drinks. At one point, Rupa & Company or Lux Industries ads for vests and briefs featured Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan—three generations of Bollywood celebrities—to promote a mass product aimed only at half the population.
What’s new is their growing presence in categories once coded as feminine, signalling a deeper reset in how brands define relevance, identity and, ultimately, the Indian consumer.
Industry executives say the change is driven as much by economics as by evolving cultural narratives. “Brands are acknowledging different audiences who are their consumers, rather than a single stereotypical profile,” said Manisha Kapoor of the Advertising Standards Council of India.
The backdrop is a demand environment where companies are seeking new levers for growth. Large FMCG firms continue to grapple with volume pressures despite tax rationalisation, while jewellery retailers are contending with elevated gold prices. In parallel, the ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook segments face intensifying competition. In response, brands are repositioning products as either everyday essentials or accessible indulgences to widen their addressable market.
Jewellery illustrates the shift toward cohort-based targeting. “Younger millennials and Gen Z tend to gravitate towards trend-led, lightweight jewellery that is versatile, minimalist, and suited for everyday styling,” said Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director of Kalyan Jewellers. “Later millennials and Gen X consumers, on the other hand, often prioritise jewellery that balances modern design with enduring value,” he added.
The need to attract a wider variety of customers becomes important every day. Jewellery marketers are expanding their target base to include men—not just as gift-givers, but as consumers in their own right.
Vinsmera Jewellery’s ad campaign last year featured Malayalam superstar actor Mohanlal, who adorns himself in elaborate jewellery and enjoys dressing up. It marked a departure from earlier narratives where men were cast as fathers or brothers, facilitating a purchase.
This shift extends beyond jewellery into broader FMCG advertising. Campaigns featuring Shah Rukh Khan for Daawat basmati rice and Ajay Devgn for Pushp Masala depict male actors in cooking roles—imagery that contrasts with earlier ads where domestic responsibilities were largely assigned to women, such as the archetypal homemaker using a Hawkins pressure cooker to make carrot halwa for unexpected guests.
Advertisers are also expanding representation at the older end of the spectrum. Campaigns featuring older actresses such as Zeenat Aman and Neena Gupta for brands including footwear and athleisure brand Campus (fronted by actress Kriti Sanon), fintech platform CRED, and Big Tech giant Meta, are designed to appeal across age groups rather than reinforce youth-centric aspiration.
This shift in strategy comes with shifting consumption dynamics. According to Redseer, India’s Gen X cohort aged 45–60 is expected to account for over $500 billion in consumption by FY30, despite representing a smaller share of the population. This generation enjoyed the benefit of globalisation, MNCs in India and better financial education than previous generations, making them a powerful consumer group.
Redseer notes that Gen X values long-term relationship building. “Brands must emphasise substance, heritage, and understated elegance, and avoid flashy marketing (for Gen X customers),” the report noted.
With greater financial stability, this segment is emerging as a key driver of premium and discretionary spending, prompting brands to tailor both messaging and representation more precisely.