New league of brand endorsers into the advertising ring  ( July '22,2008, Economic Times)

A new league of brand endorsers are stepping into the advertising ring. Genelia, the South Indian star who made waves with her performance in Aamir Khan’s Jaane Tu...., is commanding an endorsement fee of at least Rs 1 crore. The buzz is that she will close the deal next week. That’s not all. Bollywood director Farhan Akhtar, the maker of Dil Chahta Hai who is about to make his debut as an actor in Rock On, has an asking rate of Rs 60 lakh.

Speaking to ET, Globosport CEO Anirban Blah said: “We have signed these personalities, as each one brings a very unique proposition to the table. With Genelia, she’s the new, spunky, fresh face, and we are targeting every brand that Preity Zinta endorses.

With Farhan, who symbolises the cool quotient, we are only looking at upmarket premium brands.” Mr Blah said that both Ritesh Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal are the other two actors who have been signed on by Globosport.

Understandably, they are being positioned differently. While Ritesh, to whom humour comes naturally, will be suitable for mass middle-class brands, Arjun will endorse brands that are macho and stylish. They will charge nothing less than Rs 60 lakh.

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For Indian movie stars and now even Bollywood directors, advertising has become almost as big a money spinner as films. The advertising world has been using the same Bollywood celebrities and cricketers for brand promotion. The fact that these celebrities endorse about half a dozen brands each, it dilutes the promo impact and recall value.

Brands are moving away from iconic personalities unless they are still in the limelight and relevant. The exit of Sachin Tendulkar as the Pepsi brand ambassador or the end of Max New York Life’s contract with Rahul Dravid are a testimony to the trend. Chances are Sansui will also end its association with Dravid in a few months. The fortunes of Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble have also dipped.