What Drives Brand Endorsements

One can never forget how Amitabh Bachchan had famously run the pulse polio campaign, which had a great impact and successfully led the society to get rid of the stigma attached to the vaccine.

The power that celebrities hold over consumer’s minds is not a secret to anyone. Even though the global crisis has impacted brand budgets, most brands still bank on celebrities to reach out to the masses. In these economically crucial times, brands are presented with a challenge to find the most effective ways of getting their products endorsed and reaching out to their target audience.

While participating in a BW Businessworld webinar actress Taapsee Pannu shared how innovation and the right marketing approach will be an important deal-maker for brands. She said, “The celebrities cannot be completely cut-off from brand endorsements because there is a certain market that is already aware of the celebrity and they help the brand to reach out to the masses.”

With the surge of digital content consumption because of the lockdown, digital content creators and social media influencers have become a crucial part of brand strategy. These influencers not only have mass appeal but also manage to strike a chord with the youth.

Youtuber Bhuvan Bam believes that it is important for influencers to endorse products that they would use themselves. Talking about some of the brands he is associated with and how these are relevant in his daily life he said, “I love listening to and producing songs, hence I am endorsing Mivi, which is a home-grown Indian brand. I am endorsing Lenskart, because I can’t see without my spectacles. I will endorse a back-bag brand, hence I am doing Arctic Fox. I think it’s important to endorse only those brands which you can talk about. Though one can endorse anything, I would rather do a brand that creates a personal connection.”

It is critical for celebrities to get associated with the right kind of brand as it speaks a lot about their personalities. Brand endorsements do not just mean money for most celebs but are an effective way to stay connected with the audiences.

Recently Kartik Aaryan had to cancel his multi-crore deal with Chinese mobile brand- Oppo in the wake of India-China border clash. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) had also passed a press statement where they asked actors to distance themselves from promoting Chinese products.

Over the past few months, brands have made an attempt to weave aspects of Covid-19 in their messaging. Swarnim Bharadwaj, Global Brand Director, Unilever- Singapore said that it is important for brands to be vocal during a crisis situation and celebrities who are also voices of authority come to rescue. “The amount of authenticity needed in this time is a lot more than before. People need clarity and there is an opportunity for brands and celebrities to play their role in this,” added Bharadwaj.

Most marketers believe that brand ambassadors provide a higher degree of consumer recall and help in building a better brand image, spreading awareness, connecting consumers emotionally in turn increase sales which is the ultimate goal of all advertisements.