In a country like India, where the population is huge and the demand for products is quite diverse, it is absolutely critical for companies to have strong marketing campaigns. Car manufacturers are no different to this fact and adopt different methods to promote their vehicles. Over the years, since the flourishing of electronic media, auto makers have released a numerous television commercials. The Indian audience is deeply influenced by the electronic media and the impact of celebrities can never be undermined. Car companies take advantage of the same and sign actors, models and cricketers for their advertising campaigns; television commercials in particular. Celebrities endorsing big brands is an old concept that has been working well for automotive firms from a long time.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is one of the leading celebrities of the country in terms of endorsements. According to reports and surveys, Khan possesses amazing brand value and has an extremely intelligent marketing team. Hyundai, the South Korean auto maker, a few years ago, signed Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador for the i10 hatchback. Since then, the actor has appeared in a number of television commercials for India's second largest passenger car maker. Industry experts believe that the star power of Shah Rukh Khan has played a role in the success of the i10 hatchback. In some of these advertisements, Khan was seen with actresses Manjari Phadnis and Urvashi Sharma.
Signing a superstar with a high brand value is a ploy that is adopted by upcoming brands to make a name for themselves. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan was signed by Indian car maker Force Motors to promote its brand. The ad makers have applied a lot of intelligence to show Bachchan as an elderly person who is driving the Force One Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) when he sees a rash driver zoom past by a group of school children. The actor then asks the group to sit in the SUV and chases the driver down. Industry experts believe that the branding strategy is a combination of Bachchan's star power and the performance of the Force One car.
Nissan and Renault are two car makers that are relatively new in the Indian auto industry. Although they have launched a number of vehicles, Nissan and Renault are yet to establish any sort of impact in India. To promote the Nissan Micra hatchback as a modern day car, the Japanese car maker has collaborated with actor Ranbir Kapoor, who is slated to be the next superstar of Bollywood. On the other hand, Renault, the French car maker, released the commercial of the Pulse, which stars actor Anil Kapoor, who has gained international fame for his roles in Slumdog Millionaire, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and TV series 24.
Cricketers, along with Bollywood celebrities, enjoy a lot of fame in the country. Any cricketer who does well on the international circuit and has some amount of brand potential, gets a number of endorsement contracts. Thereby, it is only obvious that Sachin Tendulkar, considered to be the God of cricket by many, has appeared in the advertisements of some cars. Several years ago, Tendulkar appeared in the commercial of the Fiat Palio hatchback along with his friend Vinod Kambli, who has also played for the Indian cricket team. It is a known fact that Sachin Tendulkar has a love for cars, something that has been utilised by German car maker BMW. The legendary cricketer was seen in the commercial advertisement of the BMW 1 Series, a premium hatchback that was launched on the 3rd of September, 2013.
Another cricketer who is moving up the ranks in the endorsement bandwagon is batsman Virat Kohli. In 2008, Kohli led the Under-19 Indian cricket team to victory in the World Cup after defeating South Africa in the final. Since then, Kohli has gone on to become one of the most loved cricketers in country. The cricketer is also known for his stylish hairdo, tattoos and sunglasses. Recently, Toyota roped in Virat Kohli to appear in the advertisement for their hatchback, the Etios Liva. Kohli's image as an eligible bachelor loved by girls has been projected in the advertisement, wherein he is chased by a group of females outside a club.
Sources from the Indian auto industry have said that signing stars does not have an affect on sales. However, these advertisements definitely leave an impression in the minds of audiences. Cars promoted by stars in television commercial are more popular than others in the segment due to obvious reasons. Also, adding stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar boosts chances of cars becoming popular among their fans.
