40 YEARS AGO...AND NOW

SAYANTANI KARMumbai, 17 September

U nlike his movie career, the startto Amitabh Bachchan’s brand

endorsement career was not incon-spicuous. It was only in the earlynineties when an advertiser thoughtof tapping into the megas-tar’s appeal with a careerforged in the early seven-ties. Since then, Bachchanhas made it look e�ortless,slipping into radicallyopposite avatars -- from thedapper user, replacingPierce Brosnan, for premi-um suitings Reid & Taylor(2003) to the purveyor ofMiss Palampur or Radha,the cow’s beauty, for Cadbury DairyMilk’s meetha (sweet) moments. Hehas been the reprimanding elder fornew parents for polio prevention andthe mischevious grand-dad replac-ing sugar with honey for Dabur.

While Hindi movies got theirnext change in theme – fromromantic movies to crime andthrillers – with Zanjeer (1973), whenBachchan distilled the angst of hisgeneration as the Angry YoungMan, advertising was still transi-tioning from a sti� English upper-lip to a more desi craft and �avour.

Bachchan’s �rst TV ad was for BPLin 1995. Ajit Hoon, co-founder, Dhar &Hoon, which worked on the cam-paign, says, “Sony and Panasonic wereweaving their way to India, post-liber-alisation. So, the common link for bothMr Bachchan and BPL was self-belief.”The corporate campaign was not prod-

uct-speci�c, says SanjayPrabhu, then vice-presi-dent, brand management,BPL (now head, Indigo,owner of Radio Indigo).

“We wanted to breakout of the BPL-Videocon-Onida circle and be con-sidered in the set with theMNC brands. We signedhim on for ~6 crore, anendorsement deal that was

the biggest in Asia at that time,” saysPrabhu. Hoon says the campaign notonly grabbed eyeballs for BPL but alsoincreased its valuation in the market.

The turn of his personaThe turn of the century also markedBachchan’s re-invention. By 1999,ABCL, his entertainment company,had declared bankruptcy and some ofhis movies in the nineties saw him inan identity crisis trying to make thejourney from playing a young man toa middle-aged one and as an observersays, “performing below his stature”.

He turned to the small screen as ahost. It was with Kaun BanegaCrorepati , on Star TV, in 2000, thatBachchan’s career saw its rebirth, andhis endorsements quickly re�ectedthe change. Santosh Desai, MD & CEO,Futurebrands India says, “ KBC sealedhis persona as the empathetic elder. Itmarked the end of his days as an angry,young son to becoming a father-�g-ure for the changing times -- kind,benevolent but not regressive.”

Piyush Pandey, executive chair-man and creative director, Ogilvy &Mather India and South Asia, who hasworked closely with Bachchan on theUnicef polio campaign, GujaratTourism, Binani Cement, Cadbury,and even Doordarshan’s song fornational integration, Mile sur meratumhara , says, “With KBC , people felt,‘Hey, somebody of his stature is talkingto me’ and that happens even today”.

Cadbury, Reid & Taylor (whichwanted to broad-base its appeal),Pepsi, Nestle’s Maggi and a host of oth-er brands soon followed.

In fact, it was following KBC’s �rstseason that PepsiCo renewed its asso-ciation with Bachchan in the end of2000, for its �agship cola, Pepsi. Heused to be the face of its MirindaLemon, with a cameo role mouthingthe tagline, Jor ka jhatka, dheere selage , till 1999. But Bachchan stirred

up a debate earlier this year when herued the association and said he end-ed it after a little girl reminded himthat it might be a harmful product.While some believe his claim, otherssay it was again a clever repositioningof his endorsement career, in ane�ort to steer clear of controversieslater regarding the responsibilities ofan ambassador.

The appealPandey says, “Exuding a sense of sin-cerity and wisdom, he is one youwant to believe.” The Cadbury cam-paign, following the worm contro-versy, with Bachchan saying thatnothing was wrong with the productanymore, turned around public opin-ion overnight, says Pandey. A mes-senger does not have to be a user allthe time, says Pandey: “He was a userwith Reid & Taylor but in the poliocampaign, he was like a concernedelder chastising people. I had toldhim that I wanted him as an ‘angryold man’”. Desai says “Since his ear-liest ad with BPL, he has had this roleof being the presenter of the largerIndia story. And, that is a role thatimplicitly has longevity.”

The o�-notesBut given his universal popularity, dobrands take a shortcut to fame withBachchan? Pandey says, “Brands canbe stupid at times and lazily use him.If you have him onboard, you have towork 10 times harder because he iseager to add value at every step of theway, from scripting, retaking shots toredubbing.” Desai says, “There aretimes when confused money �ndsAmitabh Bachchan.”

Emami’s Navratna cooling hair oiland even crop protection solutions-provider Dhanuka Agritech havebeen unlikely advertisers to rope himin. But the clue lies in Bachchan’shold over the Hindi-belt, points outSanjay Shukla, CEO, Percept Sports &Entertainment. “Bachchan has some30 questions before signing on abrand but the products might be rel-evant to the hinterland, somethingthat an urban audience would notconnect with,” he says.

Depending on his assignmentterms, whether for one day or twodays in a year, or a block of twoyears, Bachchan is estimated tocharge between ~7 crore and 12 croreper year.

Brand new, alwaysThe endorsement career of India's megastar Amitabh Bachchan displayshis relevance in diametrically opposite roles and product categories

PHOTO:BS

18-09-2014, PAGE 8.

SOURCE: http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/40-years-ago-and-now-brand-new-always-114091701323_1.html