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By Vijay Subramaniam
Celebrities have always enjoyed cult status in India, I would say far more than the rest of the world. We’ve made gods of cricketers and actors. So, it comes as no surprise that brands have wanted to align themselves with personalities that embody the same values as they want to stand for. As early as the 1920s, figures like Annie Besant and Rabindranath Tagore were endorsing soap for Godrej. Not very much has changed today, and we have seen time and again how attaching a celebrity face to a brand brings about an incredible amount of credibility to the brand and immediate recall. It instantly becomes more recognizable and stickier in the consumer’s mind. The endorsement model is here to stay, however the “HOW” of it might change in time to come.
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Whether influencers are changing this trend is a question that comes up often. But I don’t think we need to look at it as one or the other. There are different types of value in both models. Celebrities – and these include movie stars and sports personalities, more so cricketers – were the original influencers but the new age influencers/creators are quickly becoming a new breed of celebrity. With increased internet and smartphone penetration, today, the creator economy has facilitated enough opportunities for people deep and wide in the country to not wait for just a debut cricket match or a movie to express their creativity. Social media has enabled that with a click of a button. The size of the pop culture pie has increased and that only bodes well for creators. The celebrity, however, will continue to remain a destination for best defined aspiration amongst the majority of the nation’s population. A fact that marketers will always use to their advantage to create disproportionate impact, quickly.
Social media has transformed the way we look at fame, today a big influencer may have a wider reach than many Bollywood celebs but that doesn’t make someone with a niche following any less relevant from a brand perspective. In fact, many brands opt for nano and micro influencers to gain a more intimate hold on the consumer mind. Overall, it depends on the quality of engagement and what the actual goal of the message is. A slew of billboards across the city are a fantastic way to grab millions of eyeballs whereas a targeted influencer campaign with high-quality content can get deeper brand messaging across. The beauty of using both these approaches is what can elevate a brand campaign to include both mass appeal as well as personability to the brand.
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Basically, digital mediums are changing and will continue to change our relationships with everything, including our purchasing decisions. In this industry, I don’t think it is an either this or that situation. Every campaign, every marketing decision needs to consider many factors in order to get the best gains out of their effort. The best solutions will come out in amalgamating all things pop culture that impact consumption of both commerce and content.
(The author is Group CEO & Founder, Collective Artists Network group. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
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