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It’s the Baadshah v/s the Sikander...

It’s one bigwig against another. Are they well planned attacks or mere coincidences? Neha Saraiya analyses...

Send a thief, to catch a thief – that’s what they always propose as the best solution to a problem... a problem like the one brewing in the Indian media ranks! Just that in this case, the ideology is a tad customised – Send a Superstar to beat a Superstar! Obviously, you’ve had a glimpse of the photographs used in this doublespread already, and we don’t want to spring any surprise here – it’s brand SRK versus brand Aamir we’re talking about in the Indian ad-endorsement fraternity.

Yes, we were well aware of the supremely charismatic Baadshah of Bollywood going up and against the selectively arrogant and flamboyant Sikander of tinseltown on the 70mm spread, but what we’re witnessing now is far from the maddening cinema crowds! Films are not the warzone, it’s endorsements... So the question doing the rounds in bustling corporate boardrooms is – which of the two Khans is more bankable? Would you bet on SRK or Aamir?! And that’s where 4Ps B&M steps in... to solve this maddening brand maze.

If we go by statistics, Shahrukh, over the past two years, has earned over a staggering Rs.270 crore from movie fees, television anchoring and big-ticket endorsements with almost fifteen brands in his kitty. On the contrary Aamir (being tagged a ‘perfectionist and choosy’) has just around five to six brands in his basket. So indisputably, SRK leads by a hundred leaps! But wait! We have some more statistics too! According to a recent survey done by IMRB International in collaboration with IPAN, around 78% of the people surveyed thought that quality was the most important factor in buying a product (with just another 9% vouching for the price factor). Now guess how many voted for ‘celeb-power’ being the ultimate brainwashing pill? A terribly pathetic and lamentable 3%!!! Now that’s an eye-opener, right?! But the point here is not to establish whether advertising helps or not, for we all know that it does, and like a Harvard Business School report states that firms investing in advertising witness stock returns that are superior to non-advertising firms by 7%-30%! Then there are experts who prove how celebs are growingly influencing brand equity. In fact 20% of all advertisements feature a well-known celeb (as per Miciak & Stanlin). And even in India, this is proven valid as celebrity endorsements have increased by 49% during 2007 alone with companies spending 0.7% of their annual revenues on just celebrity endorsements!!! However, in this rising craze about brands that celebs ‘just love’, the question is – why on earth are SRK and Aamir posing as opposites in the ongoing battle? Where you see Shahrukh munching a Sunfeast biscuit on one channel you will encounter Aamir showing off a Parle-G on another simultaneously. If SRK talks about Pepsi, Aamir shows off his bright-red Coca-Cola hues! If SRK zips about with the Santro and the i10, then Aamir has the Innova to flaunt.

Similarly if it is Tag Heuer, Nokia and Dish TV for SRK then its Titan, Samsung and Tata Sky for Aamir! Goddddddd!!! These boys are up to some rivalry stunt here, aren’t they? Or wait, is it just the companies that are really pitching them in that fashion? Or, is it just pure coincidence? Whatever be the reason for shelling the dimes, it’s not for a very short time that we’ve stood witness to this game of me-against-you between the two Khans. And whichever product Shah Rukh Khan endorses, a rival company immediately signs up Aamir Khan to endorse its product(s) and vice versa.

So is it a planned corporate ‘counter attack’ strategy? Let’s hear it form the horse’s mouth itself – “Celebrity endorsements depend upon what role of brands is there to play in people’s mind. We have used Shahrukh for Lux in the past and we will keep using it from time to time,” says Sudhanshu Vats, VP- Home Care, HUL. On a similar note Devendra Kishore, Head of Marketing, Nokia India, avers, “Shahrukh is our brand ambassador. We also partnered him with his team Knight Riders in IPL and we will continue this in the future also.” But that does not mean that Aamir is not a brand by choice? To this, Atul Kasbekar, Chairman & MD, Bling! Entertainment Solutions avers, “Aamir is extremely choosy and his brand value is strong as he stands for nothing but perfection and that brings out the exclusivity in him...” Even historically after Titan signed-up Aamir as its brand ambassador, it witnessed a growth of 45% in volume sales and 52% in value!!! Now, SRK really has some competition there!

However, an interesting point to note is that for companies’ competitive myopia creeps in much faster than long-term vision and companies jump in to hire rivals’ brand ambassadors in a panicked mode. Agrees Abdul Khan, Head - Brand & Marketing Communications, Tata Teleservices, “Eventually, it is sad that it ‘only’ turns out to be a competition amongst companies for brand ambassadors...”

Looking at it differently, should stars choose the right brands to associate themselves with? Well, the answer is no! And if you wonder why this, then hear out Bollywood star Shiney Ahuja speak his mind out, “Endorsements helps to establish you as a brand. I endorsed Shark tooth and they paid me so much money that I got spoilt and now I only wait for the right opportunities...” It’s all about the money, honey! Welcome to capitalism! With no logic resting behind the choice of stars, the SRK, Aamir tangle might appear just a coincidence. However, look further and you realise – there’s perhaps none that can stand up to SRK’s young 100 foot stature at the moment in this industry. So if you were another competitor willing to shell out gunnybags of cash, whom would you choose to undo the SRK effect? Atleast Aamir is loud enough about it – “I am Next!” is what he claims! Is he, really?!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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