Brands strike gold with mature actresses

Bollywood brand endorsements is a huge market in India and abroad and while many brands will be looking to jump on the success bandwagon of current A-list actors and actresses such as Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif, many are opting to use the image of a more mature personality to enhance the products appeal.

A new addition to this club is Oriflame India, which has recently roped in actress Sonali Bendre as its brand ambassador for 2012. Dr Falguni Vasavada-Oza, Associate Professor, MICA, said:

“Sonali Bendre has done all the right things in the media. She has a clean image, is a responsible wife and parent. She has been portrayed in a very positive light by the media fraternity all through these years and these are huge plus points for Sonali as well as the brand she promotes. Conflicting brand personality holds no meaning in this particular example.”

Kajol is another young mother who has been endorsing several brands like Unilever’s Knorr Soup, Tata Indiacom, Alpenliebe candles and many more. Similarly Karisma Kapoor has been the face of brands like Kellogg”s Chocos, Utsav Jewellery and Garnier Colour Naturals.

Kiran Khalap, Co-Founder, Chlorophyll Brand & Communications Consultancy said:

“For a lot of brands, people want to see the actual consumers consuming the product, for instance, having a mother in a commercial for a detergent brand. This gives a more realistic proposition. Through such advertisements, companies are banking on the idea to be memorable.”

Many more older actress have also been roped into endorsements as a result of this. For example, Hema Malini, along with her daughters Ahana and Esha, is endorsing Kent water purifiers and Sharmila Tagore has been the face of several brands along with her daughter, Soha Ali Khan, including the likes of Kohinoor Basmati Rice and the Gitanjali group for its ‘Nizam Collection’.

Dr Oza added:

“These stars have won consumer’s confidence over the years. They have been around for several years and since most of these brands are high-end products, consumers will value the stars choice because they know that it will be a mature, informed choice unlike the endorsements by today’s youngsters who will opt for any brand.”