Bollywood Plot Quickens; Brands Back Post Interval

Reversal in box office fortunes brings back endorsement deals
Ratna Bhushan (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; December 23, 2023)

New Delhi: Big Bollywood endorsement deals are making a comeback after more than two years of downturn, as brands look to capitalize on a number of big box office hits that have spurred the revival of the Hindi film industry.

At least five brands have signed Hindi film celebrities in the past two weeks, accelerating a turnaround that began earlier in the year after a lean phase in 2021 and 2022, when a string of box office flops and a drug controversy took a toll on big Bollywood endorsements.

On Thursday, Bisleri International named Deepika Padukone as its first global brand ambassador. She will also feature on bottle labels of the mineral water brand.

PepsiCo's Quaker Oats has roped in Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra for a campaign that went live on Friday afternoon.

Denim and casual apparel brand Lee signed Sara Ali Khan, bakery and biscuits brand Bisk Farm roped in Animal actress Rashmika Mandanna, and stereo maker Wobble signed Ayushmann Khurrana. Other recent deals include luxury footwear brand Jimmy Choo signing Ananya Pandey and Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani director Karan Johar inking a deal with GoodGlamm and Shoppers Stop for a new make-up line called Pout.

"Brands deals are directly linked to box office success, as well as increase in consumer demand... Both have happened and it has been a massive year for Bollywood," said Vinita Bangard, managing director of Mumbai-based talent management company Krossover Entertainment. "So, the number of endorsements, as well as fees, have increased by 15-30% on an average," she said.

Krossover has worked on deals with Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.

Back with a Bang
Over the last couple of years, many brands signed southern actors such as Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu and Samantha Prabhu as brand ambassadors as almost all the big box office hits came from the south.

The Bollywood redux began with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan that grossed Rs 1,050 crore in box office collections to become the highest-grossing Indian film of the year before being surpassed by Khan's next release, Jawan. Other big hits included OMG 2, Gadar 2, Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, and now, Animal.

"What had happened in the 2020-2022 phase was that celebrities' fees had softened, which was also because there were no new releases as Covid-19 had struck, especially in 2020 and 2021," said Sandeep Goyal, chairman of ad agency Rediffusion.

"Now, the momentum is back with a lot more takers at higher prices. Besides more brands, there are new categories like wearables and millets, D2C brands and regional brands... They are all looking to rope in well-known names, which always works in the absence of an otherwise big advertising idea."

Telling Numbers
A-listers such as Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone are known to be charging between Rs 5 crores to Rs 10 crores for an endorsement deal, while Ananya Pandey and Kiara Advani are said to be charging Rs 1-2 crore per deal.

Executives said brands look for return on investments depending on what is trending and social media reach. These are also crucial pull factors to attract new consumers in smaller markets.

Tushar Malhotra, head of marketing at Bisleri International, said its campaign with Padukone “is a significant step to contemporize the brand.” Emerging challenger brands too are roping in well-known names to draw in first-time consumers at a time when aspirational demand is being fuelled through social media and deliveries are being facilitated even in small markets through ecommerce.

Sukhleen Aneja, CEO of Good Brands Co of GoodGlamm Group, said the collaboration with Shoppers Stop and Johar would help make-up line Pout tap into a broad consumer base, and is expected to bridge the gap between online and offline retail.