Celebrity endorsement vs advertising: Where have all the supermodels gone?
Does anyone even remember Anna Bredemeyer or Madhu Sapre, she who almost got crowned as the first Indian Ms Universe? Ujjwala Raut, Carol Gracias, Nandini Sen and her "mera wala cream!" No? Don’t be surprised because you are just one of many. And not just in India alone.
Gone are the days when a certain Linda Evangelista could say, “I don’t get out of bed for less than 10,000 pounds" and her fans could only sigh in appreciation, welcome the arrogance of it all and revel in her pulchritude!
Iman, who redefined the word "black beauty" and became the muse and wife of the iconic musician David Bowie. Supermodels like Christie Turlington and Naomi Campbell who created such a brand frenzy that George Michael devoted an entire video to these lovely ladies.
Then there was the waif, Kate Moss. A new term was coined in her honour - anorexic chic! They made news every which way we looked and we followed them through their colourful poses, rivalries and loves, tantrums and personal lives and looked for the products they represented.
These were young girls who were "discovered" and went on to become celebrities. We loved them all.
Then somewhere towards the end of the 1980s, some marketing honcho with an unlimited expense account who probably had a beef with his agency’s creative director (I am thinking Don Drapper) decided to shell out the big bucks and rope in the filmstars and created an "arms race" of sorts with each brand looking for the "celebrity of the moment".
That spelt the end of the model, super or not. It became a "revenue stream" for filmstars with a limited shelf life and sportspersons who have even more limited stamina.
Now, as any loyal Indian I love my Bollywood and my cricket. I would greatly appreciate them selling life insurance to me, or an orange juice they drink themselves, even shoes they run in. But during this last Indian Premier League, I counted 15 different celebrity ads in the couple of hours that I watched.
I was lost. I couldn’t distinguish one thing from the other except the lazy platitudes they mouthed written by some tired copywriter who was probably in shock that the words were going to be spoken by a famous star!
Does anyone even think of the Liril jingle and statement of that bathwear? That Preity Zinta used to be that Liril girl? The row that erupted when its biggest rival ended up with a similar looking TV ad? Look at the longevity of the Amul girl and try replacing her with Alia Bhatt? You get the point right?
The first lesson taught in advertising is that the focus should only be on the product and its attributes. In the online world, it is called "sticky content". So do you really remember what our Bollywood stars are selling from one film frame to the other?
Can you even distinguish the names: cement, tractors, vans, motorcycles, TVs. Even the big cola wars have paled into insignificance. When a renowned gaming console launched in India, it must have paid a whopping sum to rope in the finest hitter of sixers and the best khiladi in Bollywood to sell it.
The result was a painful 50 seconder which did nothing for its prime audience. Kids and teenagers. Where was the sell through of its features, the number of games and the differentiation points? One just watched the two stars outracing each other while we switched channels.
Is this too harsh? Well, there is a whole range of products which resonate with celebrities. Luxury watches, speed boats in the Cannes Marina, first-class air travel, bespoke jewellery, French couture. These are aimed to send us sighing away because we don’t have that kind of moolah.
But we can hope… and though I can never afford a Christian Dior bag, I have consoled myself by splurging on a pair of sunglasses and kept them wrapped in silk. This is what super brands are supposed to do. Create an experience and a desire to own and yes, here the rich and famous led a name which will be recognisable.
Okay, I will forgive this dish TV for their acting school ads because, well it is believable and it has one of the finest actors in India with his baritone voice talking about "his" craft and we listen. It’s deadly funny too.
But cement? Home delivered groceries? Paint? And what is it with the "kachha banian" gang, not the ones the Delhi Police can’t get their hands on but the real banian manufacturers. Apparently, no star can consider himself to have truly arrived unless he is parading in a hosiery banian to look macho, smart, fighting away goons in his undies.
Those vest-wallahs really have deep pockets if they are capable of shelling out the crores needed to rope in the Grade A stars who flaunt their shoulder muscles. It is justified as a mass approach to selling but the only thing that went "viral" was Salman Khan’s hairstyle in Tere Naam and that too bade araam se.
There is this issue of humour and wit too. We all remember the Sprite ad… just a languorous voiceover, creative content and sarcasm. This then is the textbook definition of advertisement versus endorsement.
An advertisement is meant to entice, introduce, inform and help choose over other rivals in making a buying decision. It is a pure capitalist moment where everyone competes equally. Endorsement, specially by filmstars is just “I use this, so should you”.
The most expensive AC, LED TV, will have them swanning through the ad while we like Mr Murthy shrugging away in front of his father-in-law because he already has the best AC. See, we remember him but not the name of the electronic thingy that beautiful actress was luxuriating under.
One thing the celebrities do get right: public service messaging. Be it polio or protesting violence against women. This shows a conscience.
But then who gets paid for having a conscience! And Gisele Bundchen has taken a trip to mommydom.