Emami still sets the pace in yoking celebrities

What do Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu have in common? Answer: They are all part of an off-the-field partnership for Emami, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major, which is breaking records in branding initiatives.

The Kolkata-based company — major brands include Chyawanprash, Boroplus, Fast Relief, Zandu Balm, Navratna oil, Fair and Handsome — is creating waves in Indian advertising by having an astonishing number of celebrity endorsers at one time. “Currently, we have more than 30 celebrities associated with us for different brands. To rope in new stars, we keep Rs 5-15 crore every year in our budget, depending on the brands,” said Aditya Agarwal, Director of the group.

Emami claims to be the first Indian company to complete a half century in terms of brand ambassadors. Its first ambassador was Rekha, in 1974, for Emami Vanishing Cream; the 50th was Mahendra Singh Dhoni for Zandu Pancharishta this year. It is also set to rope in a few more celebrities, said Agarwal.

According to sources, Dhoni was signed for Zandu Pancharishta for Rs 4 crore, and there are plans to tie up with Hrithik Roshan and three other sports persons soon.

Both Emami and informed observers say it seems worth it. “Take the case of the ‘Munni’ campaign. The sales of Zandu Balm have gone up 35 per cent after that,” said Prahlad Kakkar, Director, Genesis Film Productions.

Last year, Emami had signed Malaika Arora, Bipasha Basu, Dinesh Kartik, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Preity Zinta and M S Dhoni for various products. Some brands have multiple endorsers — Navratna has five, Boroplus has four and Zandu Balm has six. “From the ’70s onwards, we are following this strategy, roping in Zeenat Aman, Rati Agnihotri, and Rekha. Then the remuneration was a few thousands, while it has reached a few crores now,” said Agarwal.

According to sources, big stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan have been signed for a two-three year period for Rs 3-5 crore each.

“Emami has been a pioneer in terms of signing up brand ambassadors and it is evident in their sales results. I know several stars who sign for this company because of the image its brands carry. My all-time favourite celebrity advertisement of the company is of Fair and Handsome with Shah Rukh Khan,” said advertisement guru Alyque Padamsee.

It is also credited with the first in-film advertising, through Agar Tum Na Hote, in which Rekha is the model for the company, Emami, owned by Raj Babbar. “The experiment in Agar Tum Na Hote was a revelation: in-film advertising has (since) become the latest trend in the brand world,” said Anjan Chatterjee of Situations Advertising.