Ash-Abhi wedding gets 'branded'

If you thought it was only the media that was going berserk over the upcoming Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan wedding, think again. Big brands endorsed by the couple are also getting into the act and planning mega-marketing campaigns around the event.

Sample this: Gitanjali Gems, which markets diamond jewellery brands like Nakshatra, Asmi, Sangini and D'damas, has lined up an "Abhi-Ash wedding carnival".

"Their wedding is a special occasion and therefore we are spending Rs 10 crore on the new collection," said Mehul Choksi, chairman, Gitanjali Group.

The month-long carnival (after the April 20 wedding) will be held in 10 or12 cities and will showcase a collage of the couple's films, paintings and photographs, apart from exhibiting Gitanjali's new wedding collection.

Meanwhile, global beauty and skincare brand L'Oreal Paris has introduced a limited edition lipstick shade under its Color Riche range, Tender Beige, for Aishwarya Rai, their brand ambassador.

L'Oreal said this was the first time it had launched a special shade around a special occasion for its brand ambassador. The lipstick will be launched in India later this month in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. Bhakta declined to comment on the marketing budget.

While Rai's fans can wear her favourite shade of lipstick, the junior Bachchan's fans too have something to look forward to. Radio station Big 92.7 FM that Bachchan endorses will be giving away autographed merchandise to its listeners, with the grand prize being a sherwani worn by Bachchan during one of the station's promo shoots.

The radio station is believed to be spending close to Rs 7 lakh for on-ground promotions congratulating the couple. Anand Chakravarthy, head-marketing, Big 92.7 FM said, "It is the most awaited Bollywood wedding and we are bound to leverage it."

However, brands like LG, Motorola and Lux (the first two are endorsed by junior Bachchan and the last by Rai) have decided to stay away from the hype surrounding the event.