Scarlett Power

Scarlett Johansson can indeed sell champagne. That too Moet & Chandon. Thats celebrity power and luxury branding. Personally, I do love her legs.

But then, I thought Dom Perignon said a better story in this Karl Lagerfeld directed movie.

Well, for luxury brands, the better the story it says, the better the aura the brand creates around itself. enjoy

When loyalists switch

Today’s Economic Times has an interesting article, The Unfaithful, which I thought is worth a mention. The ultimate nightmare for marketers is when their brand ambassadors switch brand loyalties. Recent examples of such incidences have come as a shock to the industry:

Virender Sehwag – From Coca Cola to Pepsi
Rahul Dravid – Samsung to Sansui
Sachin Tendulkar – Britannia to ITC Sunfeast
Saurav Ganguly – LG to TCL

Though this phenomenon is not new in the world of marketing, I’m only worried about the dichotomy of the situation. I’m not bothered much about the cola companies since people are aware of cola wars and spoofs, so they don’t take it too seriously. Moreover, colas are fun. In the case of buying electronic goods for a household, not sure how much can a cricket star influence the buying decision. High value purchase is an involved and informed decision, therefore today’s tech savvy consumer know exactly what they are looking for. They do justify every penny they spend contrary to the popular belief that they won’t mind spending more. 2k more for a mere 220 W extra not makes much sense. But yes, 2K more for a 29’ instead of a 21’ makes sense.

But the situation is different when it comes to foods and kids. From a consumer’s point of view, Sachin is synonymous to Britannia, as also in Boost. In fact kids still remember some of those memorable commercials. Now that he’s endorsing Sunfeast, what will be its impact on the consumers? Will the concerned mothers start believing Britannia ain’t good anymore or will they think Sunfeast is a star attraction?

I don’t have an answer to this question. But what’s happening for sure is that celebrities are losing their credibility. A cause of concern indeed.

Tigers in tension

The Indian sub-continent is very hot at the moment. Everyone is sweating over the Cricket World Cup. The minnows are the new majors. Bangladesh is the new Tiger. Pakistan is knocked out, Bob Woolmer is dead, Inzy has declared his retirement. Sri Lankans are beating opponents miserably. And back at home, Dhoni’s new house under construction is now rubble. Effigies of Viru are being burnt and Dravid have been asked to keep his gob shut.

Emotions are high to be very honest. We Indians love our cricket. No wonder cricket stars are often the highest paid brand endorsers for the love and patronage they get from the Indian fans. What happens if India fails to win? No, am not bothered about the game or the shattered Indian pride. Am more concerned about the brands and the millions being paid to our cricketing stars.

Withdrawing all ads featuring our failed stars on air and print is an easy solution. What about the brand association that has already been created in the minds of our consumers? How will brands react to that?

• Will people like to wear ‘Mayur Shewang Suitings’ anymore?
• Will people buy a Skyline Apartment that Dravid says matches his lifestyle? Or believe what Dravid has to say on behalf of the Bank of Baroda?
• Will people still associate Yuvraj as the Hero of all two wheeled Hondas?
• Will kids agree that Boost is the secret of Sachin’s energy?
• Will people now start looking at sports beyond cricket?

Well, let’s hope for the best. Let not another minnow take the pants off our Indian team and send them back in bermudas. If it happens, India for sure will lose its reputation as a cricket crazy nation. And brands will have to re-think about their advertising and celeb endorsement strategies.

Boys in Blue, now bite your own words ‘Ladega to jetega.’ Good luck.