Brands moving away from big celebrity endorsements!

The Hindi film industry is just about back on its feet post a challenging pandemic period that brought all activity to a halt; however, all is still not well in the brand world for Bollywood. If the recent indications are anything to go by, brands are slowly moving away from the tried-and-tested celebrity endorsements and instead opting for models as part of their campaigns.

As witnessed, Bollywood has had a lull period at the box office as numbers post-pandemic have been rapidly falling, barring a few successful films that are less than a handful. Some of the industry’s biggest superstars and some of the most anticipated releases too have received a lukewarm response.

If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that the stardom of former superstars is not what it used to be, as they struggle to pull audiences to theatres. This mass rejection by the audience has given brands a lot to think about and has left them reluctant to invest big bucks on names who no longer are bankable or influential.

This audience-celebrity disconnect has encouraged brands to move away from Bollywood and stick to the older formula of using models and relatable characters in their commercials and print campaigns.

Gone are the days when a Bollywood superstar would endorse close to a dozen brands. When a superstar is no longer popular, the brands have nothing to ride on.

The boom on the OTT platform has further highlighted this divide where people would rather opt for consuming content on OTT than watch films in theatres. And while celebrities have always been a powerful asset to a brand’s image, the power has now shifted into the hands of the brand with celebrities failing to bring in the eyeballs.