Allu Arjun and Samantha Ruth Prabhu emerge as top brand ambassadors: Hansa Research

Allu Arjun endorses brands like Rapido, Zomato, redBus, etc., and Samantha Ruth Prabhu endorses brands like KurKure, Myntra, Munch, PhonePe, Mamaearth, and more. According to Hansa Research's latest Brand Endorser (BE) report, these two actors have emerged as the top-ranked South Indian male and female celebrities, respectively.

While Arjun has beaten the likes of Vijay and Suriya to top the list, Prabhu rules as the leading actress and has left behind some popular names such as Rashmika Mandanna. As per the report, Arjun is also the only South India star that has made it to the All India Top 10 celebrity list.

Arjun is the most recognised actor in South India, with a score of 85%. He is perceived to be popular, likable, youthful, an influencer, bold and a social media celebrity as well. These factors make him a compelling brand ambassador for a range of products.

Prabhu topped as the most popular actress in South India, with a recognition score of 74%. The factors that make her an ideal brand ambassador include recognition, likability, influencer, adorable, adventurous, aspirational, bold and confident, along with a massive fan following on social media.

Commenting on the significance of the report, Praveen Nijhara, chief executive officer - Hansa Research, said, “Our study is a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the value that an endorser brings to a brand. It aids marketers to take informed decisions and improve the overall return of investment (ROI) in celebrity engagement.”

“Due to the COVID pandemic and rise in OTT viewership, many South Indian actors got more national recognition. This is clearly reflected in our All India ranking, where Arjun also features in Top 10, along with the likes of Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.”

The celebrities are ranked as per the BE score results. They are tracked on various metrics, like likability, social media influence, perception, marketing potential, recognition, etc., which make up their final BE score. According to the report, Bachchan topped the overall list as the most recognised celebrity in the country, with a very high All India rank.

Bachchan leads among the likes of MS Dhoni, Kohli, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and other favourites, who are younger than him and, perhaps, more active in their respective fields.

Here is a brief snippet of other key findings from different categories of the report:

• Sachin Tendulkar leads over Dhoni and Kohli in the sports category

• Kapil Sharma is the most popular male TV star

• Mouni Roy is the most popular female TV star

• Bhuvan Bam tops the social media list amongst other key influencers

The report covered more than 550 celebrities across domains in the country. For this study, the research was conducted amongst 5,100 respondents across 36 cities. To measure the results, structured interviews were conducted pan-India through online and offline methodologies to understand the standings and performances of the shortlisted celebrities.