South Indian stars rise to endorse national brands

Allu Arjun’s movie ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ made its debut on December 17, 2021 and changed the way India views South Indian cinema. There is no longer a sense of ‘them’ and now, there’s a greater acceptance for movies in South Indian languages. SS Rajamouli’s recent film ‘RRR’ and Prashanth Neel’s ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ solidified that sentiment.

Now, it’s quite common to see South Indian stars in national ad campaigns. Recently, Bengaluru-based redBus announced that Arjun would be its brand ambassador. Arjun had previously worked with the company from 2017-19. A market research this year revealed that consumers still associated Arjun with the company and also recalled its older ads.

“COVID accelerated the use of digital mediums across the country, and we wanted to reach out to every citizen in the length and breadth of the country - the ‘Bharat’ user. With ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ being a hit across India, there was an increase in search queries for Arjun’s name, not just in the South, but in the North and West too,” says Pallavi Chopra, senior vice president, brand - redBus.

Vijay Subramanian, CEO and co-founder of Kwan Entertainment, adds, “The prism with which we view Indian actors, has changed completely. The label is no longer ‘South Indian film’ or ‘South Indian actor’. The film is seen as an Indian film that originated from South India and the actors are seen as Indian actors who live in South India.”

Subramanian mentions that it all comes down to ‘Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai’. “The more successful their movies are, the higher the equity these celebrities hold. Their credibility comes from their fan base and the box office numbers. The box office collection is the highest form of credibility a movie star can have.”

Chopra of redBus says that South Indian actors have been proving their mettle at the box office by delivering hit films that appeal to the masses. According to a Hindustan Times report, ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ has grossed Rs 625 crore worldwide.

A report by Box Office India states that ‘RRR’ (Hindi) became the highest grossing Hindi film, post the COVID pandemic, on Saturday (fourth Saturday of its run), as its total went above the Rs 246 crore mark. Box Office India also states that ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ collected over Rs 108 crore at the box office.

redBus’ multi-channel and high-decibel campaign has a TV, digital and outdoor leg.

Rashmika Mandanna, who was the female lead in ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, is a powerhouse endorser in her own right. She recently endorsed Kingfisher, along with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan. She also starred in Wakefit’s latest ad and has endorsed other national brands such as audio accessory brand boAt, QSR chain McDonald’s, Vicks, Santoor, Amul Macho, Dabur Honey, Cashify, to name a few.

Frooti’s summer campaign that kicked off recently, prominently features Telugu actor Ram Charan - one of the stars of ‘RRR’, alongside Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt. In 2018, Arjun came on board as Frooti’s brand ambassador and every year ever since, he has featured in the brand’s summer campaign, alongside Bhatt and Dhawan. Charan replaced Arjun this year.

It’s interesting to note that the other hero in ‘RRR’ - Jr. NTR - has been Appy Fizz’s brand ambassador since 2019. Both Appy Fizz and Frooti belong to the same parent company - Parle Agro.

MG Parameswaran, founder of brand-building.com, points out that in the past, it was common to use South Indian actors for region-specific campaigns. National campaigns usually featured the most popular Bollywood actor at that time.

Sandeep Goyal, managing director of Rediffusion and founder of Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB), says that all brands are looking for someone with an all-India appeal. “Since most Bollywood stars are not that well recognised in South India, regional stars are increasingly getting added to the celebrity roster.”

Goyal points out that South Indian stars don’t charge high endorsement fees that Bollywood stars do. So far, IIHB has been unable to conclusively prove that using South Indian celebrities dramatically enhances brand equity.

“Where brands need all India consumer connect, they will use regional stars. Brands have been doing media planning separately for Hindi speaking markets and the four South Indian languages - it is now happening on content too,” Goyal signs off.